ASSISTANT coach Ben Mathews says midfielder Clayton Oliver has “had a great week on the track” and is ready for Friday night’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the MCG.

Oliver has been under the public spotlight this week, after he copped an elbow to the chin from West Coast’s Will Schofield during Melbourne’s thrilling win over West Coast at Domain Stadium last Saturday night. Oliver fell to the ground following the incident, which copped much scrutiny from the media and public.

Former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn tweeted Oliver “Am I watching soccer???”

The 19-year-old Demon replied “Hey Damien, you should just worry about that shot in 1994. Link if you can't remember – #amiwatchingachoker.”

Schofield was later cleared of a striking charge by the tribunal, after initially being offered one-match by the match review panel.

Mathews said Oliver, who has had an outstanding second season this year, had been his “normal old Clarry” this week. 

“He’s a funny fella, who has a smile on his face, and it is water off a duck’s back,” he told melbournefc.com.au.  

“He’s a bit quirky is ‘Clarry’, but to be honest, we haven’t even spoken about last week. We want to be humble in our win and the social media side of things is new territory for everyone.

“For the young fellas, it (social media) is pretty normal for them, so they just roll with it. We need him again, importantly, because the Swans’ midfield is very, very good and ours is starting to show its true colours of being an elite midfield as well.

“It’s the consistency that sets the greats apart and we’re hoping Clarry steps up again.”

After a brilliant round 14 win, the stoppage/contest coach said Friday night’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the MCG was “a massive challenge for our boys, but one they are prepared for”.

“The last few weeks have had their challenges with six-day breaks. We’ve got a couple of injuries out of the game, with Jeffy [Garlett] and Christian Salem, but otherwise the boys have bounced back and responded really well,” Mathews said.  

“Our boys have been finishing games exceptionally well and our last quarter showed us – on the biggest ground in the country – that we were running really well late in the game.

“We feel like we’re physically prepared and we’re ready for the challenge of Sydney – they’re as hot as anyone over the last five or six weeks. They’re on top of the ladder in the competition – in terms of form over the past five rounds.

“The opposition is a great club and has a great culture. They’re playing very, very good football and they play a contested brand of footy and they’ve gone back to basics. Their good players are playing well and that presents a challenge for us.”

Mathews said the fact that it was a Friday night match – the club’s first since round four, 2015 and its first home match since round seven, 2012 – was irrelevant for the team’s preparation.

“Our players need to deal with it and hopefully as we get better, we play in more big games,” he said.

“We played on Queen’s Birthday a few weeks ago, and we played on ANZAC Eve, and this is just another big game for our football club. Whatever day or time – it doesn’t matter. Whoever’s watching and when we play – it’s irrelevant.

“We go out to get our business done, and we’ve got to learn to deal with those factors. When the game is and where the game is played are minor for the team, but significant for the club.

“We’ve been breaking barriers and hoodoos this year and in recent seasons – Adelaide in Adelaide and West Coast in Perth – and they were very good wins. We understand we haven’t done that for a period of time, so it’s great for the club. But as a playing group and coaches – we just focus on the opposition as best we can every week.”

Mathews said Melbourne’s ability to cover for several injured players this year had been a reason for its improvement.

“No doubt. The hallmark of every great club is the depth of its list – the players who come in, play their role and prepare well. We feel like our system – the Casey Demons – has been significant in that,” he said.

“Josh Wagner and Mitch White are two players to come in this week – and they’re well prepared. Their form has been very solid in the VFL and the Casey Demons have had a really good run of form and those players have been significant in that.

“We feel like we’re well prepared with our players coming in to play their role as we’ve ever been.”