Melbourne Demons star Christian Petracca is uncertain about his return to AFL following a severe injury sustained during the team’s loss to Collingwood on King’s Birthday. The midfielder suffered a season-ending lacerated spleen, along with four broken ribs and a punctured lung after a harsh knee to the ribs from Darcy Moore.
Now recovering at home, the 28-year-old spoke for the first time about the traumatic experience, expressing doubts about his future in the AFL. “It’s been pretty traumatic. It’s been pretty full on, I don’t wish this upon my worst enemy,” Petracca shared with Nova 100 radio. “I’m not allowed to run for seven weeks, and I can’t engage in contact sports for 12 weeks.”
Petracca, who should have many AFL years ahead at his age, admitted to serious uncertainties about returning to the game. “I tried watching some footy over the weekend, but I had to turn it off,” he added. “Even a simple tackle brings back the situation I was in. Right now, it’s all quite raw.”
Following the blow, Petracca initially left the field but remarkably returned despite severe discomfort. He eventually succumbed to his injuries at halftime and was taken to the hospital, where the extent of the damage became clear.
While the Demons faced criticism for allowing Petracca to return to play for an additional 21 minutes before hospitalization, he emphasized that the decision was entirely his own and expressed confidence in the medical team’s response. “I take full responsibility for putting myself back out there,” Petracca noted in an Instagram post.
Melbourne later stated that Petracca’s pain intensified at halftime, prompting the decision to send him to the hospital as a precaution. Alan Richardson, the Dees’ football boss, emphasized Petracca’s health as the top priority, pledging close monitoring during his recovery period.
Reflecting on the incident, Petracca acknowledged that had he known the severity of his injuries, he would not have returned to play. “If I had understood the extent of it, I definitely wouldn’t have gone back out there,” he admitted. “I underwent surgery at 2 a.m. without anesthesia due to my low blood levels.”
