Melbourne defender Jake Lever has lifted the lid on the behind-closed-doors meeting regarding Christian Petracca and the surrounding trade speculation and reports of him being disgruntled, saying it was an "eye-opener".
Petracca suffered a season-ending and potentially life-altering injury in June when he copped an errant knee to the rib cage, resulting in a lacerated spleen, four broken ribs and a punctured lung.
It has been widely reported that the 2021 Norm Smith medallist wasn't satisfied with the care shown by the Demons.
As a result, speculation grew about Petracca's future despite being contracted until the end of 2029, sparking confusion amongst the playing group.
The four-time All-Australian fronted his teammates on Monday to clear the air whilst also providing intel on his tumultuous injury and its difficult recovery.
โMy first reaction was, โI don't think that's true at all',โ Lever said onย SEN Breakfast.
โFor the past seven years, we've been driving the club forward together and been really passionate about making Melbourne a great team again.
โA 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.
โObviously โTrac' 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.
โFor someone I've seen every day do that, and then the story comes out, it was a big shock to me.โ
Lever was grateful that Petracca had the courage to come forward and speak to the players, flagging how difficult it would be to do.
โIt definitely gave me a clearer understanding once he got up and explained it," Lever said.
โWe probably just haven't understood what he's gone through since his injury. He spent a long time away from the football club.
โFor 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).
โIt 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.
โI fully understood once he explained to me that he needed time away and needed time with his fiancรฉe Bella to really get away, and football wasn't the priority at that time, which is completely understandable.
โEveryone goes through ups and downs in life, and he 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.
โHe 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.โ
