Melbourne coach Paul Roos confident Christian Petracca will make an immediate impact on his club debut
GET excited, Melbourne fans. Christian Petracca can make a big impact from his first AFL game, according to his TAC Cup coach.
Melbourne
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WHEN you’re taken at pick No. 2 in the national draft you don’t expect to have to wait 520 days to make your AFL debut.
But Christian Petracca, who missed all of 2015 after rupturing his ACL, may be a better player because of it, according to his TAC Cup coach Darren Bewick.
“He wanted everything yesterday, but sometimes going through that early might allow him to appreciate it more and understand what he has in front of him and the opportunities that may be presented to him,” he said.
“He’ll take to the big stage like a duck to water.
“He lives for the moment and I think the bigger the moment, the better he is.
“It’s not in a big-headed type of way, but he’s just got a real self-belief in what he knows he can do.”
Melbourne coach Paul Roos also expects Petracca to seize the moment.
“I’m sure he’ll be nervous when he’s driving to the ground and when he’s warming up, but he’s a pretty excitable kid and not too much fazes him,” he said.
“He’ll take it in his stride and hopefully he has a good first up game.
“I think we’re all looking forward to seeing him play.
“I’m expecting him to have an impact on the game. He’ll play mainly forward and a little bit through the midfield.
“There’s a little bit of an unknown and that’s part of the excitement of having a new player in the team.”
Angus Brayshaw made way for Petracca, with Roos saying he will now spend a few weeks in the VFL to get some continuity.
Roos is a “firm believer” in using the VFL to school young players.
“It is a bit of a changing philosophy because if we’re playing well we’re able to educate our young players in the seconds,” he said.
“And if they play well, which Christian has, you find a way to get them in the team.”
The Demons are seeking their third successive win for the first time since 2010, and Roos said the buoyancy among the team was evident.
“They’re more confident in each other, more confident in the coaching staff,” he said.
“More confident in where the club’s heading and I think that’s what we saw (while beating Richmond) on the weekend.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not going to have some hiccups but it just means they can see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Originally published as Melbourne coach Paul Roos confident Christian Petracca will make an immediate impact on his club debut
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