What Petracca told his Melbourne teammates and how the playing group reacted

Jake Lever admits it was a shock to hear and read that Christian Petracca was reportedly “disgruntled” and “disillusioned” with the Melbourne Football Club.

Despite being surprised by the reports, the Demons defender is confident his premiership teammate will not waver in his dedication and desire as he continues to recover from a serious spleen injury.

When asked of his thoughts when he first read the story, Lever was somewhat taken aback as the Petracca he knows is so loyal to the club.

“My first reaction was, ‘I don’t think that’s true at all’,” Lever said on SEN Breakfast.

“For the past seven years we’ve been driving the club forward together and been really passionate about making Melbourne a great team again.

“A couple of years ago he signed a seven-year deal, so obviously when you read stories like that you’re not sure if they’re true or not.

“Obviously ‘Trac’ has been going through a tough time of late, so someone is going to try and grab onto a story. But for me, I’ve seen a person that comes into the club every single day and tries to drive the club forward.

“For someone I’ve seen every day do that and then the story comes out, it was a big shock to me.”

Petracca recently spoke to the Demons playing group to explain just what he has gone through and how he has been feeling of late.

In the wake of that, Lever admits he now has a greater understanding of what the 28-year-old had to deal with and where his mind has been at.

“Absolutely,” Lever added when asked if he understands the situation more clearly.

“We probably just haven’t understood what he’s gone through since his injury. He spent a long time away from the football club.

“For senior players like myself it was really an eye-opener of what he’s been going through. I know he wasn’t in (at the club) a hell of a lot over the last 10 to 12 weeks, but since he’s spoken to the group about what he’s gone through, you can see him coming through the door (again).

“It was almost like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He’s back involved, (we see) his smiling face at the football club again, that’s the Christian Petracca that I’ve missed.

“I fully understood once he explained to me that he needed time away and needed time with his fiancée Bella to really get away and football wasn’t the priority at that time. Which is completely understandable.

“Everyone goes through ups and downs in life and his happens to be a little bit more public than most others. I love seeing him at the football club now with a smiling face, there’s a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“He said he couldn’t speak to us five or six weeks ago, he wasn’t ready to talk about it. He hadn’t come to terms with it himself, let alone trying to speak in front of 44 guys that you see every day.”

Lever concluded: “It definitely gave me a clearer understanding once he got up and explained it.”

Lever made it vehemently clear that none of the players have ever been “pissed off” that Petracca took time away from the club to relax in Noosa, insisting that all they want is for him to be happy and healthy.

The Demons finish their 2024 season with a massive Friday night clash against Collingwood at the MCG.

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