By Jon Pierik
AFL Players’ Association chief Paul Marsh has met with Melbourne star Christian Petracca as he reviews Melbourne’s handling of the life-threatening injuries the midfielder suffered against Collingwood.
Marsh has returned from a three-month break and is investigating, as best as the AFLPA can, the events surrounding Petracca’s harrowing injuries in the King’s Birthday clash and why the 2021 premiership star was allowed to return to the field.
An AFLPA spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Petracca had met with his union to discuss the injury and other issues. However, specifics of the discussion were not divulged in respect for the player’s privacy.
Petracca had four broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and a punctured lung after an accidental knee from Magpies skipper Darcy Moore in a marking contest. He left the field for treatment, but returned briefly and attempted to play on, before he was taken by ambulance to hospital where he had surgery and spent several days, his season over.
While the AFLPA is keeping matters in-house, Age columnist Caroline Wilson, speaking on Footy Classified, said Marsh was examining all facets of the day, including the initial diagnosis of the injury, the length of time it took for the Demons to call an ambulance, why Petracca waited for hours at the Epworth Hospital before being taken to the Alfred Hospital where he had surgery.
A source aware of the Petracca issue said while the union could review the matter, it did not have officials powers to investigate under AFL rules.
The Demons and AFL were also contacted for comment.
Petracca said last month he was suffering from insomnia and seeing a trauma psychologist to deal with the aftermath of his injuries, revealing his partner Bella had been told he “might not make it” out of surgery because he was in a critical condition.
“It’s been really, really tough. Probably the most traumatic thing I’ve experienced in my life,” Petracca said on the Howie Games podcast.
“The trauma of everything … it’s actually not necessarily the incident of it, it’s the aftermath of it. The surgery in general was a really traumatic experience: being awake for it, internal bleeding, wasn’t able to be put to sleep under anaesthetic. I can think of every single thing happening at that time.
The fallout from the King’s Birthday clash for Christian Petracca and the Demons continues.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images
“This must have been 3am ... I didn’t know at the time; I was drugged up. Bella [Petracca’s partner] came to the ICU the next day and basically said that at three in the morning … we got the number off the surgeon because he called to say you might not make it, basically. He’s in critical condition.”
Before he returned to play, the Demons’ doctors doubted Petracca had suffered a punctured lung, as reported by The Age.
“Like anything with a broken rib, or a cracked rib, you certainly get some pain relief and see how you can go on. It’s standard process when you’re working through these type of injuries,” Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said after the King’s Birthday match.
“It was pretty evident that he wasn’t going to be able to play on, so we just pulled it straight away at half-time.”
Demons medical staff were questioned the following day by the AFL’s chief medical officer Dr Michael Makdissi as to why Petracca was allowed to return to the field, but the AFL found that the correct protocols were followed.
“The AFL chief medical officer has spoken to Melbourne’s doctors in relation to their management of Petracca yesterday. The AFL is comfortable with the processes Melbourne adopted,” AFL spokesman Jay Allen said at the time.
Days later, AFL executive operations manager Laura Kane said that while “clubs are always trying to get better”, the Demons’ “process was OK”.
“The clinical assessment by the doctors was standard,” Kane said.
While the Demons’ doctors will likely face more questions, Petracca – a day after the serious injuries – said he was responsible for heading back onto the field.
“I’m responsible for putting myself out there by the way for people talking about the medicos,” Petracca said on Instagram.
In a later radio interview, he added: “I have been in a similar situation a couple of years ago when I fractured my leg in the first quarter and did the same thing. I just went out and played the next three quarters because you are on adrenaline, you don’t really know what’s going on. Had I known now the severity of it, I obviously wouldn’t have gone back out there.”
As a major split emerged between Petracca, the club and even teammates last month over the fall-out from the injuries, and the direction the club was heading after the Demons failed to make the finals, it emerged Petracca – who sets extremely high standards of professionalism – was open to a trade to either Collingwood or Carlton.
Contracted with the Demons until the end of the 2029 season, Petracca has since said he remains committed to the club.
There has already been one major casualty, with Kate Roffey stepping down as club president after Petracca aired his grievances to senior officials and expressed his desire to be traded.
Roffey revealed she had not spoken to Petracca about his disgruntlement with the Demons in a widely criticised interview on SEN.
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