Christian Petracca AFL trade saga takes fresh twist in wake of Melbourne Demons statement

Christian Petracca could be edging towards crunch talks with Melbourne Demons powerbrokers amid fresh reports he wants to leave the AFL club. Demons CEO Gary Pert wrote an open letter to the club's fans last week to assure them they have no plans to release Petracca from a lucrative long-term contract that still has another five years to run. It came in response to a report from Nine's Tom Morris that the premiership winner wants out of the club.

Morris reported Petracca had become disillusioned with the direction the Demons were going in and claimed he would seek a trade away from the club if he didn't have so long to run on his current deal. But a defiant Pert hit back by claiming Petracca remains a vital part of the club's future and that he would "remain in the red and blue until at least the end of his contract and hopefully beyond."

The Demons had seemingly put the trade speculation to bed but Morris has now doubled down on his initial report and told Nine’s Footy Furnace on Sunday night that the star midfielder still very much "wants to go". The AFL admitted it was unclear at this stage whether Petracca would formally submit a trade request with the Demons but indicated that it could be on the cards.

“We reported he would leave if he was out of contract. That still remains the case,” Morris said. “Clearly it is a hypothetical but the truth is he wants to go. That is the truth. What I don’t know is whether that will lead to a trade request. Because it takes a bit of courage to make a trade request when you’re not sure if you’re going to be able to get out.

“Because then you have to walk back into the club with your tail between your legs. That’s I think what Petracca and his team is weighing up at the moment. He won’t request a trade if he doesn’t think he can get to another club and it’s going to be seriously hard for that to happen.”

AFL legend Leigh Matthews questioned Morris over his initial report and whether his information was accurate, with the AFL reporter steadfast in his belief that Petracca would rather be playing for a rival club next season. “He would prefer to play for another club in 2025,” Morris said. But whether that can happen or not I don’t know. The other element here is that players were frustrated with him because he went to Noosa for a couple of weeks when he got injured instead of being around the club."

Petracca is recovering after suffering broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and a punctured lung after a brutal incident against Collingwood in June that ended his season. The devastated 28-year-old was then given permission from Melbourne to get away with his partner for a short break, but Morris said it wasn't communicated to teammates and caused friction between the playing group.

Players were reportedly 'frustrated with Christian Petracca'

“That is true, players were frustrated with Christian Petracca," Morris explained. "But they didn’t know the reasons why he left. They didn’t understand the full reasons why he went to Noosa, why he was posting on TikTok and when it was explained to the players they understood it.

“So part of Petracca’s issue with the club is the communication, because he was made to seem like he was being selfish in being away from the club. But in fact he was doing what the club had given him permission to do given the difficulties of the situation that he was in. It’s a very nuanced situation and one that we’ve got to watch pretty closely.”

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Petracca admitted in June that he was "frustrated" by his injury situation but insisted it was not directed at the club. That came after the midfield gun initially played on through the pain of injuries “likened to a car crash”, with no one - Petracca included - realising the extent of the problems at the time. The Demons ace addressed reports that his family weren't happy with the club over their handling of his injuries, with the 28-year-old dismissing that theory.

Petracca's family were understood to be unhappy with the club's handling of his injuries and the decision to allow him to play on in the immediate aftermath. But Petracca says he never held any ill-will towards the club's doctors or staff. “Had we known it was a grade five spleen and four fractured ribs, I don’t think anyone would have let me back on the field - and neither myself, to be honest," he said.

with agencies