Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca has chosen to stay at the Demons after weeks of rumblings about his AFL future.
Disgruntled midfielder Petracca, 28, had reportedly been keen to explore a move to another Victorian club this off-season, despite being contracted until the end of 2029.
But on Saturday, he said he was “committed” to playing for the Demons.
Petracca has been sidelined since suffering life-threatening injuries in the King’s Birthday match in June and had expressed his frustration with the Demons around their standards, along with their management of his injury.
“Over the last few weeks, there’s been a lot of speculation regarding my role at the Melbourne Football Club,” Petracca said in a statement.
“This has occurred as part of the end-of-year review process, in which I voiced my concerns as a leader, wanting better for our club, playing group, and fans.
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“During this time, I have been in open communication with the player leadership group and club leaders to ensure we can work together to improve as a club.
“I make no apologies for wanting to better our club and contribute to our success both on and off the field.
“I love my footy – it remains my number one priority and always has been.
“As for my future at the Melbourne Football Club, I remain committed to playing for the red and the blue.”
“I remain committed to playing for the red and the blue.”
Petracca missed the second half of 2024 with horror internal injuries after copping a stray knee from Collingwood captain Darcy Moore on King’s Birthday, with the midfielder even revealing his family was told that there was a chance that he may not have made it through surgery.
It was claimed earlier this week that Petracca’s chances of leaving the Demons got a whole lot likelier, with the Age reporting the 2021 Norm Smith Medallist’s relationship with the club has fractured ‘beyond repair’.
The Demons had always insisted Petracca would be at the club next year and adamant their relationship with the 2021 Norm Smith Medallist was salvageable.
So, Gary Pert is thrilled that the Demon has now cleared up the matter.
“As we’ve stated all along, Christian is a much-loved member of the Melbourne Football Club and we value him immensely, not only as a player, but as a person and a leader,” Pert said.
“Over the past month, we have been open about the fact that Christian has shared some thoughts on how we can improve and better ourselves as a footy club.
“These conversations have made us a better organisation and we’re grateful that Christian, like all our leaders, are willing to have the tough conversations to drive success.
“We move forward from here, aligned, and steadfast in our commitment to achieving the success we know our AFL program is capable of.
“Most importantly, I know a lot of young Demons proudly wearing the number 5 on their back will be eagerly counting down the days until we see Christian back out on the footy field playing the game he loves.”
– with AAP
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