Melbourne legend Garry Lyon has doubled down on his belief that the club won’t trade Christian Petracca “under any circumstances” despite a fresh a report suggesting the superstar wants out.
The Age reported Petracca has told teammates and the club of his desire to be traded including making his thoughts clear at his exit meeting he wants to play for a rival Victoria club in 2025.
It was also revealed the 28-year old’s relationship with teammates is “beyond repair” and that the vibe at an end-of-season function on Saturday night was “noticeably uncomfortable.”
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The report linked Carlton star forward Harry McKay to a trade as a player who could be of interest to the Demons, even though his manager David Trotter has strongly denied such a possibility.
Lyon last week said he wasn’t troubled by Petracca’s disgruntlement, while multiple senior figures at Melbourne have ruled out the possibility of a trade including club CEO Gary Pert insisting as much in a letter to fans.
Lyon was steadfast that the club should do everything in its power to retain Petracca, arguing “contracts mean something” — with the four-time All-Australian contacted at Melbourne until 2029 on a seven-year deal signed in 2021.
But if it came to it, the Demons legend said the club should only be open to a trade for a young superstar like Harley Reid and Sam Darcy, or a deal with looming 19th club Tasmania in the coming years if the two parties can’t patch things up.
In light of the Age’s fresh report, Lyon was again questioned on the topic by fellow AFL greats Jonathan Brown and Nathan Buckley on Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night.
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See the full transcript of how the conversation went down below …
Brown: “You (Lyon) were very strong last week on this program that Petracca will not be traded.”
Lyon: “He may or may not have requested (a trade), I don’t that to be true. But I have spoken to people throughout the week and I’m prepared to double down on it, he’s not going to be traded. I can only tell you what’s come out of Melbourne. They are absolutely resolute Christian won’t be traded under any circumstances. And the Harry McKay stuff is a hypothetical make up. As we sit here today, there is not one skerrick of evidence or information or contact between the club and Harry McKay that stands up. I’m just telling you what’s happening.”
Brown: “Well Melbourne is in need of a key forward. So you think there’s been no overtures?”
Lyon: “If we’re just throwing them out there, I’m throwing Sam Darcy, there’s your headline. That’s how much kudos is in that story about Harry McKay — as much as me saying (Melbourne) need Sam Darcy.”
Buckley: “What would it look like if the club was going to stand firm and Christian Petracca had to walk (back) into that environment?
Lyon: “I think that’s the next challenge for Christian, not that I’m telling him anything. Looking at it afar, my understanding is they’re not budging. So Christian has to get his head around: ‘What does it look like when there isn’t a deal being made? And what do I need to then do to honour a seven-year, multi million dollar contract?’ And that is suck it up and get back to the club. I don’t know if there’s bridges that need to be built. But be a leader, come back in and speak to the boys … I still haven’t heard from Christian, we haven’t, so I want to hear from Christian. But at the end of the day I’m told it’s (a trade) not happening, so he’s got to get his head around going back into the club and going: ‘Right, now I’ve got to lead and be a leader’. And that’s a challenge.”
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Brown: “But wouldn’t you be concerned as an administrator of that club that your best player is clearly disgruntled and the trouble that can cause? We keep talking about Melbourne’s culture, where there’s smoke there’s fire ‘Gaz’, its been spoken about for the best part of two years. That would have to be a concern if you were an administrator.”
Lyon: “I think it would be, for sure.”
Brown: “And you wouldn’t do anything about it?”
Lyon: “Me personally? I would not trade him under any circumstances. Except for the one I put our last week. If in three years it’s still festering, open negotiations with Tasmania.”
Brown: “Do you think Melbourne has a cultural problem? Because this just keeps coming up and I don’t think the whole industry is making stuff up.”
Lyon: I’m sure they’ve got some issues they’ve got to work on. I’ve been through footy clubs for 30 years, every single club has an issue to deal with at some stage. And I want to see them get in the room and work it out (with Petracca). Good clubs keep their players. I’m being the cuddly Melbourne supporter because I don’t want to lose Christian, I love him. But at some stage you get hard with Christian and say ‘mate, a lot of people have been through a lot of stuff over the journey. You’ve committed seven years to a club and taken the money, now’s your time to be a leader and get on with it.”
Buckley: “We spoke last year about the pressure and expectation on a Max Gawn. He’s got it all in front of him this off-season again to hold the club on his shoulders. At some point you need to give a bloke like that a chop out. You certainly hope for guys like him and the other young fellas at Melbourne that they can work it out and get to the other side of this and have a bit of clean air on the other side.”
Lyon: “Yeah, and ‘Browny’, make no mistake, as a Melbourne fan you don’t like hearing it and you’d love them to have it all sorted and get that clean air. Anyway, we’ll watch it all unfold.”
Source Agencies
