From butcher to baker: Melbourne rising with
a gun mid's skyrocketing stat

CLAYTON OLIVER	Rounds 1-9	Rounds 10-11	2020 AFL Average
Kicking Efficiency	50.6%	67.6%	64.1%
Kick Rating	-13.3%	+10.0%	Statistic unavailable
Kick Metres Gained per game	307.5	496.1	188.1
Kick Retention %	36.0%	64.7%	57.5%
Kick Inside 50 Retention %	16.7%	55.6%	46.3%

 

14 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

From butcher to baker: Melbourne rising with
a gun mid's skyrocketing stat

CLAYTON OLIVER	Rounds 1-9	Rounds 10-11	2020 AFL Average
Kicking Efficiency	50.6%	67.6%	64.1%
Kick Rating	-13.3%	+10.0%	Statistic unavailable
Kick Metres Gained per game	307.5	496.1	188.1
Kick Retention %	36.0%	64.7%	57.5%
Kick Inside 50 Retention %	16.7%	55.6%	46.3%

 

I hope the next step to candlestick maker involves even more improvement.

Good article. The change in Oliver's style has been well documented on here, so it's great to see some outside recognition, backed up by some statistical evidence. It's not often you see a step-change in a player like this within a season, but it looks as if it has dawned on Oliver that there's more in the party bag than clean collect/handball in traffic.

It will be interesting to see if it's still going to be as noticeable against stronger teams. It's really hard to get a good sense of where things are at when our last two results have been floggings of terrible teams. 

Undoubtedly Clarry has turned a corner.  A point the article misses is for part of rnd 10 and all of rnd 11 we had a different mid-field structure and roles which have helped him with the turnaround.

At this rate he could become an inside and an outside mid, adding more flexibility to our stoppage structures/clearance strategies. 

I'm quite excited by how our midfield is developing.

As a side note, has anyone else noticed that, in photos of Clarry during games, he mostly seems to be grinning?! Obviously loves his footy!

13 minutes ago, 3183 Dee said:

As a side note, has anyone else noticed that, in photos of Clarry during games, he mostly seems to be grinning?! Obviously loves his footy!

All I know Clarry has come off the ground in Adelaide twice grinning and being BOG or equally so.

Clearly He or the Coaching or the FD have decided that he needed to upgrade his output to produce meaningful team football and not just rack up stats for his cv.

I prefer to think that Clarry would have been so Bitterly disappointed with his output vs Lions and Power and the lack of skill plus metres gained to the team coupled with errors galore that he had a MOMENT!! 

It resonated and being the gifted sportsman and proud person he Is he decided that he needed to alter his game style to be fully effective to the team and his own satisfaction.

And I have a little feeling in my bones that right before his eyes he saw what Trac was doing and thought Why Not Me??      (I have done the training the same and put in the preparation!)

Not just happy with the constant reminder of the last 2/3 years to kick more he has not only kicked more But become a running beast just like Trac with the ball and now the whole field opens up not just the tangled mess called packs that he so craftily controlled for four and a half years but lost control of in a maze of handball carelessness and unhappiness for progressively less result.

NOW we have TWO aerobic INSIDE and OUTSIDE BEASTS as well as TEAM players and rediscovered their mate ANGUS who is even more an OUTSIDE mid with JACK who  now should hopefully resolve to team play as stoppage king with more control at the bounces and increasingly up the FORWARD line to balance out the ride we get from Big Maxy's hitouts  and will get from young tyro Jacko in the future.

Lets not even imagine how much better this QUINTET will be when we get 30/40 games into Jacko with his sharp and Ultra competitive team football highlighted by exquisite handball and movement like a gazelle ( or zebra) when cutting loose from the centre ready to hit up one of our leading forwards. Eat your heart out RONALD DALE BARASSI.

Lets not hear of we must sell or trade one of out four champs Brisbane benefited big time at the start of the century from the FAB FOUR  I reckon we have a FAB FIVE fir a decade if we play our cards right!

Oh and Harmes and Sparrow ( and any one else) you will get a look in now and then when injury and the team assistance and rotation fits our needs.

Let the real games begin !!

 

now he has to do it against the top sides. Great to see simultaneous improvement with Trac, Viney and Gus. Makes a very potent midfield.

Absolute poetry when on song Clarry, the criticism will make him a much better player.

He's kicking like a surgeon performing procedures at the moment precise and measured.

Keep up the form Clarry.

2 hours ago, 3183 Dee said:

As a side note, has anyone else noticed that, in photos of Clarry during games, he mostly seems to be grinning?! Obviously loves his footy!

Against Norf the whole team was smiling; haven't seen such a happy Dees bunch in a long time.  If you are ever feeling flat watch the last quarter.

14 minutes ago, Win4theAges said:

Absolute poetry when on song Clarry, the criticism will make him a much better player.

He's kicking like a surgeon performing procedures at the moment precise and measured.

Keep up the form Clarry.

Speaking of poetry - I'll just wedge this in here.

Song of a Baker.

I would now like this form translated into a game against a top 8 team rather than a bottom 2 or 3 team.

Have been saying he is a lovely kick just let down by execution, and this supports that somewhat.

I suspect he was under instruction to kick more, which he did but rushed and ineffective. He then retreated into his shell because it wasn't working.

Looks like he has had further coaching to drive or burst out of congestion before attempting the kick, which has given him the space and confidence he needs to execute.

Good coaching.  Let's hope he can continue this improvement and doesn't drop back to old ways. 

Clarry's improvement has turned us into a premiership contender.

52 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

Speaking of poetry - I'll just wedge this in here.

Song of a Baker.

Or maybe even another Ginger Baker: 

 

27 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

Clarry's improvement has turned us into a premiership contender.

We need scalps Werridee, Saturday arvo would be a good start.

This will be the third team we play of a 4 day break so not willing to put us into the Contenders category just yet.

improvement is too obvious 

I really rate Clayton Oliver highly. I think he can push up and become an A grade player. 
 

✅ He has real ability to win the footy. His contested possessions must be the equal of any player in the league.  Heart of a lion. 
✅He has pace 

✅He tackles and 2nd effort rate is high 
 

BUT BUT BUT 

❌ his footskills are desperately needed to improve . He can kick it 50+ metres but often it skews or tumbles. Hitting a target!?!?!  One pass this year to Trac was highlighted as a turning point. Yet many more a missing their targets even when he’s clear.  His preseason assignment.  Kicking kicking and kicking   

❌ his decision making is sub-par. He still looks to handball far too much but this is slowly changing. He sells his teammates into trouble. 
❌goalkicking. On the run from 30-40 out he needs to land the goal.  Martin. Dangerfield.  Neale. That’s the standard. 
 

For possessions Clarry is a gun. For effective possessions (as shown in champion data and fantasy points) is poor.  
 

I want to really get into Clarry that he can be a champion. Not by trying harder but being better at core footy skills. 
 

He is young and at 23, time is right to elevate his footy and become A grade 

He just trys to kick the ball to hard, last night was the worse display of kicking we have seen from him.  

He retracted so much last night from the game style that people were loving mid this season.

Every time he got the ball, he just booted it or did a small and insignificant hand ball. 

Not once did he try and break from a stoppage or pack. 

It’s extraordinary that he had his best ever game and then immediately fell off a cliff.

How did that not turn into a 6 week purple patch?

From all reports he’s a very hard worker and I’ve heard Macca day he is the guy who would at the club all night if he could.

He looks to be double guessing himself all the time, I want them to release him and just let him play

4 minutes ago, BW511 said:

It’s extraordinary that he had his best ever game and then immediately fell off a cliff.

How did that not turn into a 6 week purple patch?

From all reports he’s a very hard worker and I’ve heard Macca day he is the guy who would at the club all night if he could.

He looks to be double guessing himself all the time, I want them to release him and just let him play

Compare him to Fyfe or Mundy last night they just control the football, don't fumble, don't burst from a centre clearance and absolutely shank it, that seems to happen a bit to Oliver.

The Fyfe or Mundy type is exactly what we lack, a steady and consistent older head to show how simple the game can be.

They have learned from Nathan Jones who wasn’t exactly known for composure or leadership

From butcher to baker back to butcher

1 hour ago, Action Jackson said:

From butcher to baker back to butcher

Hopefully our supercoach can get him to be more composed and look to work on his disposal 

Oliver, Gawn, Petracca & May are our best 4 players, they are busting a gut out there along with Viney last night

Its not them it’s the coaching panel & the rest of the players who are not up to it.

Theres no system 

The coach & coaching panel need to be replaced, end of story

But can we afford it, if not can we afford the huge drop off in memberships that has already started in 2020

Goodwin has to go