Melbourne great Garry Lyon says he’s “not troubled” by reports of Christian Petracca’s disgruntlement with the club’s direction, declaring he’d be stunned if the superstar was playing elsewhere in 2025.
Channel 9’s Tom Morris reported on Monday that Petracca was “disillusioned” with the Demons to the point that if he were out contract, the star midfielder “would likely ask for a trade tomorrow.”
The 2021 premiership player and Norm Smith medallist, however, is contracted until 2029 after signing a seven-year deal in 2021.
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The Herald Sun meanwhile reports that the Demons won’t trade Petracca under any circumstances. That reports also states Petracca is frustrated but not to the extent that the four-time All-Australian would request a trade.
And speaking on Fox Footy’s On the Couch, Lyon wasn’t concerned by the trade report.
“I need to hear that from Christian, as much as I rate Tom,” he said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“I’m not troubled by it until I hear it from Christian, I’m not going to be troubled by a news-breaker telling me that.
“If I can eyeball Christian Petracca and say: ‘You signed a seven-year deal for $1.2 million, they’ve taken you to the promise land, they’ve set you up for life and now you want to get out?’ Then I’d be troubled.
“Until I hear it from him, I’ll just take it as it is.”
Melbourne has fallen to 10-11 on the season and out of finals contention after top four finishes in each of the last three years.
It follows reports earlier this year on disenchantment from the Petracca family regarding the way Melbourne handled his serious season-ending spleen injury that left him hospitalised.
While some have highlighted contracts are less relevant in the current landscape, Lyon argued the Dees could ultimately hold Petracca, 28, to his long-term deal in expanding on the topic on Tuesday morning.
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Lyon acknowledged that, if it came to it, Melbourne might only consider a hypothetical deal in exchange for one of the game’s brightest young superstar.
“This is the bottom line, contracts do mean something,” he said on SEN radio.
“If they get Harley Reid and Sam Darcy, would you do the trade for Christian Petracca if that’s what it ended up getting to? Maybe you look at it.
“But right now there is not a snowflake’s chance in hell that Melbourne would be trading Christian Petracca. He’s got five years to go on his contract. Five.”
Responding to Lyon’s plea for Petracca to clarify his position, Essendon legend Tim Watson said the four-time All-Australian wouldn’t reveal the absolute truth.
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“He’s going to come out and say he’s not disillusioned and disenchanted,” Watson said.
“I don’t think he’s going to be honest publicly … he’d probably gloss over it and say: ‘You get frustrated from time t0 time, I’m disappointed in the way we’re playing and the way the season has played out.’
“But you’re not going to get to the heart and root of it.”
Lyon said Petracca’s traumatic internal injury was a “really, really tough time” for the superstar, but also pointed out several players across every club would be unhappy.
“There would be discontentment at every single AFL club from a section of players, I will promise you and guarantee you that and you can take it to the bank,” Lyon said.
“If Tom is going as definitive as that then he has spoken to someone … he has got some information from somewhere. I don’t know where it’s from.
“My point is this — and this is the most important thing — he has five years to run on his contract. So that’s 2030 if you want Christian Petracca to be playing somewhere else.”
Petracca has played 189 games since joining Melbourne with Pick 2 in the 2014 National Draft.
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