My primary concern, even though we haven’t heard any outright denials from Petracca's camp, revolves around the possibility that our club might fail to address the significant issues Trac has with the team's current trajectory on the field. It's clear that the clubs he's rumored to be interested in—Melbourne-based, in the Premiership window, and capable of drawing big crowds to the MCG—simply don’t have the draft assets needed to facilitate a trade.

This raises a serious worry: could Trac become so disillusioned with the club’s direction and the way his injury has been managed that he considers stepping away from the game entirely? The thought of losing such a key player, not just to another club but to early retirement, is deeply unsettling. It’s crucial that the club takes his concerns seriously and ensures he feels valued and confident in the team's future. Otherwise, we might face a situation where one of our most important players decides that his best option is to walk away from the game altogether, which would be a huge blow not just to our on-field performance, but to the morale of the club and its supporters. Not to mention the impact from a mental health perspective all of this has on Trac himself.

Melbourne defender Jake Lever has denied reports that players were “[censored] off” or “angry” with teammate Christian Petracca after his time away from the club

so Tom Morris 💩in action 

25 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Carryst, no good having an alternate opinion on this site is there??

What's the goss PF !

If the MFC was in a Corporate environment like mine, they'd go on a BS retreat to redraft our vision and mission statement and have a brainstorming session on why communication is important

Dare a suggest.....a Camp?

2 hours ago, Bigfoot said:

It seems there was a significant miscommunication surrounding Trac's prolonged absence from the team, and pinpointing exactly where the fault lies is challenging. It's likely that there were breakdowns in communication across various parties involved. What is clear, however, is that Trac was given time away from the club to recover, which is entirely fair and understandable considering the circumstances. While the club was undoubtedly aware of the physical toll on Trac, they might not have fully grasped the mental challenges he was facing as a result of the incident.

One would assume that the players were informed of Trac's leave, but perhaps they were not aware of the duration or the depth of his mental struggles. It's reasonable to think that some of the players may have tried to stay in touch with Trac, likely reaching out via text. If Trac wasn’t responding, possibly because he was grappling with the mental aspects of his situation, it’s easy to see how concerns could have arisen among the players. When they aren't receiving responses to their messages but then see him active on social media, posting cooking videos on TikTok and Instagram, it might have raised questions like, "Where is Trac?"

This lack of communication seems to have been confirmed by reports from training sessions where Trac was overheard apologizing to people at the club for not replying to their texts. This suggests that either Trac was feeling overwhelmed and disconnected, or that there was a broader issue of the players not checking in on him, leading to feelings of isolation on Trac's part. Jake Lever’s comments about players asking, "Where is Trac?" indicate that either they hadn’t reached out to him or hadn’t received any responses, and perhaps the club had not adequately communicated with the team about Trac's situation or the length of his absence.

While confidentiality issues between Trac and the club (as mentioned by Jake Lever in the interview) may have complicated matters, surely there could have been a way for the club to update the playing group without breaching any confidential agreements. The situation involves numerous variables, and much of this is speculation, but the root cause seems to be a breakdown in communication on several levels.

Moving forward, it’s crucial that everyone involved gets together to address these issues and ensure that such miscommunications don’t occur again. The hope is that relationships can be repaired and that the club can improve in more than just communication, evolving into a more professional and supportive environment for all its players.

Sorry but you are looking for answers that satisfy your desire to have Trac stay with MFC. Whilst it is a remote possibility, the 'miscommunication' narrative is an absolute cop out and I'm not buying it for a minute. 

For anyone to think nobody from the playing group reached out to Trac in the days/weeks following is ridiculous. Multiple people would have tried to directly, indirectly (via whatsapp group etc), facetime, phone call, in-person tried to meet with Trac. It would have taken one-person to make that contact to establish how he was going and then have that shared throughout the group. The fact that the playing group were unaware of the seriousness of Trac's physical and mental state and the reasons for his trip to Noosa, speaks volumes of the relationship between Trac and the playing group and club. Anyone that cannot see that is kidding themselves. The reported apologies for not returning calls / texts etc also says that it was perhaps Trac that initiated the isolation from the playing group... question is why would he do that?

This being a simple 'miscommunication' problem does not sit well with me, especially given the unity of the club - with all the resigning's etc.

Still my opinion, but to me it is abundantly clear Trac wants to leave for reasons unknown to most of the public but appears to be a combination of improving personal brand, unhappy with standards & club success, wanting bigger club, unhappy with medical treatment. 

Everything that we are seeing is likely damage control by MFC and Trac. Whilst he is unlikely to go this year, I think chances for him to be on our list in 2026 are < 10%. 

3 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

After listening to that SEN interview I’ve made the decision to have Jake Lever handle all communication with my family moving forward.

Absolute class.

Well he is 55 years old 😂

Just so we’re clear. Tom Morris broke/created this story. So far his track record is:

Petty to Adelaide at years end. RESIGNED FOR FOUR YEARS. 

Oliver is disgruntled and may leave. ENTIRELY FALSE AND WAS NEVER HAPPENING

Jack Viney is going to North. ENTIRELY FALSE AND JUST READ HIS LETTER TO SEE IF YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT WAS HAPPENING. 
 

Meanwhile, the one actual story of ANB leaving, totally missed it, not a single leak! 

Morris has no credibility. Don’t believe what you read. Trac may be disgruntled. Seems true. Wants a trade, Nu, not only unlikely, partly because it definitely can’t happen but also because I don’t think Trac is like that. He’s clearly pressuring the club to have some things fixed, but he’ll be here for five years minimum. 
 

The media has been trying to get us all year. From culture that doesn’t seem any worse than any other club, to poor leaders, Max and Jack are the benchmark. To poor onfield culture, this weeks GC win showed just how far off it that was, we could’ve turned our toes up or gone for higher draft picks. To a list of players they report are leaving, clearly removed from the facts.

We’ve won 11 games in one of the toughest seasons ever with a super tough draw. And we’ve lost 4 by less than a kick, a few in controversial situations, this is hardly the Neeld years. Tough it out. Trac will stay.
 

3 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

You realise that you are one of the "everyone else"?

You're quick, speedy. That, and the fact that it's risky drawing conclusions about Trac, is precisely my point.

59 minutes ago, Gawndy the Great said:

Sorry but you are looking for answers that satisfy your desire to have Trac stay with MFC. Whilst it is a remote possibility, the 'miscommunication' narrative is an absolute cop out and I'm not buying it for a minute. 

For anyone to think nobody from the playing group reached out to Trac in the days/weeks following is ridiculous. Multiple people would have tried to directly, indirectly (via whatsapp group etc), facetime, phone call, in-person tried to meet with Trac. It would have taken one-person to make that contact to establish how he was going and then have that shared throughout the group. The fact that the playing group were unaware of the seriousness of Trac's physical and mental state and the reasons for his trip to Noosa, speaks volumes of the relationship between Trac and the playing group and club. Anyone that cannot see that is kidding themselves. The reported apologies for not returning calls / texts etc also says that it was perhaps Trac that initiated the isolation from the playing group... question is why would he do that?

This being a simple 'miscommunication' problem does not sit well with me, especially given the unity of the club - with all the resigning's etc.

Still my opinion, but to me it is abundantly clear Trac wants to leave for reasons unknown to most of the public but appears to be a combination of improving personal brand, unhappy with standards & club success, wanting bigger club, unhappy with medical treatment. 

Everything that we are seeing is likely damage control by MFC and Trac. Whilst he is unlikely to go this year, I think chances for him to be on our list in 2026 are < 10%. 

How could anything be abundantly clear to you with anything relating to this unless you come along with an opinion already formed based on one person who is bad at their jobs reporting and then use silence as confirmation of your opinion when in reality it is confirmation of nothing. You can’t possibly be sure of anything until you hear all sides. For all you know the club is just choosing to be careful with how and when they respond. This wouldn’t be the first time that was so. We’ve been through this when Brayshaw was considering his contract and with clarry more recently. Mostly it just ends up being people jumping at shadows and or silence and making the fatal error of listening to a journalist who is at the bottom of the pile of junk that is afl journalism. The argument that silence says everything is only ever confirmation bias. 

26 minutes ago, von said:

How could anything be abundantly clear to you with anything relating to this unless you come along with an opinion already formed based on one person who is bad at their jobs reporting and then use silence as confirmation of your opinion when in reality it is confirmation of nothing. You can’t possibly be sure of anything until you hear all sides. For all you know the club is just choosing to be careful with how and when they respond. This wouldn’t be the first time that was so. We’ve been through this when Brayshaw was considering his contract and with clarry more recently. Mostly it just ends up being people jumping at shadows and or silence and making the fatal error of listening to a journalist who is at the bottom of the pile of junk that is afl journalism. The argument that silence says everything is only ever confirmation bias. 

I cant be sure of anything and have made no guarantees of such. It is just my opinion that 'miscommunication' is being used to take control of the narrative surrounding Trac's reported desire to leave. I guess all will become clearer in the days, weeks, months, years ahead.

 

I can't believe that none of you seem aware that the biggest development is that the Sporting Globe is about to start serving the Petracca Palma for the finals which will incorporate actual Bolognese sauce on the parma. 

30 minutes ago, Gawndy the Great said:

I cant be sure of anything and have made no guarantees of such. It is just my opinion that 'miscommunication' is being used to take control of the narrative surrounding Trac's reported desire to leave. I guess all will become clearer in the days, weeks, months, years ahead.

 

Everyone’s opinion is based on nothing though and we are arguing as if our lives are on the line. My question is what is the point of being so passionate about something you’ve essentially made up. 

Not going anywhere - lets fill up the G.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1635404/rd-24-were-thanking-our-members?videoId=1635404&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1724223600001

4 minutes ago, Demon Time said:

Not going anywhere - lets fill up the G.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1635404/rd-24-were-thanking-our-members?videoId=1635404&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1724223600001

I don't feel thanked after watching that video, I feel dizzy

2 hours ago, deejammin&#x27; said:

Just so we’re clear. Tom Morris broke/created this story. So far his track record is:

Petty to Adelaide at years end. RESIGNED FOR FOUR YEARS. 

Oliver is disgruntled and may leave. ENTIRELY FALSE AND WAS NEVER HAPPENING

Jack Viney is going to North. ENTIRELY FALSE AND JUST READ HIS LETTER TO SEE IF YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT WAS HAPPENING. 
 

Meanwhile, the one actual story of ANB leaving, totally missed it, not a single leak! 

Morris has no credibility. Don’t believe what you read. Trac may be disgruntled. Seems true. Wants a trade, Nu, not only unlikely, partly because it definitely can’t happen but also because I don’t think Trac is like that. He’s clearly pressuring the club to have some things fixed, but he’ll be here for five years minimum. 
 

The media has been trying to get us all year. From culture that doesn’t seem any worse than any other club, to poor leaders, Max and Jack are the benchmark. To poor onfield culture, this weeks GC win showed just how far off it that was, we could’ve turned our toes up or gone for higher draft picks. To a list of players they report are leaving, clearly removed from the facts.

We’ve won 11 games in one of the toughest seasons ever with a super tough draw. And we’ve lost 4 by less than a kick, a few in controversial situations, this is hardly the Neeld years. Tough it out. Trac will stay.
 

Great Post

Morris and all the other creeps piling on are actually proving that our culture is great. Not many clubs could cope with this amount of scrutiny. The Saints would have sacked their coach by now.

The Pies and Bombers should be getting smashed in the media but fine go for the Demons. We will take it and come out stronger and more united next year

3 hours ago, pewpewpew said:

My primary concern, even though we haven’t heard any outright denials from Petracca's camp, revolves around the possibility that our club might fail to address the significant issues Trac has with the team's current trajectory on the field. It's clear that the clubs he's rumored to be interested in—Melbourne-based, in the Premiership window, and capable of drawing big crowds to the MCG—simply don’t have the draft assets needed to facilitate a trade.

This raises a serious worry: could Trac become so disillusioned with the club’s direction and the way his injury has been managed that he considers stepping away from the game entirely? The thought of losing such a key player, not just to another club but to early retirement, is deeply unsettling. It’s crucial that the club takes his concerns seriously and ensures he feels valued and confident in the team's future. Otherwise, we might face a situation where one of our most important players decides that his best option is to walk away from the game altogether, which would be a huge blow not just to our on-field performance, but to the morale of the club and its supporters. Not to mention the impact from a mental health perspective all of this has on Trac himself.

I am also of this view, Look. I reckon if IF he goes he will go to Carlton, just a gut feeling... players and draft picks might do the deal. Hoping he is still ours but just got this uneasy feeling!

 

SHEEEEIT WATCHING THIS REMINDS ME OF THIS

13 minutes ago, picket fence said:

I am also of this view, Look. I reckon if IF he goes he will go to Carlton, just a gut feeling... players and draft picks might do the deal. Hoping he is still ours but just got this uneasy feeling!

Where do they get the money? They’re at full capacity currently

2 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Where do they get the money? They’re at full capacity currently

Would have to trade one of McKay Curnow or Walsh as part of the deal to free cap space. 
I can’t see it happening 

Viney on Trac from 11:03

3 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Would have to trade one of McKay Curnow or Walsh as part of the deal to free cap space. 
I can’t see it happening 

We’ll take McKay and 2 first round picks, one in the top 7

3 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

We’ll take McKay and 2 first round picks, one in the top 7

Sure, but where does Carlton get 2 first round picks from, including one in the top 7?

Their future first is not worth a punt either. 

Plus they have to convince McKay to leave. He’s got like 6 years left on his deal too. 

22 minutes ago, picket fence said:

I am also of this view, Look. I reckon if IF he goes he will go to Carlton, just a gut feeling... players and draft picks might do the deal. Hoping he is still ours but just got this uneasy feeling!

I think everyone needs to step back a bit, not necessarily you PF just replying to you ha!

 

All of this narrative is driven by Tom Morris. Trac has undoubtedly been disappointed with how his season has gone, frustrated with missing finals, as should every single player. Our style of play has been deplorable for the past 2 seasons imo and hence why staff has been given the ar$e.

Trac on the limited media spotlight since his injury has said he loves the dees and looks forward to next season, even the small snippet in the video he looks much happier etc.

Speaking to the playerrs about what he has gone through and the impact its had on his mental health does not speak of a player wanting to leave the club at all. He will be in our leadership group again next year and is wanting us back to top 4. As pert and richo have said they are speaking with all the leaders not necessarily trac individually, about what they feel we need to be top 4 again. 

Parents would be obviously dissapointed with their son almost dying as well.

Relax, hes stuck with us for 5 years unless we get an absolute cracker of a trade, which wont happen, but if it does in 2-3 years then so be it, he will be on the wrong side of 30 and his best football past him, which will still be a win for us.

2 minutes ago, Tracca said:

I think everyone needs to step back a bit, not necessarily you PF just replying to you ha!

 

Not likely. This thread is the place where everyone congregates for the next two months.

There's always one!