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It's pretty ridiculous to go crazy over a player getting injured in his time off while playing sports. Not long ago there was a photo on here circulating of a bunch of the young boys playing a bit of backyard cricket which everybody here though was fantastic, yet now some of those same people are acting as if Petracca wasn't within his rights to be shooting a basketball around while he was on holidays. Where do you draw the line? Cricket is fine, but basketball is not? Or perhaps basketball would have been okay if he hadn't injured his toe? And cricket would have been a careless activity if someone had broken their finger going for a catch? Everybody needs to calm down. He wasn't out getting a DUI, he didn't threaten anyone with a chopstick, and he didn't go and cause $10k worth of damage to cars. He was being a normal human being enjoying his time off. You can't expect him to sit around in bubble wrap from the time he leaves the club in December and returns in January. Posters complain about players coming back underdone, and then complain about players coming back injured from partaking in physical activities. He should be back running in a maximum of six weeks, which only takes him to mid-February. Still over a month to get his fitness up before round one. Calm down, our season isn't over yet.

I thinks that's Billy Smedts from Geelong.

As you say, Roosy's reaction is telling, as is Petracca's own admission (on Twitter) that he had 'made a mistake'. Those saying you can injure yourself getting out of bed in the morning are missing the point - he was evidently doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Roos made some interesting comments about Jack Viney the other day, that he was now the team's 'most coachable' and 'most trusted' player after becoming a better listener. Prior to that, Jack had been so single-minded and determined to improve, and improve quickly, that he wasn't getting the most out of the coaches. As far as flaws go, being too keen to get ahead is a pretty good one to have. Same goes for Christian. Yes it's frustrating, but I'd rather our boys injured themselves through youthful exuberance than, say, go drink-driving on the eve of the draft and then refuse to do a breath test. These guys are young, ultra-competitive and they think they're indestructible. Just as Jesse had to learn that he can't skate and surf in the morning and then train in the afternoon, and Viney had to learn that he doesn't always know best, Petracca will learn what he needs to do (and what he needs to avoid) to keep his body right. It's a shame for him, and for us, that he has to learn the hard way on this one.

I think the angst here is pretty justified, because he is coming off one of the most serious injuries a footballer can have, and should be protecting his body. Yes he just broke a toe, but what if all the change of directions caused him to do his knee again? What if his mate stepped on his foot and caused a navicular fracture? Of course players should be allowed to participate in activities they enjoy outside of footy, and of course you can injure yourself doing everyday things that cannot be avoided. However as a professional athlete who is coming off a serious injury, he has to learn to risk manage. I doubt he broke his toe just casually shooting hoops. He obviously had a fairly aggressive game with mates, or played without proper footwear. Both are unacceptable for someone who is trying to get back on the field after a whole year off. Would the reaction be the same if say Garland broke his toe playing basketball? Probably not. Would we be furious if Jones went surfing after his neck operation and hurt his neck again? Yes. What if Hogan injured his back playing cricket with mates? The place would go into meltdown. These are highly paid athletes and their bodies are their tools. Them not being fit impacts the whole team. It's just as disappointing as players who come back from their break unfit, or overweight, or having not followed their fitness programs. The net result is the same, can't train, can't meet your fitness goals, can't play. I don't blame Roos or the supporters for being [censored]. It's not good enough.

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning: 1st - Tom McDonald 2nd - Jack Grimes 3rd - Nathan Jones

How the hell do you expect to play "This little piggy went to market .."?

Melbourne youngsters impress coaching staff after strong time trial performances an hour ago LAUREN WOODHerald Sun Mitch White leads the Melbourne time trial. Picture: Wayne Ludbey MELBOURNE rookie Mitch White led the charge of the Demons’ young brigade in Wednesday’s 3km time-trial at Princes Park, with club officials rapt to see the next wave of players stepping up to the plate. White, 19, has played just one game for Melbourne, having lined up in the Demons’ final round win over Greater Western Sydney last season. He finished a respectable fourth in the time trial, won by Tom McDonald who was closely followed by Jack Grimes, with impressive performances coming from the likes of Oscar McDonald, Billy Stretch and Alex Neal-Bullen — all of whom have played 11 games or less for the club and either ran or were close to personal best times. Fitness boss Dave Misson said seeing the likes of White and his comrades put every foot forward this is one of the biggest positives coming out of the preseason thus far. Tom McDonald wins the Melbourne time trial ahead of Jack Grimes and Nathan Jones. Picture: Wayne Ludbey “Mitch has really taken on what we call a rookie mentality — he’s working really hard in the off-season and has come back and demanding a spot on the list,” Misson said. “That was the thing. The older guys still ran, but a lot of the young guys really stepped up and it’s good to see that they’re not happy sitting back and saying ‘well, I want to play in a couple of years’. “They want to play now, so that’s great. They haven’t rested on their laurels — they’ve really improved this pre-season.” Skipper Nathan Jones is back in full contact training after recovering from off-season neck surgery, and while Misson admitted that Christian Petracca’s latest setback — a broken toe that will see him sidelined for four weeks — is a frustrating one after 12 months on the sidelines after a knee reconstruction, the club is trying to keep its expectations in check to avoid disappointment. “We were trying really hard ourselves not to get too excited (about Christian returning),” he said. “We’ll have to cool our heels a little bit.” Jay Kennedy Harris finishes the time trial strong. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Billy Stretch gets a pat on the back from Paul Roos. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

I broke my little toe by stubbing it while walking through the kitchen... guess i should stay out of the kitchen now...

I can't think of a worse sport to engage in when recovering from an ACL - twisting, rapid acceleration/deceleration and jumping high, coming down hard on the knee. He was lucky to get away with a minor foot fracture. I think the Club has every right to be pizzed off.

Still remember all those Demonlanders who wanted to get rid of him about 6-7 years ago. Hilarious.

Four weeks minimum not running, then 2-4 weeks of upping loads on the foot and again on the knee. So that's end of February at the earliest, then he needs to be eased into games, so we won't have him in the seniors for the first few rounds. lets face it, on training alone he is better than a lot on our list, this means our team is weaker so that gives us less chance to win those early games. Can play him as a sub so can't ease him into AFL. Bloody stupid thing to do and I hope the club tears fucken shreds off him. All his effort getting the knee right for round one is gone, not to say, was he cleared by the club to be playing basketball at home? Is this in his rehab plan? I bloody doubt it.

maybe we should give the richmond doctor a ring?

Excruciatingly frustrating news. He'll learn his lesson will Trac. More than likely rules him out of most of the not-so-serious Nab Challenge (praccy matches). It's a big chunk of the pre-season to miss and hence, will effect his season output one way or another whether Dees supporters like it or not. He's the confident care free type of player who can't wait for footy. This should peg him back to reality. He has worked incredibly hard to this point to get back and his air-of-confidence of late has been most notable. Obviously a few posters have already commented which I haven't had time to read as yet, but this will undoubtedly be more than 4-6 to get back to where he was prior to Christmas training fully with the squad. Looks like he will be spending more time with the likes of Frost and Trengove. What's done is done unfortunately. Cue the posters highlighting the NS curse for amusement. If anything, this will underpin further a steely resolve for him to look after himself and not take anything for granted, or do anything outlandishly stupid. It will re-inforce the professionalism aspect, and the desire to take care in future. Every Melbourne supporter has a right to feel frustrated as it is all too familiar with key injuries to key players when the going seems good. The list is endless. Telling people to calm down will fall on deaf ears for many. To those frustrated - there will always be more injuries/stories like this, it's part and parcel of footy when you have a list of 40 or so players.

I find the reaction on here to Toegate to be incredible. So he injured his toe playing basketball?? Some on here want him banned from doing anything outside Football in case he might, just might, put himself in a situation where he might get an injury that prevents him from training or playing for the Demons. Where do you draw the line? Not allowed to get up a ladder to change a light bulb? Not allowed to go to the shops in case an old man with a stick belts you? not allowed to go out for dinner at a restaurant in case dustin Martin is there having a drink? Accidents happen. this is minor compared to some of the things that could happen and have happened. Ban him from training after all he did his knee doing that. Get some perspective people.

These sorts of injuries are inexcusable!? He was shooting a basketball in his backyard!! On his time off!! Holy moly

is there anything in the ASADA code which stops us from taking Weideman's hands and putting them on Chris Dawes' arms?

Too right mate. Later this year

More info on the time trail. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-youngsters-impress-coaching-staff-after-strong-time-trial-performances/news-story/b4f237069e7044c56fa90e7834a7a4ba

End goal should be to remove drugs from sport...

his fitness/running was never the issue, it's his horrid decision making and disposal that he needs to fix.

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning: 1st - Tom McDonald 2nd - Jack Grimes 3rd - Nathan Jones

Speaking of toes, BBO, I can't help but notice that you look quite a lot like a big toe with makeup and jewellery.

Jason Dunstall in the merger match.

This will be an interesting year for Petracca. We are all physically or physiogically different. Some stronger some weaker and our biomechanics of muscle and limbs, our balance, our weight to power ratios all vary enormously. Success in any sport depends on many attributes, but one of the most important is that under the duress of training and competition , the successful athlete can avoid injury. The continuity of training every day over not a season but multiple seasons is paramount. A friend of mine became a triple Olympian and a household name not because he had more ability than others but because he was able to train every day and compete over many years without injury. In AFL terms, Nathan Jones is a prime example. Gary Ablett is another. It is very difficult to make it if you are prone to injury. Sometimes injury catches up with players. Wayne Carey is an example. Starting a career with injury problems and an inability to train and play week in week out makes the job very difficult. Give me the guy with the resilient body over the gifted but injury prone athlete or footballer any day.

Without doubt the most disappointing part of this is not the fact that he's coming back from an injury but the lengths the club went to, flying him to America for consultation with specialists/rehab. Going above and beyond to ensure he has the best recovery and then this. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And yes I've made mistakes in my life but I'm not a highly paid sportsman surrounded by specialists.

A little crack in his picky toe. Everyone needs to calm down. Not ideal, but gee, stop acting like it's major.

Cheers

... Roos sounds suitably p*ssed off: “Christian’s rehab up until this point has been going really well, but when you’re an AFL player, you need to understand that everything you do impacts your ability to prepare and contribute to the team and this incident is clearly an interruption. ... It’s a harsh lesson for Christian, but one we are sure he is going to learn from as he develops as an AFL player.”

A great rap from Roos for Hunt: “Hunty’s really grown – literally. He now has an AFL body and he’s got elite speed, which we’re starting to see at training. He’s come out of his shell a bit with his personality. It’s been hard for him, when you’re not playing and you’ve been out injured for most of the time. Now, he’s back in training and really enjoying it and doing well, so he’s starting to have an impact, which is good.” – Paul Roos For a while there Hunt was struggling to make an impact even at Casey and some doubted he would get a new contract. We don't really have players with 'elite speed' and with 'an AFL body' but given Roos comments he will get his chances in 2016. He provides more competition for the on-baller spots...at 187cm he is one of the taller guys vying for those 10-12 roles. Looking forward to a really good year from him be it at Casey or the seniors. Just hope he stays injury free and has a really good run at it.

I watched the same game last week along with the final round GWS game to cheer me up after watching Victory have a frustrating 1-1 draw with Perth. I just loved how attacking we can be and how much of a beast Hogan is. Loved Harmes' game against GWS. Might watch the Geelong game next

Spreadsheet on Missons PC.

well i suppose the good news is 1. no talk of an operation 2. four weeks in a moon boot this implies a hairline fracture (of something, either a metatarsal or a phalange (toe bone)) but something more factual would be nice

Mitch White was my tip to surprise next year and play 10 to 15 games. There was something about his last game that just showed he did not look out of place at all.

Not if we want to trade him dc

You are correct - so I'll be more specific - the end goal for this saga should be to be a major deterrent to any other team that thinks they can get away with something like this and hammer JH, and others involved in the decision making, that led to this debacle.

I can live with that. End goal should always be Hird's removal from all sport.

He's been running and training the whole time, just no contact.

Jones gives 100% all the time, he leads by example, come on boys follow Jonesy or enjoy Casey.

I find the worst fungal infections occur between the big toes

The MFC website only mentions vaguely a toe. What is the source of the metatarsal being the bone? I've looked through all the posts and unless it was misspelt I cannot see any attribution, just assertions by one or two people which were then repeated by others. Source please?

I'd watch the knives a little more carefully

Demonland optimism: Great result by Nathan Jones. Demonland pessimism: What's wrong with Tommy Bugg?

He's already given himself one.

Yes your right SWYL........But until we start to play games, nothing can be done about it. I like seeing articles about our club rather than not. I know it all means jack but it's better than nothing.

Not sure what this first-hand evidence is doing in an otherwise speculative thread.

At games, I see Jack lead a hell of a lot and either not get the pass or have it kicked high and long rather than out in front. What I can't tell is whether this is because his teammates aren't looking for/seeing him or if he's not timing his leads properly. In a few games I've re-watched in the off-season I've heard commentators say a few times that he takes off just a few seconds too early so he's running through space a moment before they are ready to pass to him. If this is the case, then a minor adjustment to his play could reap massive rewards. I suspect that the reality is a mix of several factors. As above, he sometimes leads too early. He needs to fix that. Likewise, our mids have historically been terrible at hitting a leading target, most often going too high and either forcing them to stop and wait for the defender to crash into them or going right over them and straight into the defender's hands. I have often suspected that awareness of this lack in kicking skill has lead to a reluctance to take that kick and instead they hold up and look for a safer option or a good contest on the boundary. Hopefully the addition of more skilled young players will lead to more willingness to take the attacking option in the future.

Absolutely, on all accounts... Happy New Year.

ABC has recently started playing repeats of the Aussie comedy "Problems". Which reminded me how funny Samm Simmons was. He made it onto Conan Obrien's show last year and did some great segments on "Dirty Laundry". There's also a standup show he did on ABC that's available on youtube. He reminds me a little of Andy Kaufman, just because he can be so obscure sometimes.

Knightmare on Billy Stretch ~