REIGNING Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy winner, Clayton Oliver, has signed a contract extension, which will keep him in the red and blue until at least the end of the 2021 season.
Oliver was initially contracted for 2018-19, but extended it for a further two seasons.
The 20-year-old said he had no hesitation in committing to the Demons.
“It was the easiest decision of my life,” he told Melbourne Media.
“The club came to me last week, and I talked to my manager and we got it done straight away, so I’m very happy.
“The club’s in a good place and on the way up, and I want to be a part of it, so I can’t wait. It was an easy decision to stay and I can’t wait for the next four years.”
General manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said the club was delighted to lock in Oliver for the longer term.
“We’re very happy to get Clayton’s extended contract done before the start of the season,” he said.
“The development we’ve seen in him, in two years at the footy club, is a result of his own hard work, along with the great work of our development coaches.
“He’s become one of the young up-and-coming midfielders in the competition, and he’s already won a best and fairest for us, so we’re excited to have him contracted until the end of 2021.”
Mahoney said Oliver had joined an exciting bunch of Demons to have signed on for the future, including Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Jack Viney and Jake Lever, who will remain with the club until at least the end of 2020.
“With Clayton, we’ve now got a number of our players signed for an extended period of time,” he said.
“This includes Christian Petracca, who signed a month ago, which is a good sign of players wanting to stay and feel like they’re developing in the environment.”
Meanwhile, Oliver said he was itching to get the 2018 home and away season underway against Geelong at the MCG on Sunday.
“I’m sick of training, so I’m looking forward to playing games,” he said.
“Hopefully the pre-season has paid off for everyone – we’re looking good, so hopefully we’ll have a good game.”
Oliver said he had also overcome a bruised knee, sustained during the JLT Community Series.
“It’s perfect. I trained today (Thursday) will no dramas. I got through and I can’t feel it, so I’m just excited to play,” he said.
Oliver signs on until end of 2021
Clayton Oliver has signed a contract extension with the club