Dee-tonator

Many of the posters in this thread appear to have little understanding of the effects of severe trauma, which can be lifelong. Suggested reading: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/trauma/effects-of-trauma/

No hyperbole in saying Trac almost lost his life. One solid tackle after he went back on could have been fatal. No hyperbole in saying he and his family experienced severe trauma. Anyone who has experience of extreme trauma would know that to say they have "recovered quickly" is nonsense. Note that I have not made any comment in support of Petracca's current position. Despite a multitude of rumours and innuendos, he has said nothing in public, so apart from journalistic speculation we don't know precisely what issues he has raised. We do know that Roffey has admitted he made some "good points", whatever they may be. In my view, both Petracca and the club will sustain serious ongoing damage unless this mess is sorted out soon. If Roffey can't handle a crisis decisively, she is the wrong person to be leading the board.

Because he nearly lost his life while giving his all for the Melbourne Football Club, and both he and his family have clearly been severely traumatized by the event. And because she represents the top leadership of the club. Petracca may be "just a player" but his contribution to our first premiership in nearly 60 years will be remembered long after Ms Roffey and her fellow board members have been forgotten.

If headlines and wild claims are "dross", it is the job of the president, the board and the CEO to demonstrate this by providing an effective counter-narrative. So far they have been unable or unwilling to do so. Of course the sensationalist media are not interested in balanced reporting. But given that we plunged 10 places on the ladder this season and have been in constant turmoil over issues affecting two of our biggest stars, Clayton Oliver and now Petracca, they may just have a point.

The current lead story on the Herald-Sun AFL web page refers to the "disintegrating Demons". Meanwhile we have posters here suggesting that Petracca is actually the cause of all the problems, and president Roffey needs not bother about contacting him or his family. Just leave it to the football department, we are told. Is that the same football department that permitted Trac to return to the field, stuffed up Oliver's year. brought in under-performers Schache, Fullarton, Billings and McAdam, and then watched us slide ingloriously down the ladder? Roffey and the board need to show some of Max Gawn's leadership qualities and sort this mess out properly. Her waffling interview told us absolutely nothing we didn't already know or suspect. Our secretive, self-protective board don't seem to care that, if this fiasco goes on much longer, membership numbers could well plummet in 2025.

And so the Petracca saga rumbles on, damaging the club's image and everyone involved in the process. Look a little deeper into the 2024 season and we find the following: * Oliver: out of form all year and clearly playing injured by season's end. * Smith: comment not permitted. * Trade-in flop of the season: Schache (closely followed by Fullarton and McAdam). * Performance levels: disastrously down. * Already gone: Neal-Bullen. * Departure rumours swirling: Pickett. But Ms Roffey and the board apparently think all is well at the MFC. What would a bad year look like then ?

Now that the club president has acknowledged that she has not been in touch with Petracca's family for "a while", perhaps we have a clearer picture. The impact of his injuries on family members, who know how close he was to death, must be causing additional trauma that is still being acutely felt as this saga rumbles on. If the club's leader shows no interest in personally supporting the family, all the media chatter about a "toxic culture" might just have some basis in fact. Kate Roffey could clear the air immediately, simply by revealing Petracca's principal concerns and any steps being taken by the board to address them. What is being hidden, and why?

The hospital medics took time to specify Petracca's various injuries, but that does not mean they failed to recognize from the outset that he was in serious distress. A mere poke in the ribs would have been enough to tell anyone that he was in severe pain. Anyone who thinks four broken ribs would not have been causing extreme discomfort must be in fairyland.

If a player gets even a mild concussion, it is now compulsory for him/her to be taken off the field and go into the protocols. Yet a player obviously in severe pain was allowed to return to the game. Rigorous physical testing in the dressing-room would surely have revealed that something serious was amiss. In such a case, the only sensible course is to send the injured player to hospital for further examination. The decision to clear Trac for a return to the field placed his life in danger. That, whatever plausible reasons and excuses are offered, is a fact.

Maybe Trac doesn't trust the club's medical staff. Who could blame him?

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.

When Petracca went back on to the field he was potentially within one solid blow to the body of being killed. Do all the people criticising him not understand just how traumatic that knowledge would be, even months later? Consider, too, the fact that his injuries were about as severe as those any player could ever expect to sustain in a single incident. In time he will decide on his best course of action, which we all hope will be to return to the field as a committed Demon. For now, it is media grubs like Tom Morris who should be condemned for putting their lust for a story ahead of a player's physical and mental welfare.

The AFL has now made it clear that in these borderline cases of bump + head injury the benefit of the doubt will go to the injured player. So the player who chooses to bump takes the risk of a ban as the outcome. Unfortunately Kozzie has built up a bit of a reputation for the occasional reckless act, and Goodwin doesn't seem to have found a way to rein him in. Kozzie was a bit unlucky inasmuch as Moore ducked down very late, but by then he had definitely chosen to bump. So once again he misses the start of a season through an unnecessary action, this time in a match in which nothing was at stake except pride.

Outclassed all night.

6 McDonald 3 Gawn 0 Everyone else

Two minutes to go and Billings finds the perfect way to sum up the season, running unchallenged into an open goal ---- and missing.

It's hardly the fault of the umpires when our two defensive pillars are missing, Collingwood players are left in acres of space, Fritsch couldn't tackle a one-legged opponent, Tholstrup and Woewodin look out of their depth, we have no cohesion in midfield, and Nibbler chose just the wrong game to have a shocker.

Defence shambolic so far. This could get ugly.

Giving a team finishing 10th, usually after losing more than half its games, even a theoretical chance to call itself the season's premiers is simply absurd.

Petracca must be aware that ongoing speculation and rumours about his commitment are damaging to the club and to his teammates. If he has been unable to get a satisfactory response to any concerns he has, it is now time to come out and let everyone know why he is unhappy. If the rumours are untrue, there is even more reason for him to say so publicly. As a person and as a player he has earned enormous respect and affection from Demons fans, and of course no one can suffer injuries as severe as his without significant trauma. (I do, however, remain mystified as to how an "accidental" knee in the back can connect with the force required to smash four ribs, rupture his spleen and puncture a lung). If there are serious problems at the club, as constantly claimed by the media, they need to be aired and sorted out. Surely Roffey, Pert and Goodwin ought to make this their joint top priority. Allowing this situation to drag on indefinitely is not an option. In the worst-case scenario that Petracca seeks a trade, it is difficult to see any realistic player exchanges that match his value. At a minimum, I would expect him to warrant two first-round draft picks, with one of these in the top five.

In business, which is what AFL football has become, a contract involves guaranteed rewards and obligations both ways. Players expect full payment for the term of the contract even if they lose form or get injured. In return, the club has the right to insist that a player gives of his best until the contract term ends. There is no doubt Nibbler has kept his end of the bargain by giving 100 percent effort and proving himself an outstanding clubman as well. But his request has put Melbourne in a very difficult bargaining position. If Port or (more likely) the Crows play hardball and offer minimal trade value (eg a third round pick), do we simply cave in and accept the loss of an important contracted player? Or do we also play hardball and tell ANB, despite his great service to the club, that he has to fulfil his contract unless and until we get an adequate return for his departure? Surely a second-round pick is the minimum return acceptable for Melbourne. If that can't be achieved, I don't see anything wrong in the club requiring Nibbler to meet his contract obligations. We will just have to hope a deal satisfactory to both sides will be arranged. Even in that case Melbourne will be the losers, because ANB is the kind of player and person that no club likes to lose.

Point 1: if Tom Morris said the sun was shining I would reach for an umbrella. Point 2: posters (or anyone else) speculating about unsubstantiated rumours are harming the club, not helping it. Vague talk about "the direction of the club" is meaningless without facts to back it up. Point 3: questions can legitimately be raised about the competence of the medical staff who gave the gravely injured Petracca clearance to return to the field. One shudders to think of the consequences if he had suffered another big hit. Point 4: Petracca has at all times shown himself, on and off the field, to be an absolute credit to our club. Point 5: Ditto for Jack Viney. Point 6: With a good break and a full pre-season behind him, and his off-field troubles sorted out, there is no reason to believe that Oliver can't regain form. Yes, mistakes were made this year, but we also had bad luck with injuries to key players. I still see the glass as half full, not half empty.

I don't blame Tholstrup at all. All our players made plenty of mistakes but he happened to be the unlucky one who missed a potentially match-winning chance. It would just be unfortunate if a series of fluke results means that one late missed shot costs us a finals spot (which is still unlikely, anyway).

Given all the other results in this round, how important could Tholstrup's missed goal chance turn out to be?

There is still a mathematical chance of sneaking into eighth spot. Yes, I know it's a slim chance. But I do not believe any of our players would "check out" while that lingering hope is there. And even if we lose to Port, I believe the players have enough pride in the guernsey to give of their best. Sometimes, let's face it, even our best is not good enough. With May, Windsor and Petracca missing and even the over-worked and much-battered Supermax struggling, that's when the team most needs the backing of every true fan. Go the Dees!