Melbourne Demons’ worst nightmare comes true with Christian Petracca update

The Demons have announced sad news surrounding Christian Petracca in the last thing Melbourne fans wanted to hear

Christian Petracca has suffered a broken rib.

On the comeback from life-threatening internal injuries, the Norm Smith medallist suffered an injury during the club’s training session at Casey Fields in Melbourne on Friday.

The club released a statement saying the injury occurred as the star midfielder took contact to his body.

“During today’s training session, Christian received a knock to the rib area in a contest,” Demons performance manager Selwyn Griffith said.

“We sent Christian for scans this afternoon, which unfortunately showed a crack in his rib.

“This is frustrating news for Christian, who was progressing well and had recovered from the rib and spleen issues he sustained during the 2024 season.

“A timeline for his recovery will be determined in due course.”

The sad news is the last thing Demons fans want to hear with Petracca’s 2025 season already clouded.

Christian Petracca (centre) during sprint training in the heat. Picture: David Caird.

The 29-year-old returned to training in November, months after he was reported to have almost walked out on the club.

Petracca was weighing up his future due to the club’s handling of his King’s Birthday game injuries, as well as concerns about the club’s culture and future prospects.

In a farcical situation, Petracca returned to the field despite having suffered a lacerated spleen and a punctured lung in the round 14 clash against Collingwood. He required emergency surgery.

However, he eventually pledged his allegiance to the Demons. He is contracted with the football club through to the end of the 2029 AFL season.

Reporters noted during public training sessions in November that Petracca was moving fluidly and was participating in full contact sessions.

Christian Petracca was eventually taken from the field a second time. Pic: Michael Klein

Christian Petracca of the Demons leaves the field. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Petracca had also completed a light contact training program during an off-season holiday in Noosa.

He had been on schedule to be fit for the club’s pre-season games — but all bets are now off the table.

Petracca in September skipped the club’s best and fairest awards night in a move that raised eyebrows.

He was granted permission by club officials to travel to Austria for a Red Bull training camp.

Petracca said he was “just trying to prioritise my training and my injury” with the trip.

“It’ll be awesome probably from a mental point of view, getting back to that confidence in myself and my body, ready to attack day one of pre-season,” he said.

“For me, it’s just been the most amazing experience, being able to use their facilities and have access to some of the best high performance people in the world.”

Originally published as Melbourne Demons’ worst nightmare comes true with Christian Petracca update