“I don’t do much media.”

It’s the opening line that Clayton Oliver offers with a grin as he sits down to chat for the first time since his move to the GWS Giants.

Oliver’s name has been a constant fixture in AFL headlines for the best part of three years. The three-time All-Australian won a premiership on the field in 2021, but since then has struggled with off-field issues, which saw him living with Melbourne captain Max Gawn to help deal with his at times erratic behaviour.

The one constant has been that Oliver doesn’t often add his voice to the conversation. But since his move to the Giants, he’s ready to open up on his final meeting with Melbourne, how “s*** hit the fan” over the past few years, dealing with journalists and how his new-found lease on life in Sydney has him feeling normal again.

BATTLING THE DEMONS

Oliver was in his hometown of Echuca as the calendar flipped over to October, and he was preparing for a trip to Sydney to catch up with some of his best mates.

That was until his former club, Melbourne, called him in for a meeting to discuss his future.

He had five years to run on his multimillion-dollar contract, but was given the club’s blessing to explore his options; otherwise, he could be set for a year of playing in the VFL.

“I had booked the holiday to Sydney a month earlier,” Oliver said.

“I got the call at 9pm that I had to be in Melbourne for a meeting at 1pm, and had the flight at 2pm. So that was a bit annoying, but it is what it is.

“I was getting pushed out by the Dees, which is completely fine. The Dees had a different view on things, and they were going in a different direction, and that’s fine.

While it wasn’t the first time that Oliver had explored a trade from the Demons, it felt like whiplash compared to the response 12 months earlier.

Oliver was hopeful of getting to Geelong, with the Cats offering a lucrative trade bounty to Melbourne, only for the Dees to hold the midfielder to his contract. Now, not only were they happy for him to part, but they would chip in half of his wage to make it happen.

His last three years at Melbourne were littered with incidents.

He was rushed to Footscray Hospital with what the Demons described as a “medical episode” following a collapse at the house of former teammate Joel Smith – a close mate and Melbourne player who has since been rubbed out of the game for four years by WADA.

He was charged with driving with a suspended licence at the end of 2023. And he also took time away from the club to deal with personal issues.

But while he’s the first to concede his actions weren’t up to scratch, he didn’t necessarily think moving clubs would be the solution.

“I’d been at the club for 10 years and probably wasn’t the most well-behaved person in the world,” Oliver said.

“I was up and down there for a bit, and everyone has their own little battles.

“It was a couple of years where I wasn’t too great, and I honestly didn’t think (a move) was the best thing for me at the time. But now looking back on it, it probably was.

While there’s no doubt relationships were strained at points, Oliver takes pride in the fact that he’s still close with his Melbourne mates.

Bayley Fritsch is often on the phone; he’s busy preparing for Marty Hore’s wedding, and he’s already trained and dined with another new Sydneysider, his former coach, Simon Goodwin.

“I keep in touch with (Steven) May; Trac’s obviously left to the Goldie, so talk to him a lot,” Oliver said.

“There’s no qualms there with the boys, I still love them all.

“Even Goody, when I came up for the week in Sydney, I went for dinner with him twice, went to the sauna and even did two HIIT sessions. There are no bad feelings there or anything.”

And even though it’s only been a few months, Oliver is confident that joining GWS could be the best thing he’s ever done.

THE GIANT CHANGE

The door had barely been closed on his chapter at Melbourne when Oliver was spotted on a boat on Sydney Harbour meeting with Giants officials.

It was clear the club was ready to roll out the orange carpet to try and lure the premiership star to Sydney, and their early efforts to convince Oliver he was wanted paid dividends.

“On the way up to Sydney, I got a message from Jason McCartney to meet, and it was pretty easy,” Oliver said.

“The boys had their B&F the night before, and to see Stringer, Finn (Callaghan), (Tom) Green, who had just won the night before, for them to make the effort, I know I probably wouldn’t have been there myself. Kingers just made me feel so welcome, and I couldn’t be happier.”

So much so that despite rival interest from Collingwood, Oliver never entertained their advances.

“Had a few other clubs (reach out), but I sort of turned my phone off there for a bit,” Oliver said.

“I think (Collingwood list manager) Justin Leppitsch said something that I was having too much fun up in Sydney, but I sort of made my mind up pretty quickly.”

In the end, all the Giants had to part with for Oliver was a future third-round draft pick and suddenly the logistics were being organised to get him to Sydney.

He moved into the Eastern Suburbs home of his former Melbourne teammate Toby Bedford and his partner, Suraya.

But Oliver has also found himself naturally gravitating towards Jake Stringer as a person he can relate to. Both players left the limelight of Melbourne to chase a sense of normality, and even Oliver is surprised by how quickly he’s found it.

“You come up here, you get away from everything, you can walk down the street and go get a coffee without getting too much notice at all, really,” Oliver said.

“I jump on the Lime bike and go to any cafe down in Bondi and just sit there. It’s nice, people don’t look at you twice or say something, and you can just sit there as a normal person.

“Getting out of the Melbourne bubble, I was a bit nervous to start, and to be honest, I wasn’t probably looking forward to it. I don’t like change too much. But I’m happy to be here. I couldn’t be happier. It was a good thing to have a fresh start and find my love for footy again.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant or like an idiot, but it’s nice not worrying about it. I don’t like the limelight; I’m from the country and like the quiet things and going about my business myself. I couldn’t be happier, and it’s the best I’ve slept in years as well. I go to bed with no worries.”

The immediate impact is set to be a rejuvenated Oliver on the field for the Giants. The 28-year-old claims he’s “as fit as he’s ever been”, which he also concedes is rare in pre-season.

“I don’t usually come back in the best nick in December or before Christmas, but the boys have blown me away,” he said.

“I feel like I’m in a better place, I feel good, probably the best I’ve felt in three or four years.”

There’s also an off-field alignment that could suit Oliver’s outspoken personality. He’s never afraid to speak his mind, including in recent social media posts directed at Melbourne-based journalists Mitch Cleary and Tom Morris.

While the delivery of the message might need to be tweaked, the Giants are clearly happy to support Oliver, even making fun of his airport interaction with Cleary in a recent video of their own.

“I don’t really care, I just had a few issues with a few people in Melbourne, and I don’t shy away from it too much, I tell them how it is,” Oliver said.

However, the biggest thing that remains clear with Oliver is that there is still a burning desire to strive for greatness on the field.

He’s one of the few players at the Giants who have tasted premiership success. And there’s nothing he wants more than to help bring a first flag to Western Sydney.

“I’m only 28, and I don’t want to put too much expectation on it, but I want to come here and win a flag, to be honest,” Oliver said.

“I won a flag in ‘21, and it was the best thing. Until you’ve won one, you don’t know what it’s like.

“Winning one with the Dees was the best feeling ever, and that’s why I chose the Giants. I was excited they wanted me, and was trying to think where I’d fit in the team because they’ve got a handy list and have been up the top of the table.

“I’m just excited to be a part of what the Giants can build