Melbourne Demon star Clayton Oliver pushes for AFL recall after strong showing against Carlton in reserves game

Troubled Melbourne star Clayton Oliver has produced his strongest performance of the AFL pre-season but is still no certainty to play in the Demons’ opening-round encounter against the Sydney Swans.

Oliver took another step towards a return at senior level with an eye-catching midfield display in a reserves practice match against Carlton at Ikon Park on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old four-time best-and-fairest winner showcased his trademark qualities around the ball, often brushing past opponents and winning clearances to help his side to a 29-point win.

Oliver’s impressive showing came after an interrupted summer when he dealt with personal health issues and spent time away from the club.

It gave Melbourne’s coaching staff plenty to think about ahead of an opening-round meeting with Sydney at the SCG on Thursday next week (March 7).

“He went really well. The last two weeks he’s performed really strongly,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin told Fox Footy.

“It’s just great to see him happy and loving his footy and training really hard.

“It’s just great to have him back at the footy club and really connecting with his teammates. What happens next week we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Goodwin said Oliver is physically ready to play but wouldn’t commit to selecting the gun onballer in the season opener.

“We just wanted to get through today and we’ll go away and discuss as a footy club,” Goodwin said.

“We want to set him up for the year and make sure he’s ready to hit the year fully ready to go.

“We’ll make a decision (on opening-round selection) throughout the week.

“I want to have a chat with our leaders and want to have a chat with everyone.

“He’s physically prepared and getting going, so we’ll just have a look at how he pulls up.”