By Peter Ryan
In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Clayton Oliver was forced to leave training early on Wednesday over concerns about his troublesome hamstring.
- Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans says his job is to support coach Stuart Dew.
- Brayden Maynard has joined fellow Collingwood “battering ram” Brody Mihocek as casualties for the Magpies’ match against the resurgent Western Bulldogs.
Oliver’s frustration rises as he fails to get through training
Peter Ryan
Clayton Oliver is expected to miss Saturday night’s clash against St Kilda after failing to complete training on Wednesday over concerns about his troublesome hamstring, with the star showing frustration on the training track.
Oliver has been sidelined for five matches with hamstring issues and a nasty infected blister, and the star midfielder had been pushing for a return this weekend but felt his hamstring when attempting to complete a series of run-throughs.
The Demon had scans on Wednesday with the club determined to get to the bottom of the nagging issue that has derailed the star on-baller’s season.
Oliver had what appeared a heated discussion with Demons performance manager Selwyn Griffith at training at Casey Fields on Wednesday morning as he dealt with the frustration of being unable to complete the session at the speed required to be declared fit.
Injured Melbourne star Clayton Oliver showed his frustration at training.Credit: AFL Photos, Nine
A club source who asked to remain anonymous said that although they understood such animated discussions would arouse interest they accepted the discussion merely reflected Oliver’s disappointment that he was set to be sidelined again.
Earlier coach Simon Goodwin had crossed his fingers in hoping the four-time Demons best-and-fairest winner could finally return after numerous false starts.
“We’re really hopeful that he gets through this [training session on Wednesday] and he’ll be available to put on the Melbourne jumper on Saturday night,” Goodwin said before training on Wednesday morning.
The Demons have won just two of their last five games and are eight points behind the third-placed Brisbane Lions. They are clinging on to fourth-spot by percentage and during that poor run, they have averaged just 61.4 points a game.
In Sunday’s shock two-point defeat to GWS, the Demons’ return was just 5.15 from 73 inside-50 entries in wild and wet conditions in Alice Springs.
Their players have been practising their goal-kicking more than ever as they attempt to turn around their concerning attacking output.
The 2021 premiers’ forward line has come under intense criticism, something Goodwin accepts is fair.
“We’ve had five weeks where we’ve kicked no more than eight goals so we don’t live under a rock and think it’s not an issue,” Goodwin said.
“We want to be a team that scores more on the back of some of the unbelievable work we’re doing defensively and in our contest work.
“At some stage, it’s going to turn and we’re going to start to get bang for buck.
“We’ve given more minutes to goal-kicking than ever before in the history of our footy club.”
Accuracy in modern footy is often a gripe of former star forwards, with sport science and fitness staff known to overrule frequent training in the art of goal-kicking.
But Goodwin said Melbourne’s fitness group had allowed the players free rein to work their way out of the form slump.
“If you can look outside right now, and this is prior to training, we’ve got 30 blokes out there having shots at goal, running around poles,” he said.
“Choco [Melbourne’s head of development Mark Williams] is driving a really big program for us.
“Our high-performance team are very supportive of how much goal-kicking we do.”
With premiership hero Bayley Fritsch out for up to eight weeks with a foot injury, Melbourne’s forward set-up will look different for Saturday night’s clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.
Fritsch had surgery on Tuesday and Goodwin is hoping the 26-year-old can return around finals time.
Young key forward Jacob van Rooyen will almost certainly be back to face the Saints following his surprise axing to the VFL last weekend. Van Rooyen responded to being dropped in style, booting four goals in Casey’s VFL smashing of GWS.
With AAP
No Hardwick talk at Suns as Evans vows to support Dew
Peter Ryan
Gold Coast will judge senior coach Stuart Dew over the medium to long term, as CEO Mark Evans said the club had not talked to former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick about taking over.
The Suns are yet to reach finals since they entered the competition in 2011, with Dew appointed coach in 2018. They have been gradually trending upwards and remain a slim chance of making finals this season, but they were blown away by Collingwood last Saturday night by 78 points.
“I have said time and time again Stewie [Dew] is our coach, contracted for this year and next year, [if he] does a good job he will be contracted well into the future,” Evans said.
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew.Credit: AFL Photos
He refused to buy into speculation about other coaches such as triple premiership coach Damien Hardwick who is on a break from coaching but keen to continue.
“I’ve got a coach, this club’s got a coach,” Evans said.
“There would be no reason why we would buy into comments about who’s available. It serves no purpose.”
Asked whether the club had spoken to Hardwick’s management about the coaching position, Evans said: “Absolutely not.”
He said Dew had the club’s support as the team looks to rebound from the poor performance against Collingwood, and while the big loss added to the pressure on the club and coach, the appropriate response from the board was to create stability to allow the football department to go about their business.
Evans fronted the media after a report on Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night that the club had already decided to replace Dew, who is contracted until the end of 2024.
“We understand in this game when you have a poor performance, it adds pressure to the organisation and sometimes the external commentary contributes to that pressure and I think we are in that position at the moment,” Evans said.
“We are being tested at the moment. Our entire approach is to create that stability, show the support and let coaches go about their business.
“We can’t change that performance until we get to the next match.”
The Suns face another premiership contender in Port Adelaide this week at the Adelaide Oval, with Gold Coast underdogs again. But they are likely to regain captain Touk Miller who has been missing with a meniscus tear since round six.
Dew, who is in his sixth season as coach, said he was in dialogue with the club about how the team was tracking.
“We are always talking. I don’t seek it. We are always having those conversations. Again, we need to role model that stability, and we are always having those conversations, and I am really clear where I sit,” Dew said.
“I also understand the industry looks at performance. We are in a performance industry. I wasn’t looking for sympathy and I won’t, and I will get on with my job because I love it.”
Pies hold back injured ‘battering ram’
AAP
Brayden Maynard has joined fellow Collingwood “battering ram” Brody Mihocek as casualties for the Magpies’ AFL match against the resurgent Western Bulldogs.
While coach Craig McRae initially said a knee injury was the main problem for Maynard, the Magpies later clarified the defender will miss Friday’s Marvel Stadium game because of shoulder soreness.
Mihocek was already ruled out of the match with hamstring trouble.
Brayden Maynard will miss against St Kilda with a shoulder injury.Credit: AFL Photos
With Dan McStay needing to return through the VFL, Mihocek’s absence will mean a shakeup of the Collingwood attack.
Their big inclusion will be star utility Jordan De Goey, who returns from his three-game suspension.
“It’s a bit of a combination of a couple of weeks of too much soreness,” McRae said of Maynard.
“He’s a battering ram and we have to told him back from himself sometimes. We’re confident he’ll be available next week, so we’ll see how that progresses.”
Mihocek has been cleared of a hamstring strain after last week’s win over Gold Coast, but McRae said he needs rest.
“He’s just really stiff and sore ... another battering ram we’ve got. Unfortunately, he’s not available as well,” McRae said.
Injury and illness have kept McStay sidelined since round five.
“Every time I mention Dan is going to play, I get excited that he’s back, and then I don’t know whether he’s walking over black cats or underneath ladders, but he just can’t take a trick at the moment,” McRae said.
“He’ll play VFL this week, barring any more illness.”
De Goey will make a welcome return after his enforced mid-season break in a major boost for the ladder-leading Magpies.
“It’s good to have Jordy back – he’s been annoying me all week,” McRae said. “It’s not often you bring back one of your best players. We’re excited for what that could be.”
McRae has downplayed talk of Collingwood fans staging a protest against the attention Jack Ginnivan has received from VFL opponents. Ginnivan is having a spell out of the AFL to regain form and McRae said it is all part of a footballer’s lot.
“I would do the same. Your good players playing VFL, you want to, if you can, get under their skin,” McRae said.
“We love our fans, we love how passionate they are, but I’m not sure in regards to a protest, whatever that means.
“We want our players to embrace what comes ... you go back to VFL, there’s a target on you. He’s working through that.
“I remember way back when I was a skinny little man running around, it happened to me.”
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