Why Petracca’s bid to depart the Demons remains a long shot

Melbourne have reached a crossroads as Christian Petracca continues to try and force his way to another Victorian club despite having five years left on the seven-year contract he signed in mid-2021.

However, the crash-through or crash approach is – at this stage – unlikely to succeed.

The Demons are holding firm as they deal with the reality that Petracca – who is the club’s only Norm Smith medallist – is open to being traded if a satisfactory deal could be done.

No club has stepped forward, however, with a realistic package to turn the Demons’ heads, with most Victorian clubs aware how difficult it would be to meet Melbourne’s demands for a contracted superstar. The Demons are also unable to test the market as that would be a signal to the league they were open to trading their star, putting them in a delicate situation.

Carlton key forward Harry McKay, himself on a lucrative deal for six more seasons, was bandied as a potential bargaining chip that could help the Blues score Petracca, but such a move has been ruled out.

McKay’s agent, David Trotter of Hemisphere Sports, dismissed the possibility on several mediums – including this masthead – in the past two days. Carlton never raised the prospect of a trade with McKay, a well-placed source told this masthead, with the Blues certain to reassure him they weren’t contemplating a trade ahead of the elimination final.

Any potential Petracca move – with his preference being one of the rival Victorian powerhouses with a bigger fan base – may even rely on the Demons paying some of his $1 million-a-year-plus contract, which only adds to a trade being unlikely.

Petracca understands the club’s position, according to a source familiar with the discussions he had with the club this week.

Collingwood do not have the trade currency to obtain the 28-year-old, short of trading out Jordan De Goey and a pick, which won’t happen.

The Hawks don’t have a key forward capable of enticing the Demons with a satisfactory offer and are focused on attempting to secure key backs Josh Battle and Tom Barrass.

The Saints have Max King, but in an ideal world Petracca’s move would lead him to a higher-profile club rather than Moorabbin, with St Kilda committed to the key forward who is contracted until the end of 2026.

Two sources familiar with the situation said Petracca is not interested in joining Essendon, who are not in the market anyway, while the Bulldogs won’t be trading out their key forwards either.

The Blues’ Tom De Koning is a free agent next season and the ruck/forward would be an ideal fit for Melbourne, given their over-reliance on Max Gawn, but Carlton will not contemplate trading him this off-season.

Gold Coast could have the collateral, but they have targeted running defenders and aren’t prime time.

It’s become messy from a public relations point of view as the Demons remain adamant publicly that both Petracca and Clayton Oliver, who are contracted until the end of 2029 and 2030, respectively, will not be traded.

It is the second straight year Melbourne have been in the headlines with one of their blue-chip midfielders, after Oliver became a trade talking point on player movement eve 12 months ago before staying put. They also refused to trade Harry Petty despite Adelaide’s advances. Petty has since extended his contract until 2027, with Kysaiah Pickett, who remains an attractive proposition for clubs in South Australia and Western Australia, also tied to the club until then.

It leaves the Demons, who tumbled to 14th this year after finishing in the top four the previous three seasons, and winning the flag three years ago, with the No.5 draft pick after a difficult season.

That is not a great position for the Demons as they conduct another internal review after a tumultuous off-season last year.

Melbourne will grant Alex Neal-Bullen’s request to return home to South Australia for family seasons, to play for the Crows, and announced the delistings of Josh Schache and Kyah Farris-White on Tuesday, but Petracca’s discontent is having an effect.

The rumblings around Petracca scared off Port Adelaide’s All-Australian defender and fellow Connors Sports client Dan Houston, who seemed set to request a trade to Melbourne until Petracca’s situation became public.

Houston, who is contracted for four more years, still wants to return to Victoria, but Power coach Ken Hinkley said last week he wanted him to stay. St Kilda contacted the 27-year-old to understand where he was at, as did the Blues, but both were preliminary enquiries. The round 23 suspension for an ugly bump on Crow Izak Rankine means Houston will not play again this season.

Dylan Shiel won’t be a Saint in 2025

St Kilda will not pursue contracted Bombers midfielder Dylan Shiel in this year’s trade period with the club taking a long-term approach to their list build, according to sources familiar with the Saints’ approach.

Although their midfield has been the source of frustration at times in 2024, with opponents getting hold of them at centre clearances and stoppages in some games, they are determined to use draft picks to bring in and develop talent.

The Saints already have emerging players such as Darcy Wilson, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mitch Owens, Marcus Windhager and Mattaes Phillipou.

They had pick five in their hands until Jack Higgins’ miracle goal against the Blues moved them two spots up the ladder, meaning they have pick seven (or eight), depending on where the bid for Lions’ father-son Levi Ashcroft lands, in this year’s draft.

They are also waiting on Josh Battle to tell them whether he wants to continue with the club or accept an offer to join the Hawks, with the 25-year-old to take a break before finalising his decision.

If Battle leaves, the club could have two top-10 picks in a strong draft, depending on the level of compensation they receive, which would give them flexibility to potentially chase a player or add two quality youngsters to their emerging list via the draft.

In the process, the Saints have been busy, extending small forward Dan Butler for two seasons, with Jimmy Webster also expected to remain. Dougal Howard was open to a move but looks likely to stay with St Kilda.

The Saints are comfortable with Tim Membrey exploring his options as an unrestricted free agent, with the 30-year-old recapturing his ability to consistently score late in the season with 14 goals in the final six matches.

St Kilda on Tuesday delisted Tom Campbell, Riley Bonner, Matthew Allison and James Van Es.

Decision time for Pie

Collingwood livewire Joe Richards is weighing up multi-year offers from the Magpies and Port Adelaide after having his exit meeting this week.

The 25-year-old forward played all nine of his career games this season, finishing with a 19-disposal, one-goal performance in Collingwood’s round 24 win over Melbourne.

The Power have identified Richards, who was the No.48 pick in the 2022 draft as a mature-age recruit out of Wangaratta Magpies, as someone who can bolster their attack.

Port Adelaide are so interested they have offered him a three-year deal, whereas the Pies have presented a two-year contract.

There is less clarity about 2020 first-round pick Reef McInnes’ future, after he kicked 13 goals from nine games this year for a total of 20. There have not been any meaningful discussions about his future.

Collingwood announced big man Aiden Begg’s delisting on Monday, while this masthead revealed on Tuesday that John Noble had requested a trade to Gold Coast to be closer to his twin brother, Mark.

The Suns have re-signed pressure forward Nick Holman, while the contracted Jack Lukosius – who has two years remaining on a big-money deal – could explore a trade after failing to lock down a position in the Suns’ line-up.

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