1 day Ago By Peter Ryan
Christian Petracca will miss Melbourne’s best and fairest on October 4 to attend a Red Bull training camp in Austria. The club hierarchy has approved the star midfielder’s request to miss the award count and his teammates support the decision as he works his way back from a life-threatening injury on King’s Birthday. A source familiar with the situation, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed permission had been granted.
Petracca is attending a Red Bull training camp in Austria Credit: Getty Images The Demons supported the trip despite the unusual timing, believing Petracca deserved the opportunity to train after such a traumatic back half of the season Petracca publicly stated his commitment to the Demons early this month after his dissatisfaction with the club became public, and his teammates admitted they were uncertain why he had taken a break in Noosa during the season to recover. There was speculation Petracca wanted to be traded despite having five seasons left on his contract. He had made it clear he was unhappy with the cultural issues the club had experienced since he became a premiership player in 2021, when he won the Norm Smith Medal in Melbourne’s drought-breaking premiership.
It is common for players to attend Red Bull Training Camp’s in recent seasons with Port Adelaide’s Travis Boak attending in the past. The Demons have been contacted for comment. More to come Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later.
License this article AFL 2024 Melbourne Demons Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age. Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in Sport Loading.
