Max Gawn has admitted that Christian Petracca is unhappy with the Melbourne Football Club, amid reports the superstar midfielder wants to move elsewhere.
The Demons captain insisted, however, that his teammate has not told him he wants to leave.
The football world erupted this week after reports emerged claiming injured player Petracca is unhappy and wants out of the Demons, despite being under contract until the end of 2029.
He reportedly highlighted his desire to leave Melbourne in his exit interview on Monday and made that sentiment clear to some teammates.
Petracca has not spoken publicly about his playing future since the reports emerged.
Melbourne has publicly remained steadfast in its commitment to keeping him under contract and is expected to ask for whatever it takes in return for any trade.
And speaking at the AFL Awards Night on Thursday, Gawn revealed a candid conversation he had with Petracca.
“He told me some of his frustrations with the club and I told him some of mine. And that’s where we came to,” he told 7News.
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‘At this point, he’s shown some frustrations, which to be fair I agree with some of them, some of them I don’t, but that’s what makes leadership groups fun, having different opinions.
“No real repairs are necessary if you walk back on the first day.”
Carlton star Harry McKay has already been embroiled in speculation, which was dismissed by his manager David Trotter on SEN on Tuesday, that he could be a potential bargaining chip for Petracca.
Petracca was due to do a television interview ahead of the Demons’ clash with Collingwood last Friday but was replaced by Steven May, speaking out about his teammate’s mental health issues.
The 28-year-old appeared on a podcast, released Tuesday, and did not address his future.
Instead, Petracca spoke about the traumatic injuries he sustained during the King’s Birthday match in June.
Melbourne’s handling of his injuries is believed to be one of several factors behind Petracca’s malaise.
Petracca suffered a lacerated spleen, a punctured lung and four broken ribs when Collingwood captain Darcy Moore accidentally crushed his knee.
He subsequently had to undergo surgery, without general anesthesia, and detailed the toll this had taken on him and his fiancée Bella.
“It’s been really, really hard, probably the most traumatic thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Petracca told The Howie Games podcast.
That included a time when Petracca was in critical condition.
“That must have been at three in the morning. At the time I didn’t know, I was high,” he said.
Gawn admitted that Petracca is unhappy but says reports that his teammate wants to leave are completely wrong.
‘Bella came into the ICU the next day and basically said that at three in the morning… he (the surgeon) called to say that she probably wasn’t going to make it, basically.
‘(He said) ‘He’s in critical condition’ due to internal bleeding and everything.
‘For me, the most important thing was that blow, more than the injury itself.
“I’ll be fine physically and I’ll be able to train and play again. It’s more about that part; that the people around you feel it more than you do.”
Petracca detailed how he and his partner had been struggling for the past six to seven weeks.
“I have insomnia, I feel like, to be honest, I can’t sleep because of that kind of stuff and I have to see a trauma psychologist to deal with what’s going on,” he said.
‘There are a lot of things that keep me up at night: self-doubt… the trauma and stress of it all.
‘I have been in and out of the hospital three or four times for emergencies.
“People are so nice and ask me what’s going on, like ‘How are you? How are you?’ and they ask me about it constantly, I relive it a lot.
“For me, I think about it every day, and it’s something I’ll eventually get over.”