Melbourne Demons v GWS Giants, Steven May out with fractured larynx. St Kilda Saints v Adelaide Crows

“I honestly wouldn’t change anything from what I went through last year, both from an injury point of view and all the other stuff,” he said.

“I think when you get challenged in life; it really makes you grow. The post-traumatic growth I’ve had from that has been really significant.

“Mentally, physically, spiritually, I’m in a really good place with everything, and I think … when you go through something like that, you really appreciate life a little bit more.

“You understand how much it means to you, and I’m just really grateful to be playing footy, surrounding myself with incredible people and [to] be healthy.”

This masthead revealed that Petracca had chosen to leave Connors Sports Management to work solely with talent and partnerships professional Anna Scullie, who is also the wife of ex-Crow and Blue Eddie Betts.

Loading

The 29-year-old said he was “going in a different direction” and that the move from Robbie D’Orazio to Scullie was “not necessarily” just about increasing his off-field commercial opportunities now that he was contracted until the end of 2029.

Something Petracca is bullish about is Melbourne’s chances of returning to the top of the league after nosediving to 14th last year.

That lowly finish followed consecutive straight-sets finals exits in the wake of their drought-busting 2021 premiership.

The Demons have lurched from one controversy to another in recent years, including Petracca’s situation to a series of Clayton Oliver issues and Joel Smith’s four-year drugs ban.

Petracca said they had deliberately tried to bring more fun back into the program and were feeding off the energy of the club’s young players.

The Melbourne team that faced the Giants at the MCG on Sunday had five first-gamers, another player in his first match for the club, and eight different names from round one last year.

“We’re a really young team, which is awesome,” Petracca said.

“Those positions that we were in late [in the game] are going to help us for the next 22 games. We’re going to be in them a lot. But it was nice to have some good energy … when the debutants kicked their goals [Matt Jefferson, Aidan Johnson, Jack Henderson and Harry Sharp], I thought it was awesome. The celebration, the energy was what we want.”

Petracca said he was keen to play a big role in developing the Demons’ next crop, including Xavier Lindsay, whose composed and classy debut game ended with 22 disposals.

Coach Simon Goodwin is welcoming that approach from his biggest star after managing to smooth things over with Petracca amid last year’s drama.

“It was great to see him back out there. I don’t know if the camera was on him much, but I kept watching him, and he had a fair smile on his face for the majority of the day,” Goodwin said.

“It was great to see him right back to his best, and his buy-in to the team and making the team the best it can possibly be, is just outstanding to see. I think he had a huge impact in the game, and he’s only going to get better from here.

Loading

“We’re going to live in the gains, and not the gaps, and make sure we focus on the things that we did really well and learn from the gaps – and we’ll keep growing as a team.”

In positive news for Melbourne, Goodwin said defender Steven May (fractured larynx), who was a late withdrawal, was “touch and go” but “probably unlikely” to play against North Melbourne next week.

However, mature-age debutant Johnson is likely to face match review scrutiny for a dangerous tackle.

Saints start season in sloppy style

Steve Barrett
It’s going to be a long, laborious season for St Kilda. No other conclusion can be drawn following the Saints’ season-opening horror show against Adelaide.

A difficult pre-season plagued by indifferent form and a spate of injuries could have been alleviated with a promising showing against the Crows.

A St Kilda goalfest was always unlikely given they entered the clash with a patched-up forward line, minus injured quartet Max King (knee), Dan Butler (Achilles), Cooper Sharman (hand) and Mitch Owens (shoulder).

But the Saints’ woes went much deeper than a depleted attack and a disaster ensued at Adelaide Oval as the Crows romped to a 63-point victory.

But Saints veteran Mason Wood vowed the club would not let the first-round belting define its season.

“We just got a lesson on how to play footy, basically,” Wood said.

“I don’t think we did a lot of the stuff that we practiced all pre-season, which is disappointing. There’s not a lot you can do when they’re getting their hands on it at centre bounce and going straight inside-50 with not a lot of pressure on.

“Sometimes that just happens – you get a bit spooked.

Loading

“This isn’t going to define our season by any stretch. We’re definitely on the build and we’ve got some guys coming back.”

The visitors’ midfield was caught napping early as the Crows piled on the first five goals with minimal fuss.

St Kilda, piloted by veteran recruit Jack Macrae in his 250th game, tidied up their centre-square work in the second stanza, but they were unable to capitalise on their fleeting clearance advantage or the stiff southerly they were kicking with and the Crows’ lead continued to build.

It got worse in the third quarter. A whole lot worse.

Back-half turnovers became commonplace, and before long the Saints’ thirst for the contest evaporated as rapidly as their skills and composure against a side that finished 15th in 2024.

Adelaide piled on seven unanswered goals, again with little resistance, before slotting the first three of the last quarter as the margin ballooned to 73 points.

The electric Izak Rankine was the architect of the second-half onslaught, while Darcy Fogarty (four goals) and Riley Thilthorpe (three) enjoyed bumper afternoons.

Reliable Rory Laird is back “home” at half-back, giving way to more dynamic movers in the centre-square, including Rankine, captain Jordan Dawson and Jake Soligo.

Loading

The Crows’ aggressive pursuit of established talent at the trade table last off-season – notably Alex Neal-Bullen, Isaac Cumming and James Peatling – looms as the antidote to their protracted finals drought.

Most AFL seasons see a team rocket from the lower reaches into contention. That might be Adelaide in 2025.

Wingman Cumming kicked a goal with his first touch as a Crow, Peatling displayed toughness and swift hands in the middle and Neal-Bullen’s link work across half-forward was all class. All three hit the scoreboard during Adelaide’s third-quarter assault.

The Saints face Geelong at Marvel Stadium next Saturday and Wood is hoping to use Collingwood’s emphatic bounceback – thrashing Port Adelaide by 91 points, six days after losing to GWS by 52 points – as a template.

“Look at Collingwood last week – they bounced back and absolutely smashed the pants off Port,” he said.

Coach Ross Lyon knew the undermanned Saints would be challenged by Adelaide, but said he’d hoped for better than what they produced.

“We lacked a bit of composure with our ball use and they (Crows) just bounced out pretty quick,” he said.

“Our ball use was a bit erratic. It wasn’t as composed as we’d like it.”

Roo rubbed out over sickening collision

North Melbourne defender Jackson Archer has been handed a three-match ban for the collision in which young Bulldog Luke Cleary was concussed.

Cleary was cleared of structural damage after the sickening crash during the Dogs’ gritty victory over North Melbourne, but will still miss Friday night’s clash with Collingwood.

Both coaches described the incident as an unfortunate collision, in which Cleary tumbled into a contest for a loose ball and crashed into Archer’s knee.

Loading

However, match review officer Michael Christian offered Archer a three-match ban for rough conduct, describing the contact as careless, high and severe.

The Bulldogs confirmed fellow defender James O’Donnell has a fractured jaw and will miss some football, although how much is not yet known.

The Bulldogs are not expecting to regain anyone from injury for the Pies match, with Marcus Bontempelli, Cody Weightman, Adam Treloar and Jason Johannisen among the injured brigade.

Swans midfielder Justin McInerney was also handed a three-match suspension for rough conduct over an incident in which Brisbane defender Brandon Starcevich was concussed.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.