The complicated case of Christian Petracca this off-season

Christian Petracca tried to leave Melbourne last year. But where do things sit 12 months later? Jon Ralph has more on what might unlock a complex deal, plus where his teammates stand.

As with most things involving Christian Petracca, it is complicated.

In an ideal world Petracca would chase success at a rival club next year, 12 months on from his aborted trade request.

He would find a fresh start at a new club free of the baggage that still weighs him down after the terrible aftermath of his King’s Birthday injuries.

Back in 2024 as the Demons seemed to be imploding he was keen to get to a club like Carlton or Collingwood that he believed would be in the premiership window.

Petracca would still be keen on a move — but pulling it off will be difficult. Picture: Getty Images

But the Demons couldn’t consider it because it would paint a picture of a club imploding.

Simon Goodwin was coaching for his career (unsuccessfully as it turned out) and a Demons outfit desperately trying to paint a picture as a happy family instead tried to resuscitate the relationship.

It has only partly worked.

Twelve months on Petracca deserves a huge amount of credit for putting his head down and cranking out a 23-game season that saw him finish behind only Max Gawn in the club best-and-fairest.

It doesn’t mean he isn’t still keen to look around and consider whether there is a club that would progress his premiership ambitions if the Demons were keen to trade him.

The problem is that Petracca is due vast sums in the next four years, Hawthorn is all in on Zach Merrett instead, and any trade which actually benefited the Demons would be incredibly hard to broker.

So both sides might end up calling an uneasy truce or the trade period might provide the solutions to both.

In an ideal world with a super draft only months away and rival clubs laden with young key position forwards they were happy to trade, Petracca would be on his way with a minimum of fuss.

But this is not that year, so it would take a special combination of early draft selections or that Melbourne missing link – an established key forward - for the Demons to really jump at the chance to trade Petracca.

Clubs face the tough task of meeting Melbourne’s demands in a trade. Picture: Getty Images

Petracca has said all the right things about being committed in his rare sponsor-linked media appearances this year.

But only he would know if his teammates’ suspicions are true - that he has gone through the motions instead of fully immersing himself in rebuilding this club’s culture from the ashes.

Coach Steven King will need to have brutally honest conversations with Petracca about whether he is committed to playing his entire career out at Melbourne or will at some stage jump ship.

His teammates certainly suspect that he does not want to be at Melbourne next year.

If that is the case, right now is the right time to trade him as he hits 30 in January with maximum trade value.

King said in his press conference on Monday he was keen to retain the club’s established talent including Oliver and Petracca.

“Absolutely. They’re both superstars in the competition for what they’ve done, so to get the opportunity to work with those guys and get them back to playing their best footy would be something that I would pride myself on as a coach,” he said.

Steven King wants Petracca at Melbourne next year. Picture: Getty Images

“I’ll be meeting with the list management team later today. I’ve obviously done a lot of research on the list before applying for this position. So, I really admire what’s happened here in the past. I think the experience that we’ve got here, I want to try and keep those experienced players here for as long as possible because premiership players don’t grow on trees and to have them on your side while you’re bringing in the youth of tomorrow and today, that’s going to be a really important part of the way I want our team to play, so that will be something that will probably play out in the next couple of weeks.”

One issue for Petracca finding a new home is that the list of clubs desperate for a player of his calibre who could absorb his salary is very thin.

If he was happy to move anywhere Adelaide would surely be in the market, as would Collingwood, GWS and Fremantle.

Christian Petracca’s future is up in the air

But the Pies, Giants and Dockers don’t have cap space to absorb a deal that hits $1.7m and would he move interstate to Adelaide with all his Melbourne-based business interests?

Melbourne doesn’t have a first-round pick this year but the suspicion is that its next premiership window is in 3-5 years, as much as CEO Paul Guerra suggested on Monday finals was the aspiration next year.

So getting back into this draft to continue building on the elite young core – Xavier Lindsay, Harvey Langford, Kosi Pickett, Jake Bowey – has to be a priority.

Guerra is certainly saying all the right things – that Petracca is a contracted superstar, that he is required, that the club wants to help build his off-field portfolio so he exits the game content and generationally wealthy.

But it will be up to King and the list management team to spend the coming weeks deciding if moving on Petracca helps their list build.

The next few weeks will be key. Picture: Getty Images

Are they patient enough to accept a first-round pick this year and one next year if a club like Adelaide offers up a portfolio of selections?

Is there any key forward in the mix who they could acquire?

The list of key forwards is uncommonly bare.

Patrick Voss is an unrestricted free agent next year but very happy at the Dockers.

Ollie Henry was pushed out of Geelong’s best side this year after 78 goals in the past two seasons but just re-signed and moved to the Cats to play with his brother.

If Damien Hardwick did trade Jed Walter it would be to Carlton as part of a package for Charlie Curnow.

Clubs might try to lure Brody Mihocek on three-year deals, while Mitch Lewis is an unrestricted free agent next year and has been squeezed down the pecking order at Hawthorn but is about to play in a preliminary final.

So it is complicated, but only total honesty – from King, from Petracca, from the club’s leaders - will turn uneasy peace into full buy-in or the trade that sets the 2021 Norm Smith Medallist free in coming weeks.

Originally published as The complicated case of Christian Petracca this off-season