Christian Petracca

[Whispering_Jack 29,111]

16 minutes ago, Wells 11 said:

I remember the off season when schwarz did his knee and soon after we lost charles and jakovich permenantly .  lyon hurt his back and Tingay cut his leg so badly on a glass door he was never the same. It felt utterly calamitous and the dream was over. This has got the same sour , bitter, sad feeling re Brayshaw, Oliver and Trac . I’m starting to brace myself. 

 

Blimey. Wasn’t it only 9 days ago that we beat Gold Coast on their own dung heap by 9 goals without Clarry, without Maysie, without Caleb and without Tracc and with Sparrow gone before half time?  I was there and I saw some solid young talent to work with - a rebuild already halfway in the making which could be augmented by some astute use of the compensation from CP5 if he goes and ANB. Where were the Bulldogs and the Hawks when we played them earlier this year? If we play our cards right, a lot of people around here will be eating their words.

[BillyBeane 249]

The one caveat on all of this is that it’s the finals bye two week period and the journos have nothing to do but whip up hysteria. They are doing at good job at whipping that’s for sure

[ChaserJ 4,638]

2 hours ago, Roost it far said:

We go to the draft with pick 5 and Carlton’s first pick and get Oliver back. We could crash and burn or we might just get the mix right. I’m downgrading my recent 2025 optimism though. 

I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't be so open to trading our future first...

[DeeSpencer 24,681]

55 minutes ago, Ted Lasso said:

Trading for Harry McKay would be a mistake, if we lose Trac on top of Gus, with the question marks over Clarry and Viney getting older we simply don't have the midfield to load up, we need any return to include high end draft picks and or good young players. 

A Carlton trade i'd prefer to be for TDK and 2 first round picks. I doubt they'd like that, but a package like that to me makes more sense for where we're at.

I’m inclined to agree on the McKay part, unless it’s part of a bigger trade that gets us back a very good ready made midfielder as well as tremendous confidence with Oliver.

[Jaded No More 67,598]

2 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

 

We've now got supporting turning on Trac purely because he's been disappointed in the way certain issues have been handled by our so called leadership above.

Regardless of whether Trac has legitimate complaints about the club, and I am sure he does by the way, are you really ok for him to trash the club publicly? Because his teammates sure aren’t. 

This goes against everything a good leader would do. You don’t turn your entire team against you in some deluded effort to force change. Because now the only change that’s being forced here is getting rid of Trac. 

[picket fence 16,631]

18 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

Take the two polar extremes.

At one end, you have a club who has completely mismanaged every aspect relating to this situation, whether it's how we dealt with Clarry last year, or Trac's KB injury, or whatever else is going wrong behind the scenes. We are falling apart and the most professional player on our list doesn't want to be a part of that any more.

At the other end, you have a player who has become disenfranchised from the club and is seemingly prioritising selfish desires over the club's and his teammates, all the while tearing the club down from the inside and making us even worse off than whatever we were before.

Neither of those situations will be entirely true.

But I'm sure the truth is a blend of both.

For the club to be in a situation now where our most important player, both on-field and off-field, no longer wants to be here is an indictment on the club. It does not matter what you think about Trac, it is an indictment on the club that we are even anywhere near this level. 

But there is a degree of Trac prioritising the wrong things that I think is becoming clearer. Part of that may well be the impact of his injury on his decision-making, but regardless, we now have a player who appears to no longer have the trust or connection with his own teammates, and I think that says something about how he has carried himself.

Whether or not this is fixable remains to be seen. If there isn't a deal out there that is extraordinarily substantial in value, it's going to have to be fixable, because Trac leaving pushes us down into levels of irrelevance that we literally cannot afford right now. 

Not fixable at all, time to fold for club and players sake! 

[titan_uranus 24,556]

2 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Isn't this exactly what some of us supporters have also been crying out for?

Some of us been asking for a change in leadership above for many months.

The clubs cultures under the Pert, Richardson and Roffey watch has been nothing short of being at a poor standard. The way they've handled they've handled certain issues over the past 12 months ths is still simmering (some can't be mentioned on here) and yet it now takes a star player who is damage control to finally call for an emergency board meeting.

We've now got supporting turning on Trac purely because he's been disappointed in the way certain issues have been handled by our so called leadership above.

You may be right about the need for change at the top, but if I were you I'd refrain from suggesting that some posters on here are in the wrong for "turning on Trac".

You were one of those just a few days ago.

Reality is, none of us on here know the true story, we're all reacting to what's been reported in the media, many of us consider Trac to be one of our all-time favourite players, and seeing this play out without any certainty and with rumours and suggestions and ideas flying around is necessarily going to lead to some posters becoming disenfranchised from Trac.

It's a sad, sad state of affairs.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,416]

If the game against Freo showed us twice its that we are too slow in the midfield anyway. 

[Dr. Gonzo 23,672]

2 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

If there is one thing I will NEVER pot the club over, and I don’t care how much it damaged our “culture” in the media, is the way we stood by and helped Clarry when he was at a low point. 
Some things are bigger than football, and players who cannot see that are frankly not good people. 

Did we though? Didn't we start leaking to the media about his personal issues once it became apparent other clubs were in his ear?

[Wells 11 5,264]

10 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Blimey. Wasn’t it only 9 days ago that we beat Gold Coast on their own dung heap by 9 goals without Clarry, without Maysie, without Caleb and without Tracc and with Sparrow gone before half time?  I was there and I saw some solid young talent to work with - a rebuild already halfway in the making which could be augmented by some astute use of the compensation from CP5 if he goes and ANB. Where were the Bulldogs and the Hawks when we played them earlier this year? If we play our cards right, a lot of people around here will be eating their words.

If I eat these words I promise you they’ll be the sweetest words I’ve ever eaten and there will be no happier person than me doing so. 
It does feel like an era has closed…in a terrible way… but  if we can genuinely open a new one i’d be stoked. 

[titan_uranus 24,556]

1 minute ago, DeeSpencer said:

I’m inclined to agree on the McKay part, unless it’s part of a bigger trade that gets us back a very good ready made midfielder as well as tremendous confidence with Oliver.

Even if we get 2023 Oliver, or even better, 2018-2022 Oliver, are we going to seriously compete without Trac and without another midfield addition?

If Trac leaves, that IMO only heightens our need to find the best midfielder available. 

[DubDee 24,294]

16 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

IMO, the three most telling pieces of information to come out of tonight's reporting are:

1. Sam Edmund saying he wants to play somewhere with "leadership from the top office". As clear an indication as we've had that there are issues between Trac and the board, and/or Pert, and/or Richardson.
2. Caro saying that there was a board meeting going on as Footy Classified went to air. It sounded like that was a snap meeting. If so, that's not the sign of a club who is wholly resolute in the whole "we're not trading him" piece (although that may remain the position following the meeting).
3. Lloyd saying that he's spoken with other players at the club who now think it's best that Trac leaves. That's almost the biggest piece of news to come out of it all. 

This is nice deflective PR from Trac's camp

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,416]

Just now, Wells 11 said:

If I eat these words I promise you they’ll be the sweetest words I’ve ever eaten and there will be no happier person than me doing so. 
It does feel like an era has closed…in a terrible way… but  if we can genuinely open a new one i’d be stoked. 

It does and I still say the club need to stop the PR spin and be brave. I cant see a midfield of 29 year olds winning another flag. Its possible but its not probable.

[Pennant St Dee 12,643]

4 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Sam Edmund on SEN confirmed McClure’s story is true.

Cornes is urging Melbourne not to trade him as we have all the power.

Cornes also said 2 minutes before that if it’s a choice between keeping Goodwin or Petracca, they’d have to chose Petracca, how does that show strength as a club

Cornes never thinks before he opens his mouth 

[Mel Bourne 4,387]

7 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

I think trac has been listening to his mate Ben simmons a bit to much

It’s funny, I was just thinking about Trac’s fondness for the NBA. I like the b-ball some, but one toxic quality of that league is how much disregard is shown for contracts, and how much the “I” is prevails in what’s supposed to be a team sport. 
 

There’s a lot of gross americanisation creeping into the game, but this is one of the more destructive elements of it. 

[Jaded No More 67,598]

Just now, Dr. Gonzo said:

Did we though? Didn't we start leaking to the media about his personal issues once it became apparent other clubs were in his ear?

No, we absolutely didn’t do that. 
We made it publicly known that we would trade him in an effort to get him realize the seriousness of the situation he has put himself in. It was done with his management’s support. Clarry never wanted to leave Melbourne and the club believed that if he thought it might happen, it would force him to make changes. And it worked. 
Clarry’s issues were well known to all clubs at that point. Hell most of them were public knowledge too thanks to gutter journalists who saw it fit to wait outside hospitals for him!

[Flowergirl 422]

58 minutes ago, Dee-tonator said:

Like other posters here, I have no inside information about conversations that have been going on within the club or the inner dynamics of Petracca's relationship with the administration or his teammates.

But some of the wild speculation about Trac has been simply absurd.

This is a guy who has given 100 per cent effort in every game he has ever played for Melbourne and was a key member of our drought-breaking premiership side.

Those who are criticising him can have no idea of the mental and physical toll that potentially life-threatening injuries can have on a person.

Alex Neal-Bullen is quitting the Demons for personal reasons and quite rightly there has not been a word of criticism about his decision.

Yet Trac is being hounded for preferring to keep personal matters confidential. If he decides he need a fresh start elsewhere (and I hope fervently that he does not), that can only happen on Melbourne's terms.

Surely it is time to let this play out without aiming personal barbs at a player who by now must have a pretty low opinion of both the media and some Melbourne supporters.

He, or someone close to him, is leaking to the press. It's messed up.

[Demon Disciple 11,607]

1 minute ago, Wells 11 said:

It does feel like an era has closed…in a terrible way… 

Thing is, we’re responsible for closing said era. All through being naive, ignorant and complacent.

[spirit of norm smith 15,056]

Seriously Trac. The answer is No.  You cannot play for Carlton or Collingwood  

It’s a contract.  You cannot just walk away when you don’t like the lukewarm showers or that you get to listen to a full 90 minute podcast on the way to Casey !!! 
 

If the Dees fold in this, then they are weak !! 

[dazzledavey36 52,690]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Sure but the club has also been saying for years, trust us we will have the new facilities bedded down soon, just can't say anything specific, have to dot the i's and cross the t's - maybe he took them at their word and now sees it ain't happening before he retires. Not saying this is THE reason but another straw added to the pile.

This was June 2021.

We are now August 2024 and we are no where near any different to where we were back in 21..

Embarrassing to say at least.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/960049/pert-excited-by-home-base-progress

Edited August 26 by dazzledavey36

[Dr. Gonzo 23,672]

1 hour ago, bing181 said:

Some disturbing revelations on this thread. If even half of it is true, with so many younger players at the club you would think that the FD would be looking to move Trac on in the same way they did golden boy Jack Watts.

Watts was a no hoper who went missing when the whips were cracking. Complete opposite to Petracca.

[Gator 17,212]

Understandably, many supporters are annoyed with the bloke.  It's almost as though the more the MFC is being blown up the better the chance he has to force a trade against what was overwhelming odds only a week, or so, ago.  He must really want out, because he's damaging his precious brand also.

Unlike some, I don't think things are irretrievable.  Ten years and copious memories don't quickly disappear, even during a time where parties have fallen out of love.

If I'm the club I'm holding firm unless there was an offer to good to be true, which is a remote possibility.

I get why some supporters are now certain he's gone, or even want him gone, but that's emotive.

A strong club will remain cool, calm and collected and make decisions that suit the club and its stakeholders.  And if that means he stays, which I suspect it will, he stays.  I hope we're what I've just described.

[titan_uranus 24,556]

15 minutes ago, Canplay said:

I believe Gary Pert came under a lot of pressure and scrutiny at the MFC board meeting tonight and didn’t present well.   Could he be the Boards sacrificial lamb in order to repair Trac bridge?   Personally I hope Pert, Rofey and Trac all pack their bags…

Source?

[Flowergirl 422]

21 minutes ago, Wells 11 said:

I remember the off season when schwarz did his knee and soon after we lost charles and jakovich permenantly .  lyon hurt his back and Tingay cut his leg so badly on a glass door he was never the same. It felt utterly calamitous and the dream was over. This has got the same sour , bitter, sad feeling re Brayshaw, Oliver and Trac . I’m starting to brace myself. 

 

5 years later we were in a grand final. 

[DubDee 24,294]

13 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

Traccs going to be under immense pressure to say something pretty soon , I’d say.

I'm not sure he is under pressure to speak. Currently the club is being smashed in the media and all the reasons he should leave are in the papers. This serves his narrative of needing to leave. 

Otherwise he would just look like a glory/fame hunting [censored]