AFL 2024: Christian Petracca back home after harrowing emergency surgery
Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca is confident he will return to his best next season despite a “pretty traumatic” surgery on horror injuries including a lacerated spleen.
Petracca has returned home after spending five days in intensive care following a brutal collision with Collingwood captain Darcy Moore in the first quarter of the King’s Birthday match.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his injuries, he told Nova’s Jase and Lauren program that he was unable to watch games on the weekend after his harrowing experience in hospital.
The 28-year-old, who also suffered four broken ribs and a punctured lung, said he was unable to be put under general anaesthetic for his emergency operation because of the volume of blood he was losing.
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“I’ve been better … it’s been pretty traumatic, four or five days in ICU and the last couple of days were just in the ward, now I’m out of hospital which is nice, I’m at home,” Petracca said on Monday.
Christian Petracca says he was unable to be put under general anaesthetic and had his eyes open during his emergency surgery following a lacerated spleen, four broken ribs and a punctured lung suffered in the King’s Birthday match. Credit: FOX SPORTS
“It’s been pretty full on, I don’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
“I knew (Moore) hit me good … but I didn’t realise the severity of it until 2am (the next morning) when I was gassed up and they were doing surgery with my eyes open.
“I just thought it was a couple of cracked ribs, which is serious, but I thought I could go back and play.”
Petracca said the adrenaline he was feeling after the clash had played a role in the controversial decision for him to return to the field before he was subbed out of the game at halftime.
The decision by Melbourne’s doctors to allow him to return was investigated by the AFL’s chief medical officer Michael Makdissi the next day.
Dr Makdissi was “comfortable” with the process followed by the Demons, a league spokesman said.
Petracca returned to the field following the first-quarter collision but was subbed out of the game and taken to hospital after halftime. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia
“I don’t think people understand when you’re out there playing, you just want to go out and compete as an athlete, as a competitor … you’re on adrenaline, you don’t really know what’s going on, had I known now the severity of it I obviously wouldn’t have gone back out there,” Petracca said.
“At the time, I thought and we thought it was a cracked rib, a couple cracked ribs, (I) wanted to go out there and play and compete.”
Petracca said Moore had reached out “four or five times” to check in on his health following the accidental collision which ended his season.
“I watched a little bit of footy on the weekend, I had to turn it off. Even a simple tackle, you put yourself back in the situation you were. So of course, at the moment it’s quite raw,” he said.
“I’ll be able to get back to the player I was, just at the moment it’s a lot of self doubt which is fine, it’s a natural feeling.”