Petracca cracks rib during pre-season training as injury woes continue

Luckless Melbourne star Christian Petracca has suffered a setback to his recovery from his traumatic mid-season AFL injury, cracking a rib at training.

The 29-year-old has been on the comeback trail after suffering a season-ending injury in the King’s Birthday clash against Collingwood last June.

Petracca lacerated his spleen, broke four ribs and suffered a punctured lung, spending nearly a week in ICU after undergoing emergency surgery.

The gun midfielder’s latest injury came after a knock at Demons training on Friday at Casey Fields.

“During today’s training session, Christian received a knock to the rib area in a contest,” the club’s performance manager Selwyn Griffith said in a statement.

“We sent Christian for scans this afternoon, which unfortunately showed a crack in his rib.

“This is frustrating news for Christian, who was progressing well and had recovered from the rib and spleen issues he sustained during the 2024 season.

“A timeline for his recovery will be determined in due course.”

Griffith didn’t specify whether the crack was related to Petracca’s rib damage last season.

Petracca struggled with his mental health in the immediate aftermath of the injury and wanted to be traded at the end of the season despite being contracted until the end of 2029.

At the end of August, he and the club issued a joint statement saying the brilliant utility remained committed to the Demons.

Melbourne’s first official pre-season game is against Fremantle on March 2.

AAP