By Peter Ryan
Someone with a good sense of humour at Melbourne added Queen’s classic I Want To Break Free to the playlist that blasted over Casey Fields as players warmed up at training on Tuesday morning.
The Freddie Mercury track could have been Melbourne’s alternative theme song in their darkest days late last season, when everyone, not least star midfielder Christian Petracca, seemed to want out.
Christian Petracca had a tumultuous 2024 but recommitted to the Demons for this season.Credit: Getty Images
Ahead of round six this year, with no wins from their five games, things looked like they had gone from bad to worse. Petracca, around whom so much of the Demons’ drama revolved in 2024, appeared close to tears after their loss to Geelong in round four. As the pressure on the Demons ramped up, the love and connection that was being trumpeted by the club was nowhere to be seen on the field.
But a win over Fremantle in round six took the heat off. And those within are now excited about what lies ahead; they view last year’s tumult as instigating conversations that were needed then, and will remain alive going forward.
In the win over Fremantle, the Norm Smith medallist looked on the verge of one of his trademark performances, which have earned him three Brownlow votes as best on ground in 26 of his 104 matches (or 25 per cent of the time) since 2020.
“He’s been really impressive, ‘Trac’. We’ve sort of asked for a little bit of different things from him at times in the first five weeks, playing a little bit more forward to help our forward line. He’s certainly working his way right back towards his best footy,” coach Simon Goodwin said.
“His game’s in a great spot and I think he’s only going to get better as the year goes on.”
Petracca was approached for an interview but was unavailable to speak to this masthead this week. His media appearances have been sparing so far in 2025; he spoke to reporters post-game after round one, before bunkering down to let his football do the talking.
A season from hell
At the end of last season, Alex Neal-Bullen left with the Demons’ blessing for family reasons, Clayton Oliver visited Geelong after he realised he was potential trade bait before the club shut down the prospect of him moving, and Kysaiah Pickett acknowledged homesickness had him considering his future at the Demons.
But the headline act in the whole episode, one that eventually led to long overdue off-field change, was star midfielder Petracca’s frustration.
After a season-ending injury on King’s Birthday last year morphed into public disappointment with the club’s administration and standards, he contemplated leaving.
Petracca shows his emotions after Melbourne’s loss to Geelong.Credit: Seven Sport
At the heart of the matter for Petracca was the way the club was being run, and how that was hindering the chance of achieving on-field success.
But his motivation became clouded in the public arena when stories emerged suggesting the concerns Petracca was expressing were less related to team performance, and more about the impact on his personal brand – a suggestion that made people close to Petracca angry.
As the situation became messy he had to explain to teammates in August the traumatic experience he and his family had as he recovered from the lacerated spleen, four broken ribs and punctured lungs caused by the knock he received in a marking contest in June. His teammates had questioned why he was in Queensland during the season as the team was slipping further out of finals contention.
Senior figures at other clubs would later tell this masthead they found his teammates’ response more mystifying than Petracca’s absence.
After many meetings with team leaders, including one with the evergreen skipper Max Gawn and straight-talking Jack Viney and other leaders at Gawn’s Hawthorn wine bar, the 29-year-old recommitted for this season as any avenues for a trade disappeared.
“I make no apologies for wanting to better our club and contribute to our success both on and off the field,” his statement read.
No one doubted there had been validity to Petracca’s concerns. New president Brad Green admitted at Melbourne’s AGM in December that “certain off-field issues could have been handled better”.
Petracca had already reasserted his commitment for 2025 with a speech to the players as they returned for pre-season in Bright and began to take the tentative steps to rebuild their trust in each other.
Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver were central figures in the club’s resurgence to being a premiership team. Credit: AFL Photos
In that speech, he told them what he thought the team could achieve in 2025 – and then he went to work.
A new approach
Embarking on a process of change isn’t easy, but the club has been thrilled with Petracca’s engagement. He ticked all the boxes he needed to during pre-season on his way back from injury.
Petracca married Bella Beischer in front of friends and teammates in December and changed management groups. His approach in 2025 is uncomplicated, with playing and training at the centre of his existence.
“Any time you have trauma from an injury perspective that Christian has had, it can take time. He’s had a pre-season. He’s had five games or six games to get himself going. His game’s in good shape, and it’s only going to get better. We’re actually really enjoying what he’s doing,” Goodwin said on Tuesday.
They aren’t just empty words from the club. Two sources, who preferred to remain anonymous so they could speak freely about the issue, verified that Petracca’s commitment is genuine.
They think the focus on Petracca has been unfair, and he copped unnecessary heat at a time when his only objective has been to help Melbourne become an environment where everyone can flourish.
His professionalism and ambition have never been questioned, although he has never been one to spend more time than needed at a football club. His on-the-go personality makes him as hard to pin down as a mosquito inside a tent.
The athlete, who is well known for his love of cooking, is still entertaining his 528,000 Instagram followers with his recipes.
A super player, Petracca is returning to his best Credit: Getty Images
But this season, according to a club source, Petracca has made a noticeable effort to stay engaged as the club delved into the emotional as much as the technical to bring about change.
The only issue was that change was taking longer than they hoped.
Goodwin had to defend that emotional reaction from Petracca after the loss to the Cats. But supporters liked his passion and former Giants captain Phil Davis said on radio the following week it would not have worried him one bit. That didn’t stop the moment being analysed ad infinitum.
Worse before it got better
Another disappointing loss to Essendon during Gather Round meant frustrations grew even further. Tom McDonald, who has experienced more highs and lows than most on Melbourne’s list, joked on Monday that he walked off the ground after that defeat wondering whether the Demons had taken the right track.
With the support of senior players a defiant, yet calm, Goodwin doubled down on the change, dropping forwards Bayley Fritsch and Jacob van Rooyen. He emphasised defensive aspects and he also pulled a lever that had been dormant since round one.
Petracca returned to the centre bounce, lifting his attendance rate in that part of the ground back above 80 per cent – and making sure the electrifying Pickett joined him.
“We have obviously been about change and about doing some things differently, and sometimes you just lose doing some of the things you really value,” Goodwin said post-game. “[We are] getting back to the things that are really important to us … and leading change.”
Having Pickett at centre bounces is expected to help both Petracca and Oliver because opposition midfielders can’t focus all their energy on the equally explosive Petracca.
As Petracca heads back to the MCG on Anzac Day eve to play in front of the biggest crowd since King’s Birthday, the attention is becoming more evenly spread across the team. The change he was central to has finally resulted in some positive signs on-field, albeit a month later than most hoped.
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