AFL 2024: Simon Goodwin keen to see Kysaiah Pickett back and more improvement from Clayton Oliver

An opening-round loss in Sydney posed questions about Melbourne, but the coach expects two players to help turn things around.

Clayton Oliver impressed against Sydney. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/Getty Images

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin couldn’t hide his excitement at the prospect of getting livewire Kysaiah Pickett back but not just to bolster his team’s goalscoring as he beamed at the all-round improvement from midfield star Clayton Oliver.

Pickett missed his team’s opening-round loss to Sydney due to a suspension he received in last year’s final series and Goodwin outlined how important he was, declaring “geez, we missed him”.

But while questions were asked about the Demons’ misfiring forward line, and with Pickett’s energy inside 50 sure to help, Goodwin said Pickett’s improved centre square work would be crucial against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

“It’s going to be great – geez, we missed him,” Goodwin said.

“He’s a pretty good player, Kos – to get him back in the front of the ground, where he has his biggest impact but also around stoppages and centre bounce.

“We saw through the pre-season, he’s evolving into a pretty damaging stoppage player.”

Kysaiah Pickett takes a pre-season hanger. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Melbourne has a raft of those, including Oliver, who the coach said had turned his life around “significantly” since his well-documented off-field struggles that some of his teammates thought would put his career in jeopardy.

While the club dismissed all speculation about trading Oliver at the end of last season, after battles with injuries and time spent away from the club to deal with issues,

teammate Christian Petracca admitted this week he thought the four-time best and fairest might leave the club.

But Goodwin said Oliver, who had 30 disposals against the Swans last week, was now a “very healthy and happy person”, showing no signs of being impacted by what he went through.

“Training well, connecting with people, smiling – and they’re the things we’ve learned to love about Clayton,” Goodwin said.

“We know we have a Clayton Oliver that we love and respect and we know he is going to produce some really strong football for us.

“We’re incredibly happy with how he’s tracking.”

Clayton Oliver is in a good space. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The coach said Oliver had “done everything he can” to ensure he remained a trusted teammate, and the on-field benefits would continue to show, with his form only likely to improve from his first-up effort.

“He had his possessions, no doubt about that, and he got better as the game went on,” Goodwin said.

“We still want to see more of what he brings to the contest and how he gets out of the contest. That’s a big part of his game. But first game back, we can’t ask for much more – he delivered on everything he’d been working towards.

“He’s just going to grow and get better.”

Forward Harrison Petty is also set to return from a toe injury through the VFL.