By Peter Ryan
Melbourne star Christian Petracca’s recent run of bad luck has continued with the 28-year-old admitted to hospital on Saturday night with appendicitis.
The Demons confirmed the illness but said it was unrelated to the spleen and lung injury he suffered on King’s Birthday after suffering broken ribs when he was hurt in a marking contest.
Petracca was being monitored with surgery possible but was in good spirits with his girlfriend Bella Beischer posting a photo on social media of Petracca on a hospital bed with a caption ‘still smiling’.
The Demons’ midfielder is sidelined for the rest of the season due to the lacerated spleen, punctured lung and four broken ribs that left him requiring surgery in what he described as a traumatic time.
Melbourne were criticised for allowing him back on the field in the second quarter after he suffered the injury just before quarter time when he was in obvious pain. He was subbed off at half-time.
The Demons play West Coast on Sunday at the MCG.
Collingwood’s injury cost from prime-time loss to Bombers
Collingwood forward Brody Mihocek will have surgery after scans confirmed he had a torn pectoral muscle, however the Magpies have not ruled him out of returning for the finals if the side qualifies.
The injury occurred late in Friday night’s loss against Essendon, with the 31-year-old eventually forced from the ground.
Brody Mihocek (left) hurt his pectoral muscle while Isaac Quaynor battled a toe injury. Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
His absence is a massive blow for the injury hit Magpies, with Mihocek Collingwood’s leading goalkicker for the past five seasons. He has kicked 19 goals in 11 games this season after kicking 47 and 41 in the previous two campaigns under coach Craig McRae, who spoke about the nature of Mihocek’s injury in his post-match press conference. Collingwood are already struggling without experienced forwards Jamie Elliott, Mason Cox and Beau McCreery, who are all injured with little continuity in the forward mix this season.
Dan McStay is a chance to return from a knee reconstruction within the next fortnight with McRae not ruling out the prospect that he could immediately return to the AFL, rather than go back through the VFL. Ash Johnson and Reef McInnes are playing against Frankston in the VFL on Sunday.
Collingwood football manager Brendon Bolton said Mihocek would have surgery this coming week.
“This is disappointing news for Brody, who is set to miss the remainder of the home and away season,” Bolton said.
“It is unfortunate for Brody, who has already spent some time on the sidelines this season.
“Brody is a resilient person, and we have no doubt he and our high-performance team will be proactive in taking every step possible to ensure the best recovery.”
“He is expected to have surgery in the coming days and our program will continue to support him through this next period.”
The good news for the Magpies is that premiership ruckman Darcy Cameron has been cleared of broken ribs after visiting hospital on Friday night following the loss to Essendon. He attended recovery with teammate Brayden Maynard on Saturday morning with bruising, having copped a knock in the same spot at training on Wednesday as he did during the match on Friday night.
Defender Isaac Quaynor remains a chance to play against Geelong next Friday night, with the Magpies confirming on Saturday he would face a test later in the week on an injured toe, while McRae admitted that wingman Josh Daicos (calf) was touch and go to face the Bombers before he passed a fitness test. Tom Mitchell remains sidelined with a foot injury.
The Magpies play the Cats at the MCG, with John Noble (concussion) a chance to return. Defender Charlie Dean was subbed out of the match against the Bombers and may struggle to retain his spot against the Cats.
Collingwood’s loss to Essendon puts them in danger of falling out of the top eight at the end of the round as they back up their 2023 premiership. They have two wins and a draw from their past six matches with injuries consistently impacting the team.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.