Demons coach doesn’t expect spice in Petracca reunion
Anna Harrington |
All eyes will be on Christian Petracca when the Gold Coast dynamo, in the thick of a week in the headlines, faces former club Melbourne for the first time.
But Melbourne coach Steven King insists he’s not expecting fireworks when his charges front up against their former star teammate.
Former Demons champion Petracca sealed a high-profile trade north in the off-season but missed an early-season clash through a hamstring injury, making Sunday’s clash on the Gold Coast his first meeting with Melbourne.
The reunion comes as Petracca has been under scrutiny for an on-field altercation with young teammate Leo Lombard last week as 14th-placed Gold Coast slumped to a ninth consecutive loss.
King insisted the Demons were more focused on responding to last week’s defeat to Geelong than any excitement around facing their former star.
“We haven’t mentioned it, but I’m sure they’ll be excited to see him,” King said on Wednesday.
“Champion of our club, and he’s had a great year. So for us, it’s just another weapon on a pretty talented team that we’ll have to try and contain.
“So we know what he’s like at his best, how damaging he is. He’s one of the handful of players we’ll need to try and curtail a little bit to go out there and win the four points.
“I’m sure you guys (the media) will speak about it as being really significant.
“But as a footy club, we really appreciate, admire and respect what Christian’s done for us as a club, but he’s been a Gold Coast player now for almost a year.
“I think we’ll look at it as a total picture around as a team what we have to do to try and get the points.”
Petracca agitated for a move away from Melbourne at the end of the 2024 season and finally got his wish a year later, while premiership midfield partner-in-crime Clayton Oliver moved to GWS.
Sixth-placed Melbourne’s new-look midfield, led by Kysaiah Pickett and Tom Sparrow, has stepped up and shone.
King, who never coached Petracca, wasn’t expecting any extra on-field spice on Sunday.
“I don’t think so. I assume it’s just going to be like another game of two teams are desperate to win,” he said.
“I dare say, with his relationships with our playing group and being a premiership teammate to a lot of them here, that’s significant. So I assume they still maintain connection and touch with each other.
“I’m sure for those that might be having the match-up to play on him, will probably think a bit more about him as to how to contain and exploit him as well as a player.
“But in terms of any pre-game lead-up or anything, I won’t mention much of that. We’ve got too much of our own internal motivation to get going.”
The Demons will be without Kade Chandler (fractured hand) and Latrelle Pickett (concussion) for at least this week.
Veteran Jack Viney is ramping up his bid for a late-season return after a year wrecked by Achilles and back problems.
“That’d be another little bonus for me as well if we could get him up before this home-and-away season finishes,” King said.
King indicated he’d be happy to throw Viney into the finals fray if ready.
“Nothing’s off the table when you get a competitor like Jack Viney,” he said.
“… (With) his block of work and the history that he’s done for this club, I’d have no trouble throwing him straight into a final.”
AAP