AFL stars Christian Petracca and Ollie Wines reveal why they love the Melbourne Cup

AFL star Christian Petracca has pledged support for his former teammate, polarising basketball star Ben Simmons, while revealing how he partied in Perth after the Demons’ win.

They’re the two most individually celebrated AFL footballers in 2021 but for Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines and Norm Smith medallist Christian Petracca, the Covid pandemic has meant the usual fanfare has been subdued.

In normal times, in our footy-mad town, Petracca would still be out celebrating a premiership and toasting his Norm Smith Medal win.

But the Demons midfield star, caught in lockdown like the rest of us, has returned home to a more familiar routine.

And travel restrictions have meant Wines hasn’t been able to get back to his home town of Echuca yet. His parents, Tony and Jane, are keenly awaiting his return, like the rest of the Victorian border town who take an interest in what all the Wines siblings are up to. The other children, Maddie, Sophie and Harry, all live together in North Melbourne.

Petracca said with no commitments, he has gone straight back into training.

“I’m being smart about it,’’ he said.

Norm Smith medallist and Melbourne Cup ambassador Christian Petracca. Picture: Jason Edwards

“I don’t really watch much TV to be honest. I usually go to bed around 8.30 to 9pm and I’m up early at 6 to 6.30am. Nothing has really changed to be honest.”

In the coming months he will watch NBA basketball, which he much prefers to cricket, and will work on his uni assignments for his commerce/marketing studies at Swinburne.

“I’m not a cricketer. I like to go to the beach, chill out, relax and watch a bit of basketball so it’s good that starts,’’ he said.

“I enjoy studying; I think all the guys should do some sort of study and the AFL help with it, too.

“Gym at the moment is my holiday destination, but hopefully borders open up in a few weeks. My parents and my partner (Bella Beischer’s) parents both have a house down the Peninsula so I’m looking forward to going down there.”

Petracca, 25, made the most of his time in Perth after the grand final, even taking to the DJ decks at a private party organised by Red Bull for Demons teammates and staff.

He described feeling “over the moon” in the days after, and having grown up as an avid Magpies supporter, cherished his achievements even more, thinking of his hero Scott Pendlebury who won the 2010 Norm Smith Medal.

‘Whether Simmons stays or goes, I’ll support him’

In the lead-up to the grand final, Petracca had received a bunch of pre-game well wishes, including a message from his former junior basketball teammate, divisive Aussie NBA player Ben Simmons.

“Ben wished me all the best and good luck,’’ he said. “Whether he stays or goes (from the Philadelphia 76ers) I’ll support him either way.”

Simmons – who was the No.1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft – recently informed the club he wanted to leave, although he reported back for training last week.

He was hit with a one-game suspension by the team on Tuesday, ruling him out of the club’s season-opener against New Orleans.

A Sixers statement said Simmons would miss Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Simmons showed up to the Sixers’ training facilities on Friday morning (AEDT) — and walked off again.

The Australian’s trade war with his own team is getting uglier by the day and it took another turn on Friday with the 25-year-old reportedly claiming he has a back injury — and isn’t able to play as a result of mental health issues.

Petracca says he’ll support his former basketball teammate Ben Simmons ‘whether he stays or goes’ from the Philadelphia 76ers. Picture: Christian Petersen

“Travis Boak, someone I look up to, he messaged me, as well. Snowboarder Scotty James, as well. The support has been so surreal.

“Hopefully Victoria opens up and we can get a grand final parade or something to make our fans feel the feeling of what we’ve had.

“I watched a few videos of fans at home, just in their living rooms and it looked great but it also looks a bit dull too.’’

Petracca is itching to get back to footy’s home, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, saying there’s nothing like winning there surrounded by fans.

Until then his off-season will also include taking in races action.

He’s been to Flemington many times in the past, saying “I love the fashion side of things”, and looks forward to being trackside again.

He and the league’s other top performer in season 2021, Port Adelaide’s Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines, have been appointed Victoria Racing Club’s Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassadors — a significant honour for both proud Victorians.

Ollie Wines has an interest in racehorses and enjoys getting dressed up for the Melbourne Cup.

“I’ve been a few times to the Melbourne Cup Carnival and from my side of things I don’t mind dressing up with my partner and putting on a nice suit and going to the birdcage,’’ Petracca said.

“If I’m dressing up at home it’ll be really good fun, too. The Lexus Melbourne Cup is the first thing that comes to mind, it’s the race that stops the nation.

“I’ve been to a couple of them, they’re super exciting and always a good atmosphere.

“If you ask me for tips on them I’m not great,” he laughs, “so I’ll be steering clear of the betting”.

Like Petracca, Wines has been relatively quiet since his Brownlow win, with a holiday to Hamilton Island on the immediate radar.

While he hasn’t yet hugged the family, they have been in close contact.

“My mum is organising family zoom calls so there’s a lot of evenings we’re on it,” Wines says.

“Mum could talk the legs off a chair, so it’s good to hear from them.

“By all reports Brownlow night was pretty crazy. There were a few fireworks going off, so it was pretty special for the town. I can’t wait to get home to be honest and show it to the kids and show what you can achieve from a little country town — show them that anything is possible.”

Wines said there was such an outpouring of support and messages that it was still hard to fathom.

“A fair few messages from senior AFL players that I don’t know personally. Scott Pendlebury reached out and congratulated me,’’ he said.

“I’m still a bit of a football tragic so when those guys reach out and congratulate you it does mean a lot. The general outpouring was pretty special. It’s not just my award, it takes many people to help win something like that.”

He added: “It was such a blur. I won it, you go through the media and the first thing you want to do is get around your teammates. A lot made the trip over just because I was a chance and they wanted to be there. It was probably my favourite ever night, I’ve never felt that emotion before and that love”.

Wines and Petracca will both return to training in December as the envy of many of their peers.

“It’s not something I’m comfortable with hearing — that I’m a Brownlow medallist — and it feels surreal,’’ Wines said.

“It’ll take weeks, months, years to really sink in. Someone said the other day, one day when you’ve got a son or a daughter you’ll be able to take them along and say I won one of those.”

Ollie Wines says being a Brownlow medallist is ‘surreal’. Picture: Michael Willson

Wines enjoys golf, with a handicap at 20, but outside of football, he says it’s racing that grabs his interest.

“I’ve always been connected with racing from a young age,’’ he said.

“My dad was always going, whether it was to a race meet or going to pick up the manure. It’s a big focal point of the town and the Echuca Cup gets everyone up and about.

“That’s evolved into our love of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. My family are VRC members and we always get a spot on the rails, and it’s a big day.”

Wines is part of an owners syndicate that includes current and former teammates Darcy Byrne Jones, Tom Rockliff, Tom Clurey and John Butcher.

“We call it a ‘free money syndicate’, and we’ve got six horses and another two I have by myself,’’ Wines said.

“We probably didn’t start our syndicate til about 2017. Slowly we bought a couple of yearlings and we progressed and built up a little bit and went Magic Millions sales.

“Darcy and I, we think we’ve got a good pedigree in picking a horse. It’s a lot of fun and creates a lot of conversation for us.”

One of Wines’ best horses is the Travis Doudle trained Sacred Armour, based at Morphettville.

The four-year-old gelding is a New Zealand horse which had its first Australian start on Friday in the Gawler Cup in South Australia.

“As a family we always attended Derby Day and it was tradition as you got to 18 you would get to come along,’’ Wines said.

“I’ve never been to a Melbourne Cup Day but I’d love to go one day. It’s the greatest race in the world.

“I’d also love to meet (jockey) Damien Oliver one day, he’s the greatest of all time.”