Christian Petracca

[daisycutter 29,259]

[jules7 777]

47 minutes ago, Big Gun said:

Regular reader but rarely post however I am finding my thoughts and emotions around the whole situation changing by the hour. What is wrong with me? It was good news over the weekend wasn’t it???

Having been a few days now since the ‘staying at MFC’ announcement, my initial happiness and joy has for some reason dissipated somewhat as my brain runs over the possible consequences and doubts are setting on how I will feel when I watch the Dees next year, and more specifically, Christian. Reading the comments posted so far, seems there are a few buckets that people will fall into:

1.  Will never look at him the same way again and will not cheer anything he does. Should have traded him this year.

2. Will never look at him the same way but will cheer him anyway while in red and blue.

3. Time will probably clear my head from negative thoughts towards him and will be back to loving him unconditionally when next season rolls around.

4. Love Christian and always will.

I think I am currently in bucket 2. Hoping to move to bucket 3 in time but will have to see how that pans out I guess.

I also have been thinking that I hope the club are putting in place a clear action plan about how this will be managed with the fans moving forward. Based on a couple of the clips shown last night on Footy Class and On The Couch, Eddie was quite clear that in his mind CP is a Dees player next year only and the big clubs have that time to get their ducks in a row to get him in 2026. There was also one that showed CP in a radio interview last year saying that Dees have small crowds and the demographic is quite old (with a look of disgust on his face). Media are going to be constantly over this whole thing again next year and while I am currently probably in denial that he will ever leave, a little voice inside says it is quite likely he will.
 

How are the club going to manage this next year? They need for fans to embrace Christian to make him feel loved but not sure many will forgive and forget. What strategies the club adopt to mitigate the anger some fans have towards him will be interesting to see. Can’t be seen to be pandering to him either. Will the club ask him to do an interview explaining events and reasons it all blew up the way it did but saying how much he loves the club and the fans. Could they go the other way and restrict his media commitments in case he might be a loose cannon and cause another media pile on. If so, this may fly in the face of ‘brand CP’5’.
Another year of continued speculation may tip some supporters over the edge. Time will not heal these wounds for many.

As Christian would put it, ‘to be honest’ I think we are in for a rocky ride folks and the club must have firm plans in place to minimise fallout from loyal supporters and not just rely on time healing our wounds.

Please post more!

[daisycutter 29,259]

[rufus 1,044]

The best case scenario is that Petracca buys back into the club and:

- doesn't hold himself out from playing when ready next year to preserve himself for a new club in 2026. This may also play to lower his perceived value on the trade market.

- provides the leadership we need, whether he's actually able to play or not, to try and drive the professionalism of the playing group to the standards we all want.

Worst case scenario is that we get pushed at the end of next year to accept lowball offers based on what plays out during the season. If other clubs want him 2026 it should be very clear that with 4 years still to run on the contract, you're going to need to come to us with something very appealing. The club should hold very firm on this.

[waynewussell 4,832]

Given the likelihood that Christian will move on in 2026, tied with the proposition that this move will generate favourable trade options for us, I am currently in the 'let's maximise his trade value bucket'!

Edited September 3 by waynewussell

[KozzyCan 289]

59 minutes ago, Adina88 said:

I have a foot in bucket 1 and a foot in bucket 2.  I'm more concerned with the internal playing group and how this will all play out for them - that's who the club must focus on.  I dare say there's a fair chunk of trust in CP that has to be rebuilt, and I hope to hell that the younger, 'lesser' players have the freedom and support to raise any concerns they have.  I loved 2021's mantra of 'Leave your ego at the door' - there can't be any 'hierarchies' in the team in terms of who's opinion matters most.  

The players will be fine. They are professionals and don't look at things with the same eyes that supporters do. Players explore their value on their market all the time, this one just got a bit out of control. Once pre-season starts it will be water under the bridge and if it leads to the meaningful change that a lot of the players seem to be expressing a desire for then they will probably be even happier for it.

[Deez21 155]

2 hours ago, 58er said:

Why worry now? It’s irrelevant move on and look positively for 2025. Nothing post !! 

Apparently humour isn't allowed on this board either 

[Deez21 155]

There was a stage where earlier I genuinely feared our board's ability to handle something this big and a soft trade was on the cards, but I heard the meeting on Saturday, Petracca believed the same thing heading in thinking he could call the shots to get out of the club and left the meeting knowing that in no uncertain terms will he be a demon in 2025 and there is not one circumstance would a trade eventuate. Immediately began the path to his redemption statement that evening.

Brand Petracca firmly the issue

[Flowergirl 421]

16 minutes ago, Deez21 said:

There was a stage where earlier I genuinely feared our board's ability to handle something this big and a soft trade was on the cards, but I heard the meeting on Saturday, Petracca believed the same thing heading in thinking he could call the shots to get out of the club and left the meeting knowing that in no uncertain terms will he be a demon in 2025 and there is not one circumstance would a trade eventuate. Immediately began the path to his redemption statement that evening.

Brand Petracca firmly the issue

I still don't understand how someone could be so pig- headed and naive. 

[58er 5,883]

2 minutes ago, Flowergirl said:

I still don't understand how someone could be so pig- headed and naive. 

Little bit of ego’s  perhaps 

[binman 41,906]

1 hour ago, KozzyCan said:

The players will be fine. They are professionals and don't look at things with the same eyes that supporters do. Players explore their value on their market all the time, this one just got a bit out of control. Once pre-season starts it will be water under the bridge and if it leads to the meaningful change that a lot of the players seem to be expressing a desire for then they will probably be even happier for it.

Spot on.

After the finals, trade period, draft, xmas break and a full preseason, by round one next year the players will barely remember all this silliness.

Ditto fans.

The young blokes will have forgotten about it already.

[Pennant St Dee 12,643]

3 hours ago, Rolling Stone said:

Here's the thing. They will never be back the way they were in 2021 and the first half of 2022. Time has moved on, the game's changed and other teams have caught up with stronger midfields and have superceded the way the game is played. There's no Angus around the place either, and no ANB. Charlie Spargo hasn't played for almost a whole season. People are banging on about a review of the club but I'll bet that Goody and his assistants are reviewing how they want the team to play and how the midfield can catch up to the rest. That's what we can hope for (along with some strong recruiting from JT and Lamb).

And yet 3 to 4 years ago it was said Paddy Cripps best days were behind him from carrying to much of a load, yet he is probably going better now than he ever as. Danger managed perfectly during 22 and Hodge of 2012 to 2015 was far better then the Hodge of 2009 to 2011

[Jjrogan 1,391]

3 hours ago, Big Gun said:

Regular reader but rarely post however I am finding my thoughts and emotions around the whole situation changing by the hour. What is wrong with me? It was good news over the weekend wasn’t it???

Having been a few days now since the ‘staying at MFC’ announcement, my initial happiness and joy has for some reason dissipated somewhat as my brain runs over the possible consequences and doubts are setting on how I will feel when I watch the Dees next year, and more specifically, Christian. Reading the comments posted so far, seems there are a few buckets that people will fall into:

1.  Will never look at him the same way again and will not cheer anything he does. Should have traded him this year.

2. Will never look at him the same way but will cheer him anyway while in red and blue.

3. Time will probably clear my head from negative thoughts towards him and will be back to loving him unconditionally when next season rolls around.

4. Love Christian and always will.

I think I am currently in bucket 2. Hoping to move to bucket 3 in time but will have to see how that pans out I guess.

I also have been thinking that I hope the club are putting in place a clear action plan about how this will be managed with the fans moving forward. Based on a couple of the clips shown last night on Footy Class and On The Couch, Eddie was quite clear that in his mind CP is a Dees player next year only and the big clubs have that time to get their ducks in a row to get him in 2026. There was also one that showed CP in a radio interview last year saying that Dees have small crowds and the demographic is quite old (with a look of disgust on his face). Media are going to be constantly over this whole thing again next year and while I am currently probably in denial that he will ever leave, a little voice inside says it is quite likely he will.
 

How are the club going to manage this next year? They need for fans to embrace Christian to make him feel loved but not sure many will forgive and forget. What strategies the club adopt to mitigate the anger some fans have towards him will be interesting to see. Can’t be seen to be pandering to him either. Will the club ask him to do an interview explaining events and reasons it all blew up the way it did but saying how much he loves the club and the fans. Could they go the other way and restrict his media commitments in case he might be a loose cannon and cause another media pile on. If so, this may fly in the face of ‘brand CP’5’.
Another year of continued speculation may tip some supporters over the edge. Time will not heal these wounds for many.

As Christian would put it, ‘to be honest’ I think we are in for a rocky ride folks and the club must have firm plans in place to minimise fallout from loyal supporters and not just rely on time healing our wounds.

Bucket 4. Dude literally put his life on the line for the club 3 months ago. 

But what have you done for me lately eh. 

[Dee-tonator 158]

The most wonderful aspect of this never-ending thread is how many people who have never met or spoken to Christian Petracca are confident that they know all his innermost thoughts and motivation during a period in which he has been traumatized by potentially life-threatening injuries.

As long as he is with the club and gives 100 per cent effort on the field (which he has always done) he will have my full support.

[kev martin 9,451]

I believe we will get the best from Tracc on the field in 2025. He has to keep his trade value high.

[ageing Dee 4]

13 minutes ago, Jjrogan said:

Bucket 4. Dude literally put his life on the line for the club 3 months ago. 

But what have you done for me lately eh. 

Wow - a bit of an overstatement.

I understand and agree with the empathy, but he no more put his life on the line than any other player in the team. In fact, no more so than any other footballer in any team at any level in the country. It's a contact sport and everyone playing it is at risk of serious injury. But "literally put his life on the line"?

If he was somehow aware before the game that he would suffer life-threatening injuries and still decided to play - then yes, he would have literally put his life on the line.

[Deez21 155]

1 hour ago, Flowergirl said:

I still don't understand how someone could be so pig- headed and naive. 

If I post the answer to that I might get banned

[adonski 10,774]

3 minutes ago, Deez21 said:

If I post the answer to that I might get banned

Soft

[Jjrogan 1,391]

23 minutes ago, ageing Dee said:

Wow - a bit of an overstatement.

I understand and agree with the empathy, but he no more put his life on the line than any other player in the team. In fact, no more so than any other footballer in any team at any level in the country. It's a contact sport and everyone playing it is at risk of serious injury. But "literally put his life on the line"?

If he was somehow aware before the game that he would suffer life-threatening injuries and still decided to play - then yes, he would have literally put his life on the line

 Well he did. He had car crash type injuries and he went back out there didn't he.    So yea he was definitely more at risk than others at that point. That's just a fact.   

Edited September 3 by Jjrogan

[CHF 2,696]

It is as I thought.

No definitive statement from either the player or the club until the talking is done and there is a resolution as such that looks to close the chapter. Keep in mind that the story has not been written or completed just the latest chapter.

For a number of years now I have accepted that the AFL is a professional sport where the players have a limited time to maximise their earnings and set themselves up for their post playing lives. Accepting that I have to accept all that goes with it Including the last few weeks of discussion and conjecture about Petracca's future.

It is the way it is.

I also have to say that I support the MFC team and not just individual players. As with all of us, I have favorite players but it is the team I support. 

I think that there were faults on both sides of the table and in hindsight both sides would have handled it a bit differently. However, I take the statements from the club and the player at face value for the time being until words and actions tell me differently. I expect that the club and the player will act with professionalism from now, through the pre-season and into next season. 

No matter what Petracca might think or feel he will need to be ultra professional to get back to playing the standard of football he knows he is capable of. Either to get the MFC back into contention or to showcase his ability to potential suitors.

I hope both sides take lessons from this and not 'learnings'.

P.S. I would not be surprised to see Petracca spending more time operating out of the midfield next season than he did this last season.

 

[CHF 2,696]

54 minutes ago, Jjrogan said:

Bucket 4. Dude literally put his life on the line for the club 3 months ago. 

But what have you done for me lately eh. 

The "Dude" being Moore putting Petracca's life on the line.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,414]

1 hour ago, Pennant St Dee said:

And yet 3 to 4 years ago it was said Paddy Cripps best days were behind him from carrying to much of a load, yet he is probably going better now than he ever as. Danger managed perfectly during 22 and Hodge of 2012 to 2015 was far better then the Hodge of 2009 to 2011

Carlton's midfield is a bit one speed like ours tbh. 

[Superunknown 4,046]

1 hour ago, Deez21 said:

If I post the answer to that I might get banned

Like a dodgy building company just phoenix with a new account !

[Fritta and Turner 4,166]

6 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Just back from the cafe near work and Jordan Lewis and Anthony Hudson were in there at a table. Tried to eves-drop in case they might have been discussing the goings on at the Dees but too much surrounding noise. 

Back in 1978 I saw KB, Hafey and Sheedy having a chat in the cafeteria in the Green Latrine.  Better late than never I suppose.

[Biffen 12,802]

23 hours ago, Bonkers said:

For the naysayers who mentioned it was all media noise, Jon Ralph reported on Fox that Petracca and his fiancé both personally approached other clubs to find a trade solution to get out of Melbourne in the last few weeks. They also exhaustively approached pro scouts etc to find a potential trade route. Don’t shoot the messenger.

If you're telling me young Bella is now a player manager I think i might have to.^^^^

"Christian and I are thinking of changing clubs Fly ,what do you reckon?"

"If you don't want him we'll go to the Bombers"

"What do you mean you cant afford 1.3 mill a year ,your club's huge VOssy"

"I quite like Geelong babe-it's not that bad"

"Hi ,it's Bella here Ross-talk to me!"

Gimme a spell.