There haven’t been many better club debuts in recent memory than that of Christian Petracca on Friday night, and his arrival at Carrara might just be the injection that takes Gold Coast from finals contender to flag challenger.
The 30-year-old midfielder was comfortably best on ground in the Suns’ thumping 56-point win over Geelong in Opening Round, kicking three goals from his 34 disposals and 12 score involvements.
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It was the fourth time in Petracca’s 213 AFL games that he registered 30 or more disposals and three-plus goals in a match, but notably was the highest-rated game of his entire career — even usurping his 2021 Grand Final effort which won him a Norm Smith Medal.
Petracca’s exit from his old club Melbourne was a slow burn after unsuccessfully leaving in 2024, where a very serious injury during the King’s Birthday clash that year saw him enter ICU for several days.
The following off-season, the four-time All-Australian departed the Demons to play under Damien Hardwick; one month after the three-time premiership coach took the Suns to their maiden AFL finals campaign after 15 years in the league.
And in his very first game under his new coach in new colours, the signs are ominous for the rest of the competition who sat back and watched the Suns’ clinic against last year’s losing grand finalists.
“We dream of that and do all the prep for that, but to come out and put in a three-and-a-half quarter (performance) was awesome; it was an amazing feeling,” Petracca told Fox Footy post-match.
“I feel like I play my best when my defensive contest (is good). All the other stuff and the offence will take care of itself, as long as I’m around the ball hunting and putting that pressure on.
“I’m just super grateful to be at this footy club, and back playing what I love.”
It was clear from the outset on Friday night that Hardwick had given Petracca a ‘licence’ to emphasise his impact in the forward half of the ground. The first two of his three goals came in just over a quarter of football at his new club, blitzing towards the big sticks in open play to finish off slick transitions from his teammates.
His new partner-in-crime that he shares the midfield-forward role with is Bailey Humphrey, who ironically met with Petracca’s former club as he unsuccessfully tried to depart the Suns to move back to his home state of Victoria.
Nonetheless, Humphrey himself was unstoppable in the opening term, kicking three first-quarter majors before finishing with a four-goal haul.
“Humper’s just such an incredible person. On the field, you see what he does; he’s just so powerful and explosive, but off the field he’s such an amazing human and one that I’ve loved to connect with,” Petracca continued.
“He reminds me of myself. He puts a lot of pressure on himself when it’s only his fourth year, so it’s pretty remarkable.
“That chemistry’s awesome … there’s a lot of guys; Touk (Miller), Noah (Anderson), (Matt) Rowell when he’s back. It’s great that we’ve got a lot of depth in there, and we can obviously be versatile.”
Much like Humphrey, Petracca’s own kicking was pinpoint against the Cats. The skill has often been one he has received criticism for, but almost unsurprisingly given his ultra-professional personality, he revealed it is an area he continues to spend countless hours refining away from the spotlight.
“I almost put in too much to be honest. I’m out there on my day off, (but) there’s no footy ovals out there, they’re all rugby pitches!” Petracca said.
“I’m out there kicking set shots every bloody day, so it’s frustrating when they don’t go in … but for me, I’m not trying to blast the hell out of it, just being simple with it.
“I understand that it’s probably a part of my game that isn’t as strong as my other things, but I guess that’s what wakes me up in the morning and tries to get me better every day.”
While a superstar in his own right, it was hard at times on Friday night to not be infatuated by the likeness of his midfielder-forward role to Richmond legend Dustin Martin, who Hardwick coached to three flags at Punt Road.
“His experience coaching ‘Dusty’ (Dustin Martin) and winning those three flags is something that I’ve taken a lot off in the last three months,” Petracca ended by saying.
“Even before I came here, I was playing that role at Melbourne. ‘Goody’ (Simon Goodwin) and the club allowed me to do that, which I’m really grateful for and fortunate for too.
“So, I’ve always played as a midfielder or a forward, and the same as Bailey (Humphrey) as well — we kind of have a licence.”
The Suns enjoy eight full days between the Opening Round and Round 1 matches, next taking on West Coast to close out next weekend’s league fixture.
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