Goodwin denies Oliver reports, says onballer will play this week; Voss cagey on Curnow injury scare

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“Clayton, for one, is frustrated by [the reports] because they’re not true, and he hasn’t got resentment. He’s not upset about game time… he’s really content and happy. A lot of those things were dealt with previously at the end of last season. He’s in a really good space… and he wants to be the best teammate he can possibly be,” Goodwin said at a press conference.

Goodwin said he spoke with Oliver on Thursday morning and said the speculation had frustrated the star onballer, who will return to the Demons side to face the Hawks at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

“He’s got a great team around him, both medically, but also his teammates. Max [Gawn] is an incredible support network to him. He spent some time with Max on Monday night. He’s been around with the two Christians [Petracca and Salem] for dinner last night, so [they’ve spent] a lot of time together. His support network works, internally, are really strong.”

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Goodwin said he was in constant communication with Oliver about his headspace and that he was proud the 27-year-old had volunteered to take the week off. Goodwin said the decision reflected the maturity of both Oliver and the club.

“I think that’s where we’ve grown internally as a football club, and Clayton has as well. And I think it’s just a sign of where we are in the times now in the game, and how we deal with mental health and wellbeing, and [to] make sure that our people are in a great space... As I said, we’re really proud of Clayton that he put his hand up, and we’re looking forward to getting him back in the team.”

“It was pretty clear last week that he needed some time away from the game, just a few days to really reset and get his wellbeing back. And it was on the back of some great medical advice. What we’ve seen so far, in the last few days, is a refresh. Clayton, he’s keen to get back into it. He’s done a fair bit of training as well, and looking forward to getting back out on the footy field.”

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