Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin stated that Christian Petracca was surprised by reports suggesting his family was unhappy with how the Demons managed his injury after the King’s Birthday match against Collingwood.
Goodwin also defended the club’s medical team, which had cleared Petracca to return to the field after a collision with Collingwood’s Darcy Moore before quarter-time. Petracca was later subbed out at half-time and taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a lacerated spleen that required surgery, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Petracca has since returned home after spending several days in intensive care due to infection risk. Despite reports of family frustration, Goodwin denied any discontent.
“The only thing I can go by is the conversations I’ve had with Christian and [his partner] Bella. They’re incredibly thankful for the support the club has given,” Goodwin said. “We were surprised by the reports. Christian is surprised by the reports, and we’re confident that the family and Christian are in a great place.”
Goodwin emphasized that Petracca’s severe internal injuries weren’t evident until well after the game. Petracca mentioned on Nova that a second scan revealed the full extent of his injuries.
“It’s the doctors’ job to assess, and I trust our medical team completely – they’re incredible at what they do and independent of the game,” Goodwin said on Wednesday. “They conducted all possible assessments, and we’re comfortable with their decisions. It wasn’t until well after the game that an internal injury was diagnosed, which is very difficult to identify.”
Petracca compared his injuries to those typically sustained in a car crash, describing how he couldn’t be put under anesthesia during surgery. “I didn’t realize the severity until 2 am when I was undergoing surgery while awake,” he said on Nova. “I thought it was just a few cracked ribs and that I could go back out and play.”