Clayton Oliver to face Melbourne for first time in GWS colours
Clayton Oliver will face Melbourne on Sunday in Alice Springs for the first time since leaving the Demons for GWS. He has pushed back on the idea that the game is about him, and he wants the spotlight shared with Jesse Hogan and Toby Bedford.
Oliver Plans to Share the Spotlight
“No, no, it’s the Bedford, Hogan, and Oliver Cup,” Oliver said on Wednesday ahead of the match. He added: “I haven’t thought about it too much yet. I’m just going to treat it like another game, to be honest.”
The 28-year-old has played 11 games for GWS and said his numbers have started to move the right way in orange and charcoal. He credited that lift to a fresh start in Sydney and to the people around him at the club.
Melbourne Reunion in Alice Springs
Oliver spent 10 years at Melbourne, where he won four club champion awards, three All-Australian blazers, two AFLCA Champion Player of the Year awards and the 2021 premiership. That history is what makes Sunday different, even as he tries to keep the game in the same box as every other week.
“I was at the Dees for 10 years and have a lot of great memories there. I got to win a flag and have a lot of great mates there. But it’s a new chapter in my career now, and I’m loving it up here with the Giants. I’m just looking forward to playing for my team against the Dees,” he said.
Bedford, Hogan and the Giants
Bedford has been central to that adjustment. Oliver said Bedford is his housemate and best mate, and that he was probably the reason he came up here. He said living with him made the move feel more natural, even after he had signed.
He also said the club’s environment has helped him settle quickly. “Being up in Sydney, away from Melbourne, has been really refreshing. I love every bit of it. All the boys are so welcoming, and the staff and coaches – everyone’s just great. It feels like a big country football club,” he said.
Melbourne comes into the game sitting in the top eight after 11 games under Steven King, and Oliver said the Demons have been playing well. He described their style as high scoring and said King has brought more freedom into the way they play. For Oliver, that creates a reunion with old teammates Max Gawn, Bayley Fritsch and Christian Salem, but the main task remains the same: line up for GWS and keep the focus on the Giants’ own role in Sunday’s match.
