AFL
1 year ago
“Seems a little weird to me”: Russell reacts to Melbourne’s statement on Petracca
By SEN
Melbourne CEO Gary Pert has penned a letter to members regarding Christian Petracca.
Channel Nine journalist and SEN regular Tom Morris reported on Monday night that the Demons star is “disgruntled and particularly disillusioned” with the direction of the club.
SEN’s Dwayne Russell read through the letter and the main thing that jumped out to him was the fact there was no denial that Petracca was reportedly “unhappy”.
However, Pert did make it clear that Petracca is an immensely valued player at Melbourne.
“I can’t read any denial there about Petracca’s anger or frustration with the club which is the report from Tom,” Russell said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“Yes, they intend to have him stay at the club, but they’re also looking at ways they can improve. That’s an interesting read, that is.
“What are your thoughts on that, Melbourne fans? That seems a little weird to me.”
Russell added later: “I got smashed by a few really nasty Melbourne supporters for the text for daring to try and read between the lines of that letter as I was reading it out.
“I think everyone that reads that letter is going to try and decipher exactly what it means. I think there are a few Melbourne supporters out there who are questioning a few of the lines in that letter.
“I thought there were a few things in that letter that made me raise my eyebrows.”
Melbourne great Garry Lyon also weighed in on the situation on Tuesday morning.
Read the former captain’s thoughts below:
Read the letter from Pert below:
Following the media speculation last night regarding Christian Petracca, I want to take the opportunity to provide clarity to you all.
Christian is an integral and much-loved member of the Melbourne Football Club. He is a key pillar of our club’s future, and we value him immensely, not only as a player, but as a person and a leader.
He has been an important member of our football program since he walked through the doors in 2014 and is contracted until the end of the 2029 season. He will remain in the red and blue until at least the end of his contract and hopefully beyond.
Following his season-ending injury in June, Christian is still very much in a recovery and rehabilitation period and his health and well-being remain the club’s priority. He recently spent some time away in Noosa with his fiancé Bella, and I know staff, players, coaches and our supporters were thrilled to see him back at the club late last week as he commenced some very light training.
As we approach the end of the season, we have commenced discussions with a cross section of players, coaches and staff within our football program to discuss the improvements we need to make to return to the level we expect from our AFL program.
The 2024 season has been disappointing for us all and we must quickly turn our attention to what is required moving forward, both on and off the field, to ensure we climb back up the ladder.
A key part of this process is openly discussing any opportunities we identify where we can seek to improve. Over recent weeks there have been conversations with many of our leaders, Christian included, about our opportunities for growth. These conversations have been open and constructive, with the purpose of ensuring that together we achieve the success we know our AFL program is capable of.
Conversations like these are a regular part of footy and will continue over the next few weeks, as we map out a clear path towards ensuring our AFL program is back in finals contention in 2025.
Importantly, this process starts now, and Goody, Max and the entire football program look forward to finishing the season strongly and playing a brand of footy that makes you, our members, proud over the coming two weeks.
