Christian Petracca

[Deez21 163]

The irony that Trac's little cry about the direction of the football side has meant now that one of our key trade targets to improve doesn't want to come.

I'm not sure players ever think about these things but this is the damage they have talking to the media about football matters.

Players have one job, and list management and choosing the coaches isn't it.

[roy11 3,654]

Could be worse, i remember in 2005 when then club captain of Manchester United went on a infamous rant on the club's TV channel following a loss.  

The club had the video "deleted" but he went on quite the rant

• Criticized the keeper
• Called a few players lazy and said they didn't know their roles
• called out a player for thinking he's a superstar cos he played a good 20 minutes against Tottenham
• Said young players think they've made it but they havent
• criticized older players for not leading standards

He didn't play for the club again but he was right with most of it aha.

Roy, had very high standards and if you weren't matching them you'd know about it. He walked out of the Rep. Ireland WC squad just before the 2002 WC over preparations (diet and conditioning), strategy and the manager's competence. Gave a 10-15 minute blast of the manager too if you are to believe what is said.

[JTR 2,840]

1 hour ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

If that’s the actual issue that really could have been sorted behind closed doors….

Also, if Trac was unhappy with the gameplan, which has been reported but I don’t know if I believe it, then he should have a think about last years finals. That game plan ultimately should’ve won us both games but the players couldn’t execute, himself included. I definitely want us to play with a bit more freedom, but the game plan wasn’t the issue, it was our execution and that’s on the players.

I think this would be the issue, if anything.

You could see in real time how frustrated he was with the way everything was unravelling during the first Fremantle game.

That was only one week before Kings Birthday.

[Rednblueriseing 787]

Why hasn't Trac come out with a statement? It's already taken to long, ether he wants to leave or not the longer the silence the more you allow the media o make up stories 

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,283]

Just now, JTR said:

I think this would be the issue, if anything.

You could see in real time how frustrated he was with the way everything was unravelling during the first Fremantle game.

That was only one week before Kings Birthday.

That's fine. But you're a leader of the club and being a leader means digging in and working on improving it, not airing grievances through the media (assuming it was him specifically).

This is all hearsay at the moment anyway, but he has been one of the main culprits for poor execution. He kicked a total of 28.34 last year!

[Kick_It_To_Pickett 3,291]

1 minute ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

That's fine. But you're a leader of the club and being a leader means digging in and working on improving it, not airing grievances through the media (assuming it was him specifically).

This is all hearsay at the moment anyway, but he has been one of the main culprits for poor execution. He kicked a total of 28.34 last year!

Finally someone mentions it! It’s all well and good to be frustrated, but we as supporters have been incredibly frustrated by Tracc’s inability to execute when kicking at goal. Has been his Achilles heal since day 1 and has only marginally improved. 

[mandeelorian 211]

I would be devastated if I heard that any player was happy with the way the club is tracking at the moment but I'm equally devastated to have that disappointment being played out in the media.

Leaders of the club including players, coaches and admin need to sort this out behind closed doors.

I would love Trac to come out and put this to bed. That he hasn't speaks volumes and perhaps he has played his last game for us. 5 year contract or not I can't see us holding him to that if he truly wants to leave.

Also can't see us being fairly compensated for it in any trade.

 

[John Crow Batty 8,763]

6 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Why hasn't Trac come out with a statement? It's already taken to long, ether he wants to leave or not the longer the silence the more you allow the media o make up stories 

Yeah, his silence is deafening. I am sure there are behind the scenes talks going on with Trac and the club and Trac and other clubs. Likely kind of fence straddling ATM. If other clubs are interested they will be looking deeply into his current injury issues before they show any serious interest. 

[JTR 2,840]

15 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

That's fine. But you're a leader of the club and being a leader means digging in and working on improving it, not airing grievances through the media (assuming it was him specifically).

This is all hearsay at the moment anyway, but he has been one of the main culprits for poor execution. He kicked a total of 28.34 last year!

I wasn't arguing that point.

I was trying to agree with you that any issue he may have with the game plan would probably be centered around the way it was being executed, rather than the game plan itself.

Finals last year, first half of Carlton game, West Coast the week after and then the complete capitulation vs Freo, the week before Collingwood.

Edited August 15 by JTR
spelling

[Grr-owl 1,168]

22 hours ago, Norm Smith's Curse said:

 

Yeah its very easy to preach all that from outside, but Trac is a generational talent of the like we have not had for decades prior. If you asked the average supporter who they would choose to stay at the club v Tracc I think there would be few or anyone we would choose over him. 

His frustrations could be about things that if we also knew we would be just as frustrated with - we just dont know other than the whispers that go around that may or may not be on the money. 

 

His frustrations are minor. Everyone's frustrations are. Who gets what they want in life? Doesn't everybody deal with frustrations? Shouldn't we all expect frustrations? What makes one persons frustrations news? Shouldn't we expect an elite athlete to be frustrated when they fail to achieve their goal despite working like a dog year after year? 

Nearly every single AFL player leaves the game without winning a premiership. There's a lot of frustrations out there in the footballing community.... as there are in every other walk in life. 

If he doesn't want to play at the Demons, he can go. If he wants to stay and build the club up again, great. If his frustrations have overcome him so deeply that he no longer wants to stay then he isn't the person many of use thought he was, and in that case good riddance.

As a club we need to buck up and deal with the problems. People need to come together in the face of adversity, not pull apart. All those who want to go should go...

I could keep typing this stuff out, but I sense my own frustrations flagging themselves to be more important than they really are, so I'm going to shoulder my burden and get on with the truly important stuff instead.

Edited August 15 by Grr-owl

[Grr-owl 1,168]

5 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

Yeah, his silence is deafening. I am sure there are behind the scenes talks going on with Trac and the club and Trac and other clubs. Likely kind of fence straddling ATM. If other clubs are interested they will be looking deeply into his current injury issues before they show any serious interest. 

I think it's more likely his silence is due to the fact that actually there's nothing going on. 

[whatwhat say what 22,069]

13 minutes ago, mandeelorian said:

I would be devastated if I heard that any player was happy with the way the club is tracking at the moment but I'm equally devastated to have that disappointment being played out in the media.

Leaders of the club including players, coaches and admin need to sort this out behind closed doors.

I would love Trac to come out and put this to bed. That he hasn't speaks volumes and perhaps he has played his last game for us. 5 year contract or not I can't see us holding him to that if he truly wants to leave.

Also can't see us being fairly compensated for it in any trade.

 

this

given how honest trac is, i think when he does finally 'break his silence' he'll make it clear what the circumstances were and what his intentions were

at this stage, i can only presume that, given the lack of comments from him and the statements from pert and gawn, that he has indeed queried his future with the club

he won't be the first, nor the last, superstar player to explore his options after his team's poor season

[Fork 'em 6,938]

 
All I know is this clubs ability to self implode is second to none.
I also know this clubs ability to regularly embarrass their supporters is also second to none.
For some reason we just don't seem able to handle any sort of success or pressure ... At all.
For whatever reason.

[John Crow Batty 8,763]

9 minutes ago, Grr-owl said:

I think it's more likely his silence is due to the fact that actually there's nothing going on. 

 

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,283]

2 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

this

given how honest trac is, i think when he does finally 'break his silence' he'll make it clear what the circumstances were and what his intentions were

at this stage, i can only presume that, given the lack of comments from him and the statements from pert and gawn, that he has indeed queried his future with the club

he won't be the first, nor the last, superstar player to explore his options after his team's poor season

That’s fine, but it’s not like we’ve been sitting in the bottom 4 for the last 4 seasons and he’s questioning how we are going to rise.

We’ve won a flag and then had two top 4 finishes. I’m all for the players being disappointed with the 2024 season as we all are, but I would hope a club leader would show resilience

[Gawndy the Great 9,008]

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Ageee 100%

As Jordan Lewis said, good clubs keeps this in house without the leaks etc.

From the article 

The 28-year-old has not been able to keep his sense of dissatisfaction with the club to himself, with teammates, opposition players and industry figures increasingly aware of his feelings as he recuperated from the life-altering injury suffered on King’s Birthday.

It's damning and incredibly disappointing to read that Petracca is airing and venting his frustrations about the footy club to opposition players and industry key figures.

I get he's an emotional person but this is very poor look.

No player is bigger than the club. It is that simple. I don't pretend to know the specifics, but the way he has handled this situation has all but removed him from the running as Melbourne's next captain. I think equally, he would have lost a lot of trust and respect internally from other players. It actually shows a lot of immaturity and selfishness. It should have been dealt with behind closed doors. There is no legitimate reason this stuff has to be leaked into the media. 

 

[Jaded No More 67,609]

1 minute ago, Gawndy the Great said:

No player is bigger than the club. It is that simple. I don't pretend to know the specifics, but the way he has handled this situation has all but removed him from the running as Melbourne's next captain. I think equally, he would have lost a lot of trust and respect internally from other players. It actually shows a lot of immaturity and selfishness. It should have been dealt with behind closed doors. There is no legitimate reason this stuff has to be leaked into the media. 

 

Trac is a very emotional guy. I think (hope) that in time he will regret how this has played out.

He is obviously being driven by the trauma that he's experienced and  it's obviously clouding his judgement. You also need to remember that his brother works for his management group. There are a lot of conflicted interests here.

If he really wanted out, he would come out and say he wants out (not let some rumours filter thru), and force the club's hand to do a trade. The club has come out and said he is categorically going nowhere, therefore there is nothing for him to say right now.

One would assume that Trac read or was privy to the media release before it was sent out. This is not news to the club, just because Morris reported it as 'news' doesn't make it so.

The timing of the leak could also show that Trac did not want any distractions while the club was still in finals contention, because he does actually care about the club.

[mandeelorian 211]

24 minutes ago, Grr-owl said:

I think it's more likely his silence is due to the fact that actually there's nothing going on. 

There’s no harm in coming forward and addressing the situation openly—saying something clear and reassuring. In fact, staying silent is likely doing more damage. We've already heard reports that one potential recruit has backed out, and it’s no wonder why. If the perception out there is that our star player believes the club is a mess, it’s going to be nearly impossible to attract quality players who see us as a toxic environment to avoid at all costs.

Right now, the lack of communication is only fueling the narrative that Trac is not just unhappy—which would be understandable—but that he's so disillusioned he wants out. If the perception is that our best player is looking for the exit, we are anything but a destination club. That’s a dangerous position to be in.

No one expects Trac to sugarcoat the situation or pretend to be content with everything that’s gone wrong this year, whether it’s related to culture, coaching, the game plan, or the medical staff. What supporters are really looking for is a commitment from him to stick with the club through his contract period. He can work on improving those issues behind the scenes, but making that commitment publicly is crucial. Remaining silent only leads everyone—especially the supporters, the media and any potential recruits—to assume he’s already halfway out the door, even if that’s not the case.

Edited August 15 by mandeelorian

[Superunknown 4,054]

This has at least enlivened the last few weeks of the year and the period leading into the draft!

Rumour!

*low voice* Intrigue!

Catastrophes!

*low voice* Mealy-Mouthed Machiavallian Media Malcontents Maliciously Manufacturing More Melbourne Misery

Draft Excitement!

* deep voice * More Melbourne Chaos

 

Edited August 15 by Superunknown

[Deestar9 1,548]

Cannot believe the angst and vitriol being posted on here over basically unsubstantiated rumours by “click bait” journalists. I for one haven’t been overly happy with Trac’s social media etc since the injury. He’s made many a comment on “ his interests” outside of footy but has never been overly complimentary about the MFC. Players of his ilk as in Cripps (no premierships) & Bont (1 premiership) who have literally carried their team (aka Gawnie) never criticise their club (in public). I absolutely get the severity of the injury and all that and obviously understand that there would be unhappy players etc etc .. but to be honest if a club came and offered 2 first round picks I’d be happy. He loves the limelight ..loves the big crowds & to be honest we’re not going to give him that. I wish the carry on here translated to supporters showing up and actually supporting their team  at the ground !! 

 

[mandeelorian 211]

2 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

 He loves the limelight ..loves the big crowds & to be honest we’re not going to give him that.

It could have been worse for him. He could have been drafted by St. Kilda.

[mandeelorian 211]

3 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

 I wish the carry on here translated to supporters showing up and actually supporting their team  at the ground !!

I would be willing to bet that most of the people on here are part of the paltry crowds we have seen in the past few weeks. I have the frost bite to prove my attendance.

[greenwaves 442]

24 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

I can only presume that, given the lack of comments from him and the statements from pert and gawn, that he has indeed queried his future with the club

Yes it looks like Tom Morris' story is correct.

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,283]

4 minutes ago, mandeelorian said:

I would be willing to bet that most of the people on here are part of the paltry crowds we have seen in the past few weeks. I have the frost bite to prove my attendance.

Yep. I was at both the GWS and Port games....

It's not the forum going people that are the issue, it is the general supporters who only turn up when it suits them.

[Gawndy the Great 9,008]

11 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

Cannot believe the angst and vitriol being posted on here over basically unsubstantiated rumours by “click bait” journalists. I for one haven’t been overly happy with Trac’s social media etc since the injury. He’s made many a comment on “ his interests” outside of footy but has never been overly complimentary about the MFC. Players of his ilk as in Cripps (no premierships) & Bont (1 premiership) who have literally carried their team (aka Gawnie) never criticise their club (in public). I absolutely get the severity of the injury and all that and obviously understand that there would be unhappy players etc etc .. but to be honest if a club came and offered 2 first round picks I’d be happy. He loves the limelight ..loves the big crowds & to be honest we’re not going to give him that. I wish the carry on here translated to supporters showing up and actually supporting their team  at the ground !! 

 

I think you have essentially answered your own question.

We cannot prove that Trac has done this, but all roads lead back to him. Nobody inc club, Gawnie, Trac himself have come out to deny this. Its poor form, and the when the media getover the pile on Melbourne, will start to realise what Trac has (allegedly) done reflects more poorly on him than the club itself.