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Melbourne defender Christian Salem is self-confident the Demons have the depth to go over for Clayton Oliver while the star midfielder is sidelined with a fractured thumb.
Oliver experienced the personal injury when he was unintentionally kicked by Geelong’s Joel Selwood in Thursday’s 28-point loss to the Cats.
The 24-12 months-previous has considering that undergone operation and is possible to pass up Sunday’s clash with Port Adelaide in Alice Springs in advance of returning for upcoming week’s face from the Western Bulldogs.
Oliver is between the favourites to earn this year’s Brownlow medal, and he will be sorely missed in opposition to Port at a time when the Demons are attempting to halt a stressing form slump.
But Salem has religion in the team’s depth.
“He (Oliver) is incredible. He keeps obtaining greater every single week,” Salem claimed.
“If he does pass up, the excellent thing for us is we’ve acquired a great deal of boys in the VFL that are AFL prepared. I’m sure someone will set their hand up.
“There’s Luke Dunstan (and Jake) Melksham. Just sort of depends on the stability that the coaches want to do.”
Melksham has performed just 3 AFL matches this period, the last being in spherical 11.
The 30-yr-previous hit the headlines in June when he punched teammate Steven Could just after the premiership defender experienced reportedly created a grand closing slur.
Melksham wounded his hand in the incident and had to undertake surgery, although May copped a a single-match ban from the club for drinking alcoholic beverages whilst recovering from concussion.
Melbourne (12-4) are just share adrift of the ladder-primary Cats regardless of dropping 4 of their earlier six video games.
The Demons have averaged just 74.5 factors for every game across that stretch in a sizeable fall in scoring output when in contrast to the initially 10 rounds (93.7).
Salem feels it is wrong to blame the forwards.
“It’s a whole collective,” Salem stated.
“It’s not only the forwards’ accountability, it is us backs and the mids offering it inside 50m.
“We’ll do the job on that. We’ve obtained a more time week this week in education.
“It’s one thing we have been chipping away at, and it’s probably only a make any difference of time just before it turns around for us.”
Salem missed 11 weeks with a knee personal injury previously this time, and the premiership defender suggests he is even now operating his way back again into form.
“I’m not at the amount that I want to be at at the second in phrases of output to the workforce,” he stated.
“But I guess that’s kind of anticipated with becoming out for a few and a little bit months. I’m slowly but surely on the lookout to create all over again this week.”
© AAP
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