Perhaps it was the randomness of rotations though it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Clayton Oliver at his pomp would have been allowed anywhere near the pine with the game on the line.
If Melbourne are to make a late charge for glory this season, they need Clayton Oliver to be great again. His heart and mind are willing, but his body is not. It’s hard to see how it will be again this year.
Oliver is a Demons great who has been merely good in 2024. Here, he had a dirty night, unable to break the hard tag of Will Phillips. His tally of 14 possessions was his equal second-lowest from 176 games. Seven were turnovers. With Christian Petracca out for the rest of the season, Oliver can expect more of the same in the run home. The attention on him may have taken the load off midfield newbie Trent Rivers but their on-ball brigade struggled.
The key to breaking a tag is no secret. Run, run and run. Six days earlier, Nick Daicos ran Phillips ragged to the point where Alastair Clarkson subbed him out at three-quarter time despite his man having done what was asked. Daicos was to be the match-winner. For three quarters, this was very much a typical Melbourne arm wrestle under Goodwin. The last quarter, though, was not atypical of the club’s recent demons, losing contests, ceding territory and leaking goals in a hurry.
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