Melbourne midfielder Christian Petracca has spoken out publicly for the first time since undergoing “pretty traumatic” surgery for shocking injuries, including a lacerated spleen.
The 28-year-old midfielder is currently recuperating at home after surgery to address four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and the lacerated spleen, all sustained during a marking contest in the King’s Birthday loss to Collingwood.
Petracca’s season has come to an end, and he admits that he is currently grappling with “a lot of self-doubt” about his future.
“I’ve been better… it’s been pretty traumatic. Four or five days in ICU, and the last couple of days were just in the ward. Now I’m out of the hospital, which is nice. I’m at home,” Petracca shared with Nova’s Jase & Lauren.
“It’s been pretty full-on, I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
“I knew Darcy Moore hit me hard… but I didn’t realize the severity of it until 2am the next morning when I was prepped for surgery with my eyes open.”
“I just thought it was a couple of cracked ribs, which is serious, but I thought I could go back and play.”
Petracca controversially returned to the field after being injured but was eventually substituted out of the game for good at halftime.
“I don’t think people understand when you’re out there playing, you just want to compete as an athlete, as a competitor… You’re running on adrenaline, and you don’t really grasp what’s happening. If I had known the severity of it then, I definitely wouldn’t have gone back out there,” Petracca explained.
“At the time, we thought it was just a couple of cracked ribs, and I wanted to continue playing and compete.”
The 2021 Norm Smith medallist mentioned that Darcy Moore had checked in on his condition multiple times since their collision over the weekend.
“I watched a bit of footy over the weekend, but I had to switch it off. Even a simple tackle brings back memories of the situation I was in. Right now, it’s still quite raw,” he said.
“I believe I’ll be able to return to the player I was, but at the moment, there’s a lot of self-doubt, which is normal and understandable.”