Either way, the school will celebrate its first premiership player by the end of Saturday's grand final, with Oliver going head-to-head with fellow alumni Alex Keath and Josh Schache of the Western Bulldogs.
The school also boasts a Brownlow medallist after fellow old boy and Echuca product Ollie Wines took out the AFL's most prestigious individual award last Sunday.
For the man affectionately known as “Clarry”, Oliver came to the school as a Year 7 student and quickly made an impression with his football ability and bubbly personality.
“At school, Clayton (a Lions fan) and I would often talk about the Brisbane Lions’ performances and how they should improve,” alumni relations co-ordinator Glen Edwards said.
“He had a good footy brain and was driven at a young age to succeed on the sporting field and that was very noticeable in the junior/senior footy teams and junior cricket team.”
This weekend's grand final decider will pit Oliver against one of his closest friends growing up — Western Bulldogs’ Josh Schache.
With the pair graduating in the same year, Year 12 co-ordinator Chelsea Pohlner recalls the close connection Oliver and Schache shared in their final years of schooling.
“Clayton and Josh were very different in terms of their personalities and as students, but they were such good mates and supported each other at school, in football and as friends,” she said.
“Early in Year 12, Clayton was not convinced that football would be a realistic pathway for him that year, but it was most definitely going to be Josh’s and he was happy to support him in that.
“So, it was great to see how they both approached their studies and football throughout the year and navigated what ended up being an exciting development when they were both drafted that year at two and four.”
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