Moneyball: Garry Lyon urges Melbourne not to trade Clayton Oliver, Brad Crouch, Dylan Shiel latest

As speculation rages about Clayton Oliver’s future at Melbourne, a former Demons skipper has urged the club not to move on the troubled midfield superstar.

Melbourne great Garry Lyon says there’s “no world” where the Demons should consider trading Clayton Oliver amid persistent speculation about the midfielder’s future.

The 27-year-old, who has battled mental health issues and spent time away from the club during pre-season, is averaging under 25 disposals for the first time since his debut year in 2016.

Oliver was the subject of intense scrutiny during last year’s trade period as it emerged Melbourne was considering whether to move him on due to reported behavioural issues.

The premiership Demon was linked with several clubs — headed by Adelaide — before Melbourne decided he was going nowhere.

Oliver’s form has dipped in the past seven weeks, averaging 21 disposals (career average 28.6), 3.4 clearances (career average 6.7) and 3.9 tackles (career average 5.8).

His drop off has prompted speculation Oliver and the Demons could part ways at the end of the 2024 season.

“Just my opinion, there’s no world that I’d be changing or trading Clayton Oliver. There’s no footy world where I follow that I would contemplate trading Clayton Oliver,” Lyon said on SEN.

Oliver signed a monster contract extension in 2022 which ties him to Melbourne on a $1m-season deal until 2030.

Lyon said he would hand back his membership if the Demons paid any portion of Oliver’s deal while he played for another club.

“If they paid another club to take him, that’d be the last straw,” he said.

The former Demons skipper said with the emergence of Trent Rivers and return of Christian Petracca in 2025, Oliver could recapture his mantle as one of the AFL’s premier midfielders.

“He’s 27 years old, he’s won four best-and-fairests, he’s won two coaches awards, he’s a premiership player. He’s a superstar of the game who is in a bit of a hole, relatively. He’s still averaging 25 touches,” he said.

Lyon added: “If you believe everything you read he’s like a 10-possession player that can’t impact. He’s nowhere near his peak. But we know his issues.

“We know how well documented they are. And if I’m the Melbourne footy club, I’m looking at him as getting through this year, hopefully still playing good footy and then cracking in, big summer, Petracca back, midfield going and go again.”

CROUCH FUTURE IN BALANCE, SAINTS WEIGH UP SHIEL BID

— Jay Clark

Brad Crouch’s footballing future hangs in the balance due to a debilitating knee that could force the St Kilda hard nut into retirement.

Crouch, 30, has played only one senior game (in Round 2) and five VFL matches this year due to ongoing knee pain, which kept him off the training track again on Tuesday.

Crouch has bravely tried to play on with heavy strapping around his left knee at times in the VFL this season, gathering 27, 31, 33 and 38 disposals for Sandringham in his appearances across May-June. But he has had trouble training over the past month and may be physically unable to play on at the top level next year, pending more medical checks and discussions with St Kilda officials.

Brad Crouch’s career is in doubt. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Crouch, who arrived as a free agent from Adelaide in 2020, has one more year to run on his five-year contract. But the lingering knee issue could force the workhorse to wind up his AFL career early as part of an agreement with the club at season’s end.

It comes as St Kilda weigh-up whether to make another play for Essendon onballer Dylan Shiel ahead of the Saints’ clash against the Bombers at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

The Saints are expected to continue their aggressive list turnover this year in a bid to bring more top-line talent into the club. In particular, the Saints want to replenish the midfield brigade with some more explosive ball-winners over the next two years.

Dylan Shiel is back on St Kilda’s radar. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Shiel, 31, has made an encouraging return to AFL level averaging 25 disposals over his last three games, and would add another respected leader to the Saints’ core after meeting with him last year about a potential move.

The Bombers are facing a selection squeeze in the midfield with superstar Darcy Parish set to return from his latest soft tissue injury possibly through the VFL this weekend, while first-round picks Ben Hobbs and Elijah Tsatas also wait in the wings.

Shiel, 31, has shown he still has a nice burst despite ankle and foot trouble in recent years, and could help add some speed and power to the Saints’ setup for next year, with one more year remaining on his contract at Essendon.

A look at Dylan Shiel's excellent fourth quarter:

📍 12 disposals (83.3% efficiency)
📍 7 contested possessions (game-high in the quarter)
📍 2 clearances (both from centre bounce)
📍 40 ranking points (game-high in the quarter)#ArmchairExpertspic.twitter.com/qDxpwme2Gi

— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 5, 2024

Paddy Dow is set to return in round 20. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Saints’ midfielder Paddy Dow could make his return to AFL level for the clash against Essendon after a sizzling 32 disposals and 11 clearances in the VFL at the weekend to help replace injured playmaker Liam Henry.

Crouch’s predicament is a tough situation for a man who has become a popular team member and reliable midfielder at the Saints, playing at least 20 games in each of his first three seasons at Moorabbin. He finished fifth, sixth and sixth in St Kilda’s club champion awards in those campaigns after taking out Adelaide’s best and fairest in 2019.

Crouch has been lauded for his consistency and effort in the Saints’ on-ball department after returning home to Victoria in the middle of Covid-19.

The Saints have thrown their full support behind the Ballarat product in a bid to try and overcome his knee issue following arthroscopic surgery on March 25.

He played his last game in the VFL on June 8 and hobbled from the training track midway through a session the following week in what could have been the final blow for the hard ball-winner. He has strong business interests off the field after partnering with Callum Wilkie on a freight venture.

The Saints are also at risk of losing gun defender Josh Battle to a big-money free agency offer from Hawthorn. Mobile marking forward Tim Membrey is also yet to sign a new deal after a brilliant five-goal haul in a thumping 72-point win over West Coast on Saturday.

Originally published as Moneyball: Garry Lyon urges Melbourne not to trade Clayton Oliver, Brad Crouch, Dylan Shiel latest