Christian Petracca injury review splits in two ahead of findings being handed down

The long-running review into the handling of Christian Petracca’s horrific injuries during the King’s Birthday game last year has split in two. Josh Barnes has the details.

A long-running review into serious injuries that sprouted after Melbourne star Christian Petracca’s traumatic hospital stay last year has been split into two, as an expert panel closes in on presenting its first findings.

As the review prepares to hand in recommendations to the AFL and AFL Players Association, it could look global in a second part of the probe to examine how other sports treat traumatic injuries.

More than 12 months has passed since Petracca was cleaned up during a King’s Birthday clash with Collingwood last year and, after briefly coming back on to the field, diagnosed with a lacerated spleen, four broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The Demons star spent time in hospital and did not play for the rest of the season.

The AFLPA and the AFL have been looking into serious injuries, like Petracca’s, and a panel appointed jointly by the players’ cohort and league HQ is almost finished the first part of the investigation, which will make recommendations on which immediate changes can be made to treat traumatic injuries.

The AFL and AFLPA will look over the findings and choose what to implement, before the panel broadens the investigation, to look at other sports to find other ways to improve medical care at games.

Christian Petracca leaves the field after copping a knee from Darcy Moore of Collingwood on King’s Birthday last year. Picture: Michael Klein

That part of the review could take in international sports and how they treat car crash-style injuries.

Petracca is no longer involved in the investigation, as revealed by this masthead last month, but has shared his experience with the review.

The AFL ticked off how Melbourne handled the incident at the game, including why Petracca was sent back out on the field.

The Demons have backed in that their doctors made the right call with the evidence they had at the time.

Concern over treatment of on-field issues has continued into 2025, with Collingwood’s Lachie Schultz a flashpoint, when the Magpie was concussed during a game against Fremantle and play wasn’t stopped for him to leave the field.