Steven Oliver (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Steven Wayne Oliver is a former Australian rules football
er who played with Carlton
in the Australian Football League
(AFL) during the early 1990s.
Oliver, a forward from Castlemaine
, was only 16 when he got picked up by Carlton in the 1987 VFL Draft
. Like another draftee that year, Jamie Cox, Oliver was also a gifted cricket
er and captained Victoria at the Australian Under-17 Championships in 1987/88. An all-rounder
, he took 11 wickets in the tournament, including that of future Test player Damien Martyn
. He ultimately chose to pursue a career in football but had to wait until he was 21 to make his senior AFL debut.
His first two league games came in the opening two rounds of the 1992 AFL season
but he didn't have any impact and wasn't selected for the rest of the year. He instead had a highly successful year with Castlemaine in the Bendigo Football League
(BFL), kicking over 100 goals in the home and away season, before finishing the season with a premiership.
Oliver made six AFL appearances in 1993 and performed well when put at full-forward
when filling in for an injured Stephen Kernahan
. By the time the finals came he was out of the side and didn't participate in Carlton's run to the grand final. After putting together just five games in 1994, Oliver return home to the bush for good.
He topped the BFL goal-kicking on three further occasions, in 1996, 2000 and 2005. In 2000 he had reached the one hundred goal mark for a third time, having also achieved the feat back in 1991 after a strong finals series. Castlemaine were the premiership winners in his two most prolific seasons, 1992 and 2000. He also won three Castlemaine "Best and Fairest" awards and towards the end of his time at the club became just the second player in BFL history to reach 1000 career goals.
Oliver is now the chief executive officer of the BFL and in 2010 ran as a National Party
candidate for the seat of Bendigo West
in the state election
. Although the vote count was close enough to be decided by preferences, Oliver was unable to stop Maree Edwards
from retaining the seat for Labor
.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played with Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL) during the early 1990s.
Oliver, a forward from Castlemaine
Castlemaine Football Club
Castlemaine Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia and is currently a member of the Bendigo Football League.The club is notable for several reasons...
, was only 16 when he got picked up by Carlton in the 1987 VFL Draft
1987 VFL Draft
The 1987 VFL Draft was the second draft to provide recruitment opportunities to clubs participating in Australian rules football's elite Victorian Football League. Held after the end of the 1987 season, it consisted only of the National Draft itself....
. Like another draftee that year, Jamie Cox, Oliver was also a gifted cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and captained Victoria at the Australian Under-17 Championships in 1987/88. An all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
, he took 11 wickets in the tournament, including that of future Test player Damien Martyn
Damien Martyn
Damien Richard Martyn is a former Australian cricketer. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player in 1999–2000 and a regular Test player in 2001 until his retirement in late 2006...
. He ultimately chose to pursue a career in football but had to wait until he was 21 to make his senior AFL debut.
His first two league games came in the opening two rounds of the 1992 AFL season
1992 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1992. The AFL Grand Final this year was won by the West Coast Eagles, who became the first non-Victorian club to win a Premiership.-Ladder:...
but he didn't have any impact and wasn't selected for the rest of the year. He instead had a highly successful year with Castlemaine in the Bendigo Football League
Bendigo Football League
The Bendigo Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Bendigo region of Victoria, Australia.Formed in 1880, it is one of the oldest football leagues in Australia, and among its members are some of the oldest football clubs in Australia, including the Castlemaine...
(BFL), kicking over 100 goals in the home and away season, before finishing the season with a premiership.
Oliver made six AFL appearances in 1993 and performed well when put at full-forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
when filling in for an injured Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Scott Kernahan is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his career with the Carlton Football Club of the Australian Football League and the Glenelg Football Club of the SANFL from 1981 until 1997...
. By the time the finals came he was out of the side and didn't participate in Carlton's run to the grand final. After putting together just five games in 1994, Oliver return home to the bush for good.
He topped the BFL goal-kicking on three further occasions, in 1996, 2000 and 2005. In 2000 he had reached the one hundred goal mark for a third time, having also achieved the feat back in 1991 after a strong finals series. Castlemaine were the premiership winners in his two most prolific seasons, 1992 and 2000. He also won three Castlemaine "Best and Fairest" awards and towards the end of his time at the club became just the second player in BFL history to reach 1000 career goals.
Oliver is now the chief executive officer of the BFL and in 2010 ran as a National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
candidate for the seat of Bendigo West
Electoral district of Bendigo West
Bendigo West is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 2,633 km² electorate based around the city of Bendigo and surrounding rural towns. It encompasses the localities of Bendigo City, California Gully, Castlemaine, Harcourt, Long Gully,...
in the state election
Victorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
. Although the vote count was close enough to be decided by preferences, Oliver was unable to stop Maree Edwards
Maree Edwards
Janice Maree Edwards is an Australian politician. She has been the member for Bendigo West in the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2010....
from retaining the seat for Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.