Demons in Doubt as Superstar Faces Hospital Stay

After suffering an injury on King’s Day, Christian Petracca, a key player for the Dees, was admitted to the hospital

 

Just before the halftime siren, Magpies captain Darcy Moore gave the 28-year-old a knee to the ribs. After that, he was removed to the locker room, and in the second quarter, he appeared to be under duress.

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The four-time All-Australian is not believed to have a punctured lung, but the Demons are still awaiting scan findings to determine the extent of the injury.

“He’s in the hospital. Following Monday’s 38-point defeat, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin stated, “At this time, he is just getting a scan.”

“We think it might be some cracked ribs, but we’ll give more information as soon as we get it, but hopefully that’s all.”

Melbourne enters the bye with seven victories after finishing the season 6-2 and establishing itself as a premiership contender in May. However, the team has lost four of its last five games, including concerning contests against West Coast and Fremantle.

Even though Collingwood won the tackle count by 20 and the clearances by 10 on Monday with six premiership players out, Goodwin remained optimistic that Melbourne can return to its best in 2024 and contend for the premiership.

“We needed to improve on certain aspects of our game, but there were also some really good parts. We struggled to handle Collingwood’s intense pressure, which at times rendered our play appear mediocre and caused us to cough up the ball excessively, according to Goodwin.

There were certain areas of our game where we made significant progress, but after a defeat like that, it is difficult to discuss because it is upsetting and I know that our fans are rooting for us to succeed.

“We’re hopeful that this is simply a temporary setback that we need to go past and that we will eventually emerge from.

“Most teams experience this, and as we proceed through it, we remain really positive about what may be accomplished. Though we are really upset, we remain optimistic, and I know that our supporters would feel the same way.”

Next up for Melbourne is a match against North Melbourne on June 22. At the end of the month, they have a big match at the Gabba against Brisbane.

Superstar Nick Daicos of Collingwood was forced off the field with a corked shin halfway through the fourth quarter, capping a disappointing performance for the Brownlow Medal candidate who was limited to a season-low 15 disposals and little impact from Alex Neal-Bullen.

The 21-year-old should be available on Sunday against North Melbourne, according to Magpies coach Craig McRae, but the club’s injury list won’t likely get any shorter until after its round 15 bye.

“He will be alright; he was hit hard and thereafter had a corky in his shin. Others must take the initiative. McRae told reporters, “I wouldn’t have thought (he is in doubt for Sunday).”

All-Australian defender Brayden Maynard, making his first appearance against Melbourne since the qualifying final hit on Angus Brayshaw, set the tone with a brutal performance in the first quarter. McRae disclosed that Maynard had to deal with a difficult personal matter this week.

“He has had a lot going on this week, I won’t share the details of that, but off the field it has been really hard for him, so I’m sure he wanted to put on a good performance for stuff that’s happened outside of here,” McRae stated.

“He performed brilliantly and is a proud man. I’ll end it there, even though what transpired in his personal life is regrettable.”

In his post-match press conference, McRae praised assistant coach Hayden Skipworth for his preparation for the match against Melbourne before outlining the Magpies’ usage of the legend of the “Three Little Pigs” as their round 13 theme.

“We wanted to make sure our house was made of bricks today,” he stated. “It wasn’t what Melbourne were going to do, it was about how we were going to protect our house, keep it in order.”