Demons star dropped to ‘prioritise his wellbeing’ amid ‘difficult’ week

Melbourne star Clayton Oliver will miss Saturday’s clash against West Coast after the midfielder endured a difficult week.

Melbourne star Clayton Oliver will miss Saturday’s clash against a winless West Coast after the club opted to “prioritise his wellbeing” amid a “difficult” week.

Reports emerged on Thursday that Oliver did not board the flight to Western Australia, before the club later issued a statement confirming Oliver would not take the field this weekend.

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“Clayton has had a difficult week personally and as such, both he and the club have agreed that it would be best for him not to play against the Eagles on Saturday,” Demons footy boss Alan Richardson said.

“We expect Clayton to return to the program next week, but as always his mental and physical health will be the priority.

Clayton Oliver won’t play for the Demons this weekend. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“As an industry, it’s pleasing to see the progress we’ve made in normalising players putting their hand up when they need support.

“The club’s focus is on surrounding Clayton with the care he needs and we ask that his privacy is respected.”

The club said Oliver’s omission from the side was the “best thing for Clayton’s health” after “open dialogue” between the two parties.

Footy experts had claimed Oliver was back to his best in 2025, after his 2024 campaign was marred by off-field concerns.

Oliver had been granted indefinite leave from the club in January 2024 and did not return for pre-season for personal reasons.

Teammates, including Christian Petracca, conceded Oliver briefly lost the trust of the playing group before earning it back last season. And since then, he’s gone on to be a force in 2025.

Meanwhile, North Melbourne will unearth another debutant on Thursday night against Essendon, which has made just one change from the side that fell to Collingwood on Anzac Day.

Finnbar Maley, a mature-aged rookie draft pick, will trot out for his maiden AFL appearance after being announced to make his debut earlier on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old Northern Bullants product was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 rookie draft and is a forward-ruck hybrid.

It’s one of three changes for Alastair Clarkson’s Roos, who have counted the cost of last Saturday’s narrow loss to Port Adelaide.

Dylan Shiel is also being managed by the Bombers. (Photo by James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Livewire forward Paul Curtis will miss against the Bombers and the following two matches after the Roos’ Tribunal appeal failed on Wednesday, with Bailey Scott and Will Phillips also coming into the side.

George Wardlaw also goes out of the team as the hard-nosed midfielder nurses what his coach called a “savage corky”, while Darcy Tucker has been dropped.

Tucker was the only player on Adelaide Oval last week not to manage a single possession as he played a tagging role on Connor Rozee.

Clarkson axed key defensive pair Griffin Logue and Aidan Corr last Thursday, but with the Roos’ VFL side not playing at the weekend, the duo remains out of the senior line-up.

Meanwhile, Brad Scott made only one change ahead of Thursday night’s bout at Marvel Stadium, recalling Elijah Tsatas for the managed Dylan Shiel.

The 32-year-old Shiel had played all six Bombers games thus far, while Tsatas comes in for his third game of the year after being a held-over emergency on Anzac Day.

Originally published as Demons star dropped to ‘prioritise his wellbeing’ amid ‘difficult’ week