Melbourne star Christian Petracca commits his future to the Demons in club statement
Melbourne fans can breathe easier tonight after Christian Petracca allayed fears he would leave the club. GLENN McFARLANE has the details.
Wounded superstar Christian Petracca will remain with the Melbourne Football Club next season - and won’t seek a trade in October - after he reaffirmed his commitment to the club late on Saturday.
After several weeks of uncertainty and speculation that a frustrated Petracca wanted out of Melbourne, the 28-year-old midfielder confirmed in a club statement that he would stay with the Demons in 2025, despite recent challenging discussions with senior officials.
He made no apologies for airing his grievances, but stressed they came from a desire to make the Melbourne Football Club a better place to chase future success.
“Over the last few weeks, there’s been a lot of speculation regarding my role at the Melbourne Football Club,” Petracca said.
“This has occurred as part of the end-of-year review process, in which I voiced my concerns as a leader, wanting better for our club, playing group, and fans.
“During this time, I have been in open communication with the player leadership group and club leaders to ensure we can work together to improve as a club.
“I make no apologies for wanting to better our club and contribute to our success both on and off the field.
“I love my footy - it remains my number one priority and always has been. As for my future at the Melbourne Football Club, I remain committed to playing for the red and the blue.”
Petracca is contracted to the Demons for another five seasons - until the end of the 2029 season - but he left the club in little doubt about his frustrations.
He has endured a challenging few months since rupturing his spleen and breaking four ribs in a traumatic Queen’s Birthday clash with Collingwood, which ended his season and left him in a critical condition in an intensive care unit.
Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert said the club was delighted that Petracca wanted to remain with the club, stressing the Demons will move forward as an “aligned” unit.
“As we’ve stated all along, Christian is a much-loved member of the Melbourne Football Club and we value him immensely, not only as a player, but as a person and a leader,” Pert said.
“Over the past month, we have been open about the fact that Christian has shared some thoughts on how we can improve and better ourselves as a footy club.
“These conversations have made us a better organisation and we’re grateful that Christian, like all our leaders, are willing to have the tough conversations to drive success.
“We move forward from here, aligned, and steadfast in our commitment to achieving the success we know our AFL program is capable of.
“Most importantly, I know a lot of young Demons proudly wearing the number 5 on their back will be eagerly counting down the days until we see Christian back out on the footy field playing the game he loves.”
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