By Peter Ryan, Marnie Vinall and Scott Spits
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Melbourne midfield star Clayton Oliver takes first tentative steps back into the program
- Jarryd Roughead is back at the Hawks – bolstering the club’s recruiting team
- Collingwood leader Brayden Maynard back at full training after car crash
- Former Adelaide skipper Sloane has operation on detached retina
Peter Ryan
Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver has returned to training with the Demons at Gosch’s Paddock in his first tentative steps back into the program.
He resumed with the rehab group on Wednesday and Melbourne are hopeful he will be in a position to return to full training within the next month.
Back on the track: Clayton Oliver has rejoined the group as they prepare for 2024. Credit: Paul Rovere
Oliver, a four-time best-and-fairest winner and premiership player, has been training on his own since the start of the year after the decision was made to give him a break from the club to work on personal issues.
He has been a regular in the AAMI Park precinct as he worked on an individual program to maintain his fitness.
It is the first time Oliver has trained with the team since he returned early from the club’s pre-season training camp in Lorne, held just before Christmas.
On January 11, when the club returned from their Christmas break, football manager Alan Richardson said the club was supporting Oliver as he worked through his issues.
“Clayton has personal issues that he has been dealing with. Clayton has been working extremely closely with his personal medical team, with the support of key club staff in order to manage these challenges,” Richardson said.
On Wednesday, Richardson said it was great to see Oliver return to train with the team.
“It’s just great to have Clayton back and it’s great to see him with a smile on his face and feeling better,” Richardson said.
“He’s done a lot of training himself. He’s basically been in the hands of his medical team and that’s gone really well for us and more importantly, it’s gone well for Clayton.
“He’ll still be doing ball work but on the side in the rehab group and we’ll have to make sure we bring him up to speed from an educational point of view with any of the adjustments we’ve made to our game plan.”
Oliver’s future has been the subject of constant speculation since late last year, after clubs believed he and Melbourne were open to a trade during the trade period. Adelaide expressed interest in reuniting him with the Demons’ former fitness boss Darren Burgess, who is now with the Crows.
Meanwhile, the Demons confirmed Tom Fullarton would miss the start of the season as he faces a six-to-eight week rehab from a hamstring injury and wingman Lachie Hunter is in a race against time to play in the opening round as he recovers from a calf injury.
Roughead back at Hawthorn
Scott Spits
Four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jarryd Roughead is back at the Hawks – bolstering the club’s recruiting team as the player acquisition manager for trade and free agency.
Roughead spent four years at St Kilda in various roles but quit his spot in the recruiting department late last year. Hawthorn said Roughead’s appointment was part of a strategic decision to boost the list management team.
Jarryd Roughead during the latter stages of his playing career in 2019.Credit: AFL Media
Hawthorn’s executive general manager of football Rob McCartney said Roughead’s role would be critical for the club’s broader strategy.
“We have been very open and transparent about our list strategy and the path we are on to get back to playing finals. We know that having more skilled resources in this area gives us the best opportunity for success,” McCartney said. “Jarryd brings a skill set that allows us to have a sharper focus on acquiring talent through trade and free agency.”
The Hawks said Roughead’s appointment would allow Mark McKenzie to focus on recruitment through the national draft, but McKenzie will also have the responsibility of contracting players.
Maynard back at full training after car crash
Marnie Vinall
Collingwood premiership defender Brayden Maynard was back at training on Wednesday after he missed Monday’s session following his involvement in a car crash on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway.
Brayden Maynard returned to main training.Credit: Getty Images
The incident happened about 6am on Monday and Maynard did not take part in training later that day.
The Magpie was back on the track and with the main group on Wednesday after the club confirmed the car crash was “very minor”.
“Importantly, no one was hurt. Brayden exchanged contact details with the other driver, with only minor damage to the exterior of Brayden’s vehicle,” Collingwood’s statement on Monday read.
He had only just returned to full training after recovering from shoulder surgery, leaving the rehab group alongside forward Brody Mihocek, who battled a calf complaint over the summer.
Coach Craig McRae put the players through their paces with two back-to-back demanding sessions.
Already impressing at the Magpie nest is their latest recruit Harry DeMattia, selected as pick 25 in the 2023 national draft from the Dandenong Stingrays.
The 18-year-old did a few solo skill sessions with assistant coaches and joined the main group for other drills. His long hair – kept somewhat ruly with a hairband – and smaller build will make him a good replacement, at least looks wise, for Jack Ginnivan, who was traded to Hawthorn following Collingwood’s premiership last season.
The pair are both 185 centimetres tall.
Time will tell if DeMattia can match Ginnivan’s ability to deliver crafty kicks on the main stage, but he is a versatile midfielder, known for his speed and athleticism.
Sloane sustains eye injury
AAP
Adelaide’s former captain Rory Sloane has again had surgery on a detached retina in his right eye, placing his short-term AFL future in doubt.
Sloane went under the knife on Tuesday night – for a similar procedure to the one he had in 2021 – after suffering soreness following training.
Rory Sloane’s preparation for the 2024 season has interrupted by an eye injury.Credit: Getty Images
“The surgery has been a success and Rory is now in recovery,” Adelaide’s high-performance manager Darren Burgess said in a statement.
“As is typical with Sloaney, he is very positive and given he has been through this before, he understands what the process will look like from here.
“He will spend the next five days recovering at home.
“Given the nature of the injury we will be guided by the specialists and his recovery before deciding on a return date for training.”
In 2021, Sloane spoke of the gravity of his initial eye injury.
“A detached retina is pretty serious,” he said at the time.
“That is something I learnt pretty quickly; without getting the proper procedure and doing the recovery right, there could have been some real long-term effects.
“That was the driving force for me - forget footy, your vision is for life.”
In August last year, Sloane suffered another scare when he was substituted out of a game with an eye complaint, although he was subsequently cleared of damaging the retina again.
The former Crows skipper also copped a fractured eye socket in 2017.
The 33-year-old is likely entering his final AFL season after signing a one-year contract extension in 2023.
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