Christian Petracca

[FreedFromDesire 553]

10 minutes ago, drysdale demon said:

That is Morris's version.

I'm not 100% sure what you mean there, apologies. The Herald Sun article is by Sam Landsberger.

[Young Blood 2,235]

2 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Why can't he just have the conversations with the club at the end of the year? Putting it out that he is willing to take a trade does not make the job of recruiting players easier. It is self defeating and petulant behaviour.

 

Aww Fat Tony. I wish the AFL landscape was that nice and considerate. Welcome to the modern world. I don't think Trac would care it doesn't really hurt his reputation. He's just driven to succeed and is stating if the club won't come to the table to improve the list/coaching then he would consider leaving. A superstar player exercising his power.

[binman 41,894]

2 hours ago, drdrake said:

The end of the day he has a contract so unless the dees agree to trade him he plays for us.

That's exactly right.

Many in the media are agin the sort of long term contract the club offered tracc. Much of that revolves around a club being stuck with player who is not performing relative to their wage - gaff being one recent example - creating problems for the club in terms of their salary cap (eg can't bring in a gun they want).

But one of the obvious advantages of long term contracts is in a scenario where a gun still playing great footy wants to leave.

As i have noted i'm not going to let the stupid footy media pull my strings, but lets say hypothetically Tracc was adamant he wanted to go. There is very little chance we don't force him to honour his contract (unless we are offered deal that is too good to refuse - in which case we win from any deal).

In days gone by the counter to that has been clubs won't keep players who want out. That may still be true of fringe best 22 players but less and less of club's best players.

The dees have form in this space just last year in not countenancing Petty being traded to the Crows. 

But a more relevant example of keeping an elite, multiple AA, absolute gun player to their contract is the Lions flat out refusing to trade Neale back to Freo. 

Like the lions, we have the whip hand with Tracc. 

This all feels like the bog standard play of a player manager flexing for their client via the media.

We're not there yet, but in American sports, particularly the NBA (with its small rosters and outsize impact of superstar players on teams' chances of success) the superstars often have an outsize influence (much to the chagrin of many) they can parlay into driving changes they think should happen. 

Tracc may well have strong views on what he thinks should change at the club. In fact i'd be very surprised if he didn't - he's a very smart bloke who is super driven and super competitive. He wants to win another flag. And as a genuine superstar he has influence. I have no issue with him wanting to use that influence, if that what's is happening - particularly if it helps address things we need to improve. 

But that doesn't mean fans need to buy into the chaos, there is problems at the dees narrative the media wants to drive for purely financial reason (ie clicks = advertising revenue).  

Again, rather than giving oxygen to innuendo, or using the media's classic unsubstantiated 'apparently' and/or 'sources tell me' ruse to bolster criticisms we might have of the club  ('see i told ya the players hate the game plan!') i'd rather focus on known facts.

One of which is multiple players have resigned - a clear vote of confidence in Goody, the club and it's direction.

Take Windsor. Pick seven and clear to everyone he is a gun. There was no need for him to extend now. He could have waited until next year or the year after  - and surely would have if he had any significant concerns about the club. 

A prototype player for the modern game - fast, smart, great runner, good tank and solid foot kills - after another AFL preseason and season under his belt he would have had multiple clubs clamoring after him next year, or the year after, including flag contenders. 

But unlike say Harley Reid, who apparently is 'happy at the Eagles, but is in no rush to sign a contract extension' , Windsor extended his contract in the first year of a three year contract, keeping him at the club at least 'till the end of the 2028 season. 

Caleb's vote of confidence in the club (and Petts, Kolt, Koz etc etc), which by the by came only three weeks ago, is not half whispered scuttlebutt - it is a cold hard, irrefutable fact. 

I'll take facts over fiction every single day of the week.

Edited August 13 by binman

[FreedFromDesire 553]

12 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Why can't he just have the conversations with the club at the end of the year? Putting it out that he is willing to take a trade does not make the job of recruiting players easier. It is self defeating and petulant behaviour.

Perhaps he's had conversations already and they haven't generated any tangible outcomes? I don't know that of course, I'm just trying to work it all out like everyone else. There's also the timing of it all, it's the time of year where assistant coaches are made aware of their status with clubs, and possibly a critical time in terms of trade discussions behind closed doors with player managers, could that be a part of it as well?

End of the year is a bit late to start conversations around change in my opinion.

I think the 'petulant' comment is a bit over the top. We have no idea exactly how the conversations have gone. Christian might have had them in a completely civil and calm way, so even though the reporting might be correct at it's crux, we do all know the amount of mayo that gets put on these stories.

Edited August 13 by FreedFromDesire

[Redjacket 745]

I would be livid if Trac WAS happy with the club at the moment because I'm apoplectic about the direction of the club at the moment.

2 straight sets finals exits and then a bottom six finish. 2 generational talents on the trade table. Viney's name being linked with another club. No backup ruck for Max and now he's being run into the ground. Our best forward talent being bashed from pillar to post every week as a backup ruck as a result of terrible list management. Our other 2 key forwards are backmen. Zero depth at Casey.

Our forward line has been mess for the last 3 seasons and our ruck coach is our forward line coach.

The club is in crisis. We don't hear from our President or CEO unless they have some vitrue signaling to trot out.

[Fat Tony 5,066]

7 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

Aww Fat Tony. I wish the AFL landscape was that nice and considerate. Welcome to the modern world. I don't think Trac would care it doesn't really hurt his reputation. He's just driven to succeed and is stating if the club won't come to the table to improve the list/coaching then he would consider leaving. A superstar player exercising his power.

But coming out publicly makes us look like a club with problems and makes it more difficult to improve the list. It is self defeating.

And he is has no real power to exercise. He took the security of a long-term deal.

[Lucifers Hero 38,841]

49 minutes ago, drysdale demon said:

You left out quite a few more apt adjectives.

I exercised considerable restraint to leave them out😁

Didn't want to trigger DL's censor 🤷‍♀️

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,283]

35 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

It's very obvious that Trac won't be leaving, mainly because there is no planet in which we willingly trade him when he has 5 years left to run on his contract.

Last year Petty wanted out, with 2 years remaining. We backed ourselves, and less than 12 months later he extends his contract.

To be fair to Morris (who should rot in a hole!), he also never said Trac will leave, only that he would be open to it if he was out of contract. Which is like saying, I would be open to getting $10mil if someone offered it to me.

PS- this is why you sign your stars to long term deals. If Trac only had 1 year left on his contract, or heaven forbid was OOC, this place would be on fire.

@Demonland can we please change the name of this thread to 'Trac wants out... if he was out of contract'

[Fat Tony 5,066]

12 minutes ago, FreedFromDesire said:

Perhaps he's had conversations already and they haven't generated any tangible outcomes? I don't know that of course, I'm just trying to work it all out like everyone else. There's also the timing of it all, it's the time of year where assistant coaches are made aware of their status with clubs, and possibly a critical time in terms of trade discussions behind closed doors with player managers, could that be a part of it as well?

End of the year is a bit late to start conversations around change in my opinion.

I think the 'petulant' comment is a bit over the top. We have no idea exactly how the conversations have gone. Christian might have had them in a completely civil and calm way, so even though the reporting might be correct at it's crux, we do all know the amount of mayo that gets put on these stories.

I highly doubt that this is about Petracca trying to replace assistant coaches. Even if this is the case, a quiet internal word would be a better way to do it.

If he wants us to improve our list, then coming out like this is self defeating and makes us less attractive to recruits.

If he thinks we need to trade Oliver, this is not the way to go about it.

If he thinks we should remove Goodwin, he must understand the implications to our 'soft cap' mean that it is not possible.

If he thinks the doctor needs replacing, he is being unfair IMO. The spleen injury could not be diagnosed on the spot and the pressure to keep playing was from his teammates and coaches, not the doctor.

The decision to come out to the media was selfish, putting his frustrations ahead of the interests of the club.

[roy11 3,641]

9 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

@Demonland can we please change the name of this thread to 'Trac wants out... if he was out of contract'

What about TRAC bound by conTRAC

[FreedFromDesire 553]

3 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

I highly doubt that this is about Petracca trying to replace assistant coaches. Even if this is the case, a quiet internal word would be a better way to do it.

If he wants us to improve our list, then coming out like this is self defeating and makes us less attractive to recruits.

If he thinks we need to trade Oliver, this is not the way to go about it.

If he thinks we should remove Goodwin, he must understand the implications to our 'soft cap' mean that it is not possible.

If he thinks the doctor needs replacing, he is being unfair IMO. The spleen injury could not be diagnosed on the spot and the pressure to keep playing was from his teammates and coaches, not the doctor.

The decision to come out to the media was selfish, putting his frustrations ahead of the interests of the club.

From what I can tell, Christian hasn't come out to the media at all, so I think calling him 'petulant' and 'selfish' is pretty unfair as it currently stands.

[Heart Beats True 1,056]

Christian Petracca warning emerges after AFL trade claim: ‘He would lie to you

Another fluff article with Tim Watson highlighting again what a complete muppet he is. 

[Fat Tony 5,066]

Just now, FreedFromDesire said:

From what I can tell, Christian hasn't come out to the media at all, so I think calling him 'petulant' and 'selfish' is pretty unfair as it currently stands.

I think he needs to refute the story pretty quickly or we can fairly assume it has come via his manager.

[The Taciturn Demon 337]

6 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

the pressure to keep playing was from his teammates and coaches, not the doctor.

I've now come across this numerous times. Is that true?

I understand football is a brutal sport and the airbrushed veneer we see is vastly different to reality "inside the club", but demanding a badly injured player return to the field is nothing less than appalling in my eyes. 

[Fork 'em 6,938]

1 hour ago, Fat Tony said:

The reason we are low scoring and play a defensive style is that our best players are poor kicks. Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Gawn, ANB and Langdon are our main kickers inside 50 and none of them are skilled enough to regularly hit targets.

If Longmire or Scott were coaching they would ultimately have us playing the same way, because Goodwin's game plan is the best way for us to win.

If Longmire and Scott were coaching us they would trade/draft in players who could actually kick.
How many years has Goodwin been in charge again?

Edited August 13 by Fork 'em

[Jaded No More 67,469]

What evidence is there to suggest that Trac or his management went to the media, Tom Morris of all people, and had a vent?

A few people here have said for weeks now that Trac and his family are not super happy. Maybe his cousin or his brother or his nonna said something to someone who said something to Tom Morris who was like "amazing news, I love to burn my football club".

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Trac is behind any type of leak. 

[Mel Bourne 4,374]

To the folks who are suggesting we trade Clayton…

I saw this post today on the MFC Reddit page, which I’ll paste below. Could be codswallop, could be true..,

 

“When I get my coffee on a sunday morning | often run into a certain Melbourne player who will remain nameless out of courtesy. Our chats are super brief but this morning was quite interesting. I've been noticing that in almost every game Clayton Oliver has been getting in scraps and it happened again last night. I said to this Melbourne player this morning "what's going on with Clayton, seems like players keep targeting it to get him to react". They respond to the effect of "yeah everyone seems to have an issue with Clayton and just abuse the s**t out of him". "About the d***s stuff?" I said. They replied with "everything, d***s, his family, his mental health. The worst abuse imaginable, it's ridiculous".

Let’s just assume for a second this is true (it doesn’t strike me as obvious malarkey). It tells you a couple of things. The first is that Clayton’s perceived “poor attitude” may not be down to an unwillingness to work hard for the club, but feeling mentally exhausted from dealing with what is described the above. The other thing it suggests - and you have to read a bit deeper into this one - is that his teammates feel an urge to defend him even when it’s just speaking to supporters in public. Something they are not at all obliged to do. If there was any ill-feeling between the players and Clarry right now, such an exchange would never take place. 

And sure, maybe it just didn’t. 

But it does tie in with how I’ve always viewed his year - as one that would test his absolute limits, not so much as a player, but as an individual. He’s had to overcome more than most - injury, a relationship breakdown, possible substance issues, depression, lack of fitness, more injuries and possibly on top of this, steady waves of scorn and ridicule from his peers. 

In light of all this, I think his progress as both a player and an individual has been highly admirable. And from what I can glean, his efforts to turn things around have not gone unnoticed by his teammates. Suggestions of trading him at this juncture not only display a lack of empathy and understanding, but are foolish in terms of our future success. For I cannot shake the feeling that he is going to come back next year with a point to prove, and very much the means to prove it. 
 

(Sorry about the big font. I do enjoy and appreciate DL, but dealing with it on an iPhone can be like time travelling to the early 2000s)

Edited August 13 by Mel Bourne

[Fat Tony 5,066]

1 minute ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

I've now come across this numerous times. Is that true?

I understand football is a brutal sport and the airbrushed veneer we see is vastly different to reality "inside the club", but demanding a badly injured player return to the field is nothing less than appalling in my eyes. 

The players would not know Petracca was that badly injured. The doctor did not know how bad it was.

Football is a ruthless game. No AFL games are won easily and there would be players with injuries who continue playing every game.

[Fat Tony 5,066]

4 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

What evidence is there to suggest that Trac or his management went to the media, Tom Morris of all people, and had a vent?

A few people here have said for weeks now that Trac and his family are not super happy. Maybe his cousin or his brother or his nonna said something to someone who said something to Tom Morris who was like "amazing news, I love to burn my football club".

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Trac is behind any type of leak. 

If it has not come from Petracca's management, then he should put it to bed via a statement. Otherwise, it is a fair assumption.

[FreedFromDesire 553]

According to Jay Clark there's a full statement coming out from the club shortly. That's good news even if it just shows how quickly they're willing to respond.

[Demonland 70,152]

 

[The Taciturn Demon 337]

1 minute ago, Fat Tony said:

Football is a ruthless game.

It's incredibly tough. Every time I sit at ground level, watching Max alone exhausts me. It's a relentless barrage of physical pressure. The resilience of all footballers at the highest level is remarkable. 

But Petracca was in extraordinary pain. They might not have known the extent of the injury, but they could surely see this wasn't the time to take the "suck it up" line. Demanding he return to the field strikes me as both unprofessional and futile. Even if it turned out it was badly bruised ribs, is he going to tear it up?

And on the subject of "suck it up", is there a history of Petracca taking the easy option that would make these insistences necessary? I've never seen even a hint of it. 

Sorry, I'm not having a go at you or suggesting you're making it up. I'm also not saying football clubs should be like kindergartens, where everyone's feelings are scrupulously taken into account. But this strikes me as really poor. If there's truth to Petracca's disgruntlement, I can easily see this being at least part of the cause.  

[Jaded No More 67,469]

2 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Thank god because I was worried we were looking to trade him for Peter Wright 🙄

[Demonland 70,152]

 

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,282]

Tracs disillusionment with the club was on show before his injury.

Our season was already shaky but our era ended against Freo in Alice. 

It wasn't just the lack of effort that stood out to me that day, it was the arguments and finger pointing amongst players. Trac was extremely vocal and yelling at the bench several times, something I've not seen from him before.

Who could blame him, he appeared to be one of the only few players that GAF that day.