Melbourne in no hurry to hand Christian Petracca his AFL debut in 2016

MELBOURNE isn’t putting any pressure on Christian Petracca to make his long-awaited debut in 2016, according to fellow young gun Jack Viney.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 11: Christian Petracca runs with the ball during a Melbourne Demons AFL pre-season training session at AAMI Park on December 11, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE isn’t putting any pressure on Christian Petracca to make his long-awaited debut in 2016, according to fellow young gun Jack Viney.

Petracca was drafted to the Demons with pick two in the 2014 draft, but was sidelined for all of last season following a knee reconstruction.

He might be training the house down, but Viney said there are no expectations being heaped on the 19-year-old.

“Next year he just needs to get some consistency in his football ... get back to finding himself again, finding the kind of player he was before he hurt himself,” he said.

“Whether that is (playing in the) VFL or AFL, I’m not really fussed, I’m more interested in him developing as a player.”

Assistant coach Simon Goodwin is preparing to make his transition into the senior chair, with Viney saying his style is being well-received by the players.

“I see Simon as a really well balanced person and coach. He’s really open-minded and open to different things and doesn’t let his ego get in the way of coaching,” he said.

“He is a very good teacher who makes things very clear and easy to understand.”

Melbourne held its annual general meeting on Thursday night, with current captain Nathan Jones and former players Jared Rivers and Colin Sylvia all awarded life membership.

Demons chief executive Peter Jackson said the club knows where it is at and is pleased with how things are progressing football-wise.

Hitting the target of seven wins for the season was part of that, he said, but there is a long way to go.

“I am very confident about the path we are on in football,” he said.

“It is designed not for immediate success, but it is designed for sustained success and I know that is going to be achieved.”

Originally published as Melbourne in no hurry to hand Christian Petracca his AFL debut in 2016