The injury-enforced absence of Melbourne’s gun midfielder Clayton Oliver is growing extra weapons for the Demons, coach Simon Goodwin says.
Oliver was among the many Brownlow Medal favourites till straining a hamstring in spherical 10.
The dynamic on-baller is but to return to full coaching after extra scans this week revealed ongoing harm.
Goodwin hopes Oliver shall be accessible to return after the Demons’ conflict in opposition to GWS in Alice Springs on Sunday.
“There’s no doubt it’s tracking in the right direction from a hamstring perspective,” Goodwin informed reporters on Thursday.
“But the scan did show that it was pretty much what Clayton was feeling, that he couldn’t get to maximum speed because it still wasn’t fully healed.
“He will prepare right now … we’ll attempt to choose up his max pace subsequent week, which he must hit to be accessible to play.
“And we’re hopeful, without any other setback and him continuing to feel better, that he will play the following week.”
Goodwin mentioned Oliver’s damage had a silver lining by permitting the Demons to develop extra midfielders.
“If you look at our last few weeks, we have been pretty strong through the middle of the ground,” he mentioned.
“It’s a pretty handy player in terms of Angus Brayshaw that we can bring in to the midfield mix without Clayton, and also Tom Sparrow’s ability to step up.
“Our clearance sport and our skill to win ball by way of the center of the bottom hasn’t been a difficulty in the previous couple of weeks.
“It has been a pleasing part of our game that without Clay, other guys are able to step up.
“It’s solely going to serve us properly when Clayton comes again, our skill and depth in the midst of the bottom is barely going to get higher.
“When you lose a player like Clayton there’s always opportunity, and through that opportunity we have found a few things.”
Goodwin anticipated his fourth-placed Demons to be with out Michael Hibberd for at the least three weeks after the skilled defender suffered a lacerated kidney in final week’s loss to Geelong.
“Anything that is internal, you have to take with a great deal of caution,” he mentioned.
“He will have no contact for a few weeks … we’re hopeful he will be back within three weeks but it could be four.
“It’s unimaginable how he truly obtained by way of the (Geelong) sport.
“It (shows) enormous courage to have a hit like that early in the game and to continue to play, and to play at the level that he did was unbelievable.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
