Melbourne’s Alan Richardson reveals what club learned from Christian Petracca injuries, treatment
Melbourne has again defended its medical team’s decision to allow Christian Petracca to return to the field with what would later be revealed as catastrophic injuries. Plus, what the Demons have learned from the drama.
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Melbourne will reassess the way it diagnoses players’ on-field injuries in the wake of superstar midfielder Christian Petracca’s life-threatening problems on King’s Birthday.
Demons’ football manager Alan Richardson admitted the brilliant ballwinner would never have returned to the field if the club knew the full extent of his serious internal injuries including a ruptured spleen, punctured lung and four broken ribs.
The league and the AFL players association are attempting to launch an investigation into the matter as Petracca underwent emergency surgery and explored a trade out of Melbourne in the emotional aftermath.
Richardson said the incident would prompt a rethink about its medical process and in particular, how much weight clubs put on players’ own self-diagnosis in games.
“The athlete has a fair bit of say in what happens there I reckon and that will be something that probably will get looked at – not just from our footy club but the AFL going forward,” Richardson said.
“They (players) are just competitive beasts who want to get out and play and that carries a lot of weight.
“How much weight should that carry? My understanding is that incident will continue to get investigated.
“We will look to get better as an industry, not just from our football club.”
The incident had major ramifications for the club as Petracca, who did not play again last season, weighed up his future and missed the Demons’ best and fairest to begin his recovery at a Red Bull training camp in Austria.
While the sensational midfielder and Norm Smith medallist has sizzled on the training track since his return in recent weeks, he still faces mental hurdles preparing for the physical demands of the game at the top level next season.
Richardson was adamant it was an incredibly difficult situation for its medical team, but said it could be a game changer across the league.
Petracca provides an update on how he is going after his horror injury in Round 13.
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“We investigated it thoroughly and the doctors, with the evidence they had at the time, did the right thing,” Richardson said.
“(But) in hindsight would we do something different if we knew the extent of the injury? Of course.
“He would not have gone back out on the ground.
“We will always put player safety first from a coaching perspective and I still put my coaching hat on when I answer the question this way we just get out of the way – that’s the doctor’s call.
“It was a really difficult situation for our medical team, it has basically never happened before.
“He (Petracca) then went to the next hospital and they didn’t diagnose it properly. So that gives you an understanding of how difficult it was.”
The loss of Petracca and midfielder Angus Brayshaw (concussion) in conjunction with Clayton Oliver’s hand injury and interrupted pre-season had a huge impact on the club’s season as they fell away and missed finals.
But coach Simon Goodwin said the pair had been outstanding at the club in recent weeks amid concerns the pair could request trades again next year.
The club is overhauling its game plan over summer to help it maximise its midfield power and rise back up the ladder in 2025.
“I have been blown away by how Christian has come back in a physical capacity,” Goodwin said.
“He has been really connected with his teammates and is driving really high quality training sessions.
“Clayton is the same. He just wants to work incredibly hard to get back to his best. He knows he wasn’t at his best last year.
“It is great to see both of them smiling, enjoying their footy, enjoying being part of the team and being great teammates.”
Brayshaw is expected to spend time studying overseas after struggling with the end of his football career due to his brain injuries.
The popular premiership player is not expected to return to an off-field club role in the short-term.
Originally published as Melbourne’s Alan Richardson reveals what club learned from Christian Petracca injuries, treatment
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