Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has shut down reports that star midfielder Christian Petracca and his family were disgruntled with the treatment he received after suffering season-ending injuries.
The 2021 premiership winner had surgery last week to repair four broken ribs, lacerations to the spleen and a punctured lung after an incident in the Demons’ 38-point loss to Collingwood in round 13.
Petracca went back onto the field and played until he was eventually removed from the match and rushed to hospital, where the extent of his injuries were revealed.
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After spending some time in the ICU, Petracca took to Instagram to confirm that his season was officially over.
Nine’s Caroline Wilson reported some discomfort Petracca’s fiancée and parents felt towards the club in the days following the injuries, which was first broken by Nine’s chief football reporter Tom Morris on Monday.
Goodwin addressed the suggestions on Wednesday, revealing that the comments also caught Petracca off guard.
“We were surprised by the reports, Christian’s surprised by the reports, and we’re really confident the family and Christian’s in a great place,” Goodwin said.
“The only thing I can go by is the conversations with Christian and (his partner) Bella, and the fact that we’ve spent a lot of time with Christian and Bella and they’re incredibly thankful with the support the club’s given.
“From players, coaches, management and our welfare team who’s not only been dealing with Christian but also his family.”
When quizzed on the ability of his medical team, Goodwin backed them, denying that the club holds any doubt towards the way they operate on game day and when a player becomes injured.
“It’s not really my job, it’s the doctors’ job, and I trust our medical team like never before,” he said.
“They’re unbelievable at what they do, and they’re independent to the game.
“All their focus is on player safety and welfare. They did all the assessments possible, we’re really comfortable with where that stood.”
As for the welfare of Petracca, Goodwin said he was still more interested in what the club needed than himself.
“He’s at home, he’s bored. He wants to get back involved and help out in whatever way he can,” he said.
“That’s Christian, he loves his footy club and loves his team, so we’ll get him back involved as soon as he can.”
The Demons, now without Petracca for the rest of the year, sit 11th on the ladder with a 7-6 record.
They next play the Kangaroos on Saturday.