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The dees are certainly testing the theory that all news is good news.

I just saw Saty putting bread rolls in his pocket.

Thanks Daz. I can’t see Oliver’s like, mine looks like this:

Im sure this is public knowledge but I’ll repeat it anyway, Clazz has been a load since his first season. When Brendan McCartney was at the club, he got so sick and tired of Oliver’s antics that he sat him down in his office and showed him a long list of names. He said, “do you recognise these names?” ”yeah some of them” McCartney replied, “these are all the people at the club who think you’re a [censored]!!” McCartney was really good for Oliver in those early days. Oliver was unaware that his behaviour was so impactful to so many people. McCartney was no nonsense and steered Oliver the right direction in terms of professionalism and treatment of others.

I agree, it's been handled extremely poorly. Start off by getting rid of Pert for starters. This wouldn't be handled so poorly under Peter Jacksons and Josh Mahoneys watch. Look at the way we professionally handled the Jack Watts and Jesse Hogan scenario.

I don’t think discussing a players personal neurological diagnosis is constructive. Nobody but them can know how it impacts their life.

Whether you think Clarry should, or should not, be traded is not really the issue here. This has been handled ATROCIOUSLY by the club - again. Like last year. And Trac this year. IF there is an issue - you DON'T destroy the club's bargaining power. It's as if we love entering into these situations (off our own bat) with the weakest hand possible. A self-inflicted handicap. Do we love the challenge? Personally, I want Clarry to stay. The notion of giving him (and his potential next year after a big preseason) up for a future pick in the LATE TEENS, plus likely paying some of his salary (to save for whom? Because of all this [censored] WHO wants to come to our club?? WHY?) makes no sense. If our window was not already closed with Gus gone, Trac a question mark for next year (either because we're just not sure when he will play, or his level due to injuries), then it will certainly be closed with Clarry gone. We have NO depth, and because of this mess cannot trade or recruit to fill gaps. Furthermore, any kids we get will need guys like Clarry to learn from. If Clarry has issues, still, fine. Apparently this has been known for some time. Like every other club we deal with it. If there have been mistakes made re other players - you acknowledge it - get everyone into a room, talk about it, clear the air and remind these guys that we are a FOOTY CLUB, a once great club, now apparently focused on drama and dirty laundry. You get on the same page about trying to snag a flag next year. If Trac and Carry are on the park, and we can somehow, perhaps through prayer lol, convince some talent to join us and fill a couple of gaps, we have enough talent to do some damage next year. BUT - everyone has to be on the same page. Clear the air. Put the mistakes behind us. Learn. FOCUS on what is needed to correct course next year. No more silly emails. Just good footy. I want Clarry in the red and blue next year. He needs help to focus. I get it. If there was an offer of 2 first rounders, or 1 first rounder and a solid player, fine. Maybe you say ok we cut our losses. But that ain't the case. Dropping Clarry for nothing at all, just to 'save cap space' and a future F1, for the Cats, will be late teens if we're lucky. Pointless. Meanwhile the Cats do what we should have done/do, sort Clarry out, and he helps them to win another flag next year. Stuff that. Let's fix this. Shake hands. Build together. Snag a flag. #SnagAFlag

Just looking over the life members stuff - 45 games and 73 goals was a decent enough return from BBB I think. And for all the talk about cultural issues at the club, guys like Ben should be celebrated even more for what I understand he bought in that regard as well. His contribution to our 21 premership should never be underrated IMHO.

One bad season after... 4 B&F 2x AFLCA awards 3x All-Australian 2x Coaches MVP List goes on... And before he turned 26. Also he played a full season after no pre-season. And still averaged above average stats for a midfielder. After being "Elite" in every category for most of his career. Insanity how quickly people both internally and externally are jumping off one of the all time greats after one bad season.

What a disgusting mismanagement of a HUMAN BEING! As I said yesterday, you cannot use Clarry as a pawn in some sick game to make yourself appear to be fixing our culture. You are dealing with someone who loves and is committed to this club, or at least was, who is struggling with his mental health. You play with him, saying we want you, while also shopping him around, deluded to think he won’t find out. His management team, the same team who manages one C Petracca, must be shaking their head in disgusting. And all the while, you wonder why nobody wants to come to this club, or why our culture stinks. This is why it stinks. You can trade away 1, 10, 44 players, but if the clowns running this circus remain, then guess what? The culture will continue to stink!

Our boys are polling well. I reckon we might pick up a medal tonight.

He's been a handful for the footy club and the players for the past couple of years. The club has gone way above and beyond more then anyone on the playing list. It's no wonder the players are completely fed up with him because he simply won't learn or take responsibility for his actions and behaviours. How about for once Oliver takes responsibility for his own actions and start acting like a grown adult for once in his life. He's 27, not an 18 year old kid. Paying a guy pretty much 1 million a year to take the absolute [censored] out of the system sums it all up. There is an absolutely no way anyone can accuse the footy club for its lack of support because if anything the club has supported him to the tilt. He literally had to live with the Gawns this year because the club cannot trust him off field.

We started this. We called around and asked if clubs would deal. He gets all the way down the path and wants out. We complain there isn’t enough value in a proposed trade. All of which was completely foreseeable. As if we didn’t think clubs would refrain from throwing massive draft pick hauls given his recent history? As if we didn’t think throwing his name out there for the second year in a row would create a major media storm and [censored] Clarry off? All the parts of this that have been within our control have been mismanaged by us.

There will never be another Gus Brayshaw. A brilliant player, leader, and human. ❤️💙 (And also [censored] you Maynard you absolute piece of trash)

Thought it was fantastic telling the players to stop and smell the roses. Too much whining and bitchin going on at this club. Not enough appreciation for playing for the mighty Dees.

Oliver got 30 touches round 1, and 35 (and 3 Brownlow votes) in round 2. No one at VFL was going to outperform Oliver this year. Whether he had "served" his penalty is a different story, but on performance he may not have been the Oliver of old but he was better than any of our depth would have been.

Enjoyed this at least

4th in our goal kicking, 3rd for tackles, 1st for tackles i50

Aren't interviews with Viney always awkward?

Yet had we made him continue to do a block of pre season training and made a statement after the Lorne incident with a multiple game ban as other clubs did with Stevie J, Heath Shaw and Michael Walters in the past we may well have 1. Got his fitness at a level which would have lasted for the remainder of the season 2. Set a standard and message to the playing group that poor behaviour would not be tolerated 3. Made a decision which didn’t cause division within the playing group over preferential treatment 4. Long term view but we may not be in the current situation had we chosen action as opposed to talking tough

Live scene from the MFC

I really don't want to hear the ADD defence either. It's mostly BS.

I was told at the beginning of 2021 specifically from a former player (hasn't been at the club for a 2-3 years now) Oliver is big, big trouble. He is treated differently to everyone else simply because he is a good player. If others were to do some of the things he does, they would be treated very differently. He mentioned that one day when Oliver was behaving poorly, he gave it to him straight....yet Oliver wasn't the one reprimanded, it was Goodwin who spoke with this particular player and said "you can't talk to Clayton like that, we have to be careful with him". I would say enough is enough. He clearly is massive trouble and has a huge contract. Let go of getting compensated fairly based on his playing ability alone. It's the whole package you must look at, his character is highly questionable and his contract will haunt us for years to come if he stays. I'm guessing here, and this is just my opinion, but we have heard Petracca isn't upset with Oliver, but more with the way the club has handled him. I would say this is consistent with the above - they have had rules for him, and rules for others. It also was backed up by the infamous Pert / Goodwin interview where they said we've tolerated things and he will now be held accountable for his actions. Overall a good move by the MFC I say.

Remember this: trading Clarry for a packet of stale chips is always an option. Finding another talent like Clarry, is not.

And lost any appeal to free agents and trade prospects in the process. Genius.

Maybe the problem is not having a player who needs babysitting, but a club that doesn't know how to babysit. You and I know very well that there are dozens of players across the league currently being babysat by their clubs. Including at Geelong, who are opening their doors to Bailey Smith, who believe me, is as much of a distraction machine as Clarry is. But if Pies can babysit De Goey, Hawks can babysit Ginnivan, and GWS were able to turn around Hogan, then Melbourne should be able to handle Clarry.

He’s not a good public speaker. Never has been. Also if you’re not drunk after the last 3 weeks, you’re doing it wrong

I’m streaming the B&F. we are up to the long break for ‘mains’. Everyone that has spoken so far has made me proud to be a Demon supporter. This is, by far, the best B&F presentation I have watched. Those still looking to stick a fork in Kate, Pert or others are simply non-Melbourne people. These two demonstrated competence beyond what the detractors are capable of. Gus made it perfectly clear what it means to belong to a football team as great as ours! He also made it clear that we are far from a spent force!

I think that should read “Sam MacClure hasn’t given up hope of Clayton Oliver securing trade to Geelong” - typo from the AW social media team

Ben Brown is a highly impressive young man. I know he's involved with the AFLW and I hope he's never lost from football. Articulate, empathetic, unique and engaging

Half expecting Petracca and Oliver to be named co captains for season 25 tonight.

Weirdly, I’d be much more OK with Claz at the Saints. In fact I’d go so far as to say if he was a part of their first flag since ‘66, I’d actually be happy for the guy.

I have it on good authority that Sam MaClure has placed a bug under Gary Pert’s plate and, not to be outdone, Sam Edmund has placed one in a urinal cake

There’s been a lot of weird posts on here of late but this has just taken the lead.

There's probably a few of us here. To be on Demonland as often as we are, it is a classic hyperfocus story. 🤣

I think too often we play the mental health card in society. It is obviously a factor, but it is also a crutch for unaccpetable behaviour. So yes, I'll continue the discussion. :P

So in summary. Clarry been a problem child since day 1. Club tolerated his behaviour because of his ability MFC, with the full information set and endorsement of the board, gave him a monster contract Decided in year 8 of his career, standards are standards. Enough is enough! Some sort of three strikes and yer out rule. Clarry, being a human being, found it very hard to change his hard wired behaviour. I am Jack's complete lack of surprise. Ok, yer out! And take your contract with you. We'll take pick 18. Go home MFC, you're drunk.

Agree with all points, and for all the faults of the club - there was nothing more that could be done to support Oliver. We as a club absolutely lent in to support him in an authentic and genuine manner. It went far beyond traditional window dressing and I'm actually proud of the club for this. What is absolutely disappointing for mine, is the toing and throwing the club has done over the past two seasons with Oliver. It's weak and frankly pretty embarrassing. We made a decision to back him in and mend the relationship, yet the club has acted akin to a parent that makes empty threats and everyone knows it - including the child; a real "if you keep doing that, you'll be getting out of the pool", and then the parent never delivers. If we're at a point we're the relationship is untenable, or the concerns around Oliver and his behaviour/standards can no longer be tolerated, then get him out. The weakness of the club in this regard is embarrassing and frankly somewhat farcical.

The bootstudder absolutely has to go

Might be the first B&F where everyone is told to bring their mouth guards

Wasn't a big fan of Garry Pert but he's played Geelong like a fiddle. Nice work Gaz.

If this comes through, Pert is a genius! Through his crafty manipulation of the variables, we keep a more contrite, four-time B&F, Clayton learns that the Football Dept backed him in, by refusing to sell the farm for $1 we [censored] Geelong off, we satisfy the Petracca family demands, we take immediate action on an internal review concern, and, umm... did I mention we [censored] Geelong off!

While I appreciate that there are posters on here who have ADD and other mental health issues, I really think that unless you are privy to Clarry’s personal medical history, you shouldn’t be commenting on what he is dealing with. It is completely inappropriate, and in the wrong hands, can be really harmful.

If you are referring to Oliver, he's 27 for christ's sake.

We got our man

If this is true then we truly have the dumbest of the dumb people in charge of the direction of the club. Whether it is you making contact or them making contact, why would you even start a dialogue with a club that you know is never going to give you fair value? All that can possibly do is drag multiple people/groups through the mud. You shut it down straight away with the common sense/knowledge that it would never be feasible anyway. If you're that keen to move someone on, engage with clubs you can feasibly see have the kind of assets you'd want. Heads to roll as part of this. It's actually the right thing to do to try and start to rebuild some credibility.

Oh come on! Why do you think Oliver liked the post saying he was going to Geelong? This was obviously very real, stop blaming the media for the mess the club has made yet again.

This is the elephant in the room that most who are posting or commenting on the Clayton saga are really ignoring. It all started after the breakup between the ex gf who as I understand it dropped Clarry after 2/3/4 years together. Somehow Clarry understandably has been affected and a huge void hs entered his life. So much so he has had the troubles and discontent that has been largely restricted in the public domain until his alleged misdemeanours becoming more public (Press stated or alluded to in general). Now he has heaps on his plate after following up getting confidence back on the teammates in 2024 despite his fitness and hand injury resurfacing and overriding his ability to regain top form. Simultaneously there was a very concerted and it appears largely successful watch and care program to come back fully into the fold. Not all seem to have totally embraced this result or approach so it seems inside the playing group in recent 2024 summary it’s a tad divided. Don’t know how strong ir weak this feeling is. So this indecision has also spread to management vs footy dept. and the controversial Pert lead phone calls as a Result Clarry has in his fragile state of mind completely interrupted this as a positron (and sort of like a drowning man) sees the Cats lifeline as his greener pasture. I don’t think if he has to stay and play with us because we can’t pull the transfer springs especially if Geelong play hard ball very tight. Do that and we should close negotiations and say it’s not a deal and our transfer shop has closed for this trade period. Let the Cats stew once in a while and not rule the AFL roost this time. Clarry will fall into line and who knows how much his fitness and form he can attain for 2025. And please Dees do watch him and nurture him a little bit if this happens.

Welcome to Norlane Clayton. The jewel in the Bellarine crown