Demons premiership champion Clayton Oliver reveals he was left in tears after Swans recruiter asked him “Why are you so fat?” In a brutal AFL draft interview
- A shocking incident was revealed in 2015
- Pelican list boss Kenner Bateson wrong
- Oliver was drafted by the Demons that same year
- The midfielder then won a premiership in 2021
Melbourne Demons premiership winner Clayton Oliver has revealed the heartbreaking moment he was asked “why are you so fat” during an NFL draft interview.
He talks about former Ausmerican Aces player Tommy Sheridan PodcastThe 25-year-old recalled his 2015 meeting in Sydney with Kenner Beatson, the long-term Pelican roster boss.
“He walked over there and sat down and looked me dead in the eye and (Betson said) ‘Why are you so fat?'” the midfielder said. “.
“The first thing he said (was that), and I was like ‘Oh, I’ve lost, like, five kilos’, he’s like ‘Maybe you need to lose a little bit more, buddy’, and then he just kept playing.”
The three-time All Australian has revealed that Beatson is not done yet.
Melbourne Demons star Clayton Oliver has revealed a conversation with Pelicans roster boss Kenner Bateson in 2015 that made him cry
Bateson felt the midfielder was carrying too much weight and asked him directly “why are you so fat” during an AFL Draft interview in 2015 (pictured, as a teenager playing for the Murray Bushrangers)
He said I can’t kick, I can’t run, I can’t play with my left hand, and I can’t play with my right hand.
I literally just started crying. (I was) bluntly, like, ‘Why am I even here? You’re obviously not going to recruit me.
“It’s just like, ‘We just wanted to test you, see how strong you are,’ and I was like, ‘Well, you’re not, buddy,’ and I just started crying. I got up and walked out.
“I thought I was mentally very strong and he broke me in about three minutes.”
It was Oliver’s last laugh, as he won the AFL pennant in 2021 with the Melbourne Demons
Oliver also explained on the podcast how he faked a hamstring injury in an attempt to pass the joint wheezing test, as he was worried about it. His project hinders his hopes.
Now a Brownlow Medal nominee each season, Oliver would eventually be selected fourth overall by the Devils in the same 2015 national draft.
He won the 2021 pennant and is widely considered one of the best players in the competition.
Ironically, Oliver will reclaim his 150th NFL appearance this Sunday against the Pelicans at the MCG.
It’s safe to say Beatson — still employed by The Bloods as general manager of roster strategy and staffing — will be watching closely.