Christian Petracca started 2026 like a house on fire, as did his new team Gold Coast with a big win over Geelong. A hamstring injury in round 2 saw him miss three weeks, and since the bye he has fallen into the deep hole that the Suns as a franchise always seem to find in the second half of every season. Last week against the Dockers was his worst yet; admittedly the club's fixture across the last month has been the toughest in the league, but Trac and the rest of his mids have had their colours lowered too many times lately. Perhaps easier opponents will see his numbers perk up.
Christian Petracca started 2026 like a house on fire, as did his new team Gold Coast with a big win over Geelong. A hamstring injury in round 2 saw him miss three weeks, and since the bye he has fallen into the deep hole that the Suns as a franchise always seem to find in the second half of every season. Last week against the Dockers was his worst yet; admittedly the club's fixture across the last month has been the toughest in the league, but Trac and the rest of his mids have had their colours lowered too many times lately. Perhaps easier opponents will see his numbers perk up.
Christian Petracca has a low ownership percentage making him a point of difference player in this fantasy preseason. This is evidently due to him playing forward a fair bit in last week's practice game, a trend that has continued on from the tail end of 2022. He was visibly playing on one leg by the end of last season, however, and his scoring tended to reflect that leaving his average lower than it would be when he is fit. There appears to be no fitness concerns going into 2023 and Trac is a proven heavy scorer, even when rotating forward. One to watch this week for role.
Christian Petracca was a popular pick going into season 2022 coming off the back of premiership glory, but his campaign has been more difficult for him and his team. He has been obviously carrying soft tissue injury at times, and perhaps as a consequence he has spent more time at half forward. His absence from the coalface has meant his status as a premium scorer in basic scoring formats has trailed away, although his impact on the game from that position at times has led to some decent scores in exotic formats. His form in September will dictate his popularity next year.
Christian Petracca is now a Melbourne player for life after signing a big contract during the week, and the media have been talking him up as the next Dustin Martin. The truth is that there is no next Dusty, as he was a generational player and it's unfair to expect anyone else to dominate like Martin has. Trac has some similar attributes and has followed the same slow-burn career trajectory while his mind grew as strong as his body, but fantasy coaches will just be happy with consistent output, which Dusty never quite managed.
Christian Petracca will be hoping to avoid injury this year as Melbourne tries to prove its true form was that of 2018, not last year's debacle.
Trac mostly stays in attack
Long expected by fantasy coaches to take the final step, Christian Petracca demonstrated his potential in fleeting moments across an otherwise underwhelming season. The club's leading goal kicker averaged one per game, while dropping his disposal and mark output. Released to a midfield role in round 23 against North Melbourne, he collected 25 disposals and seven tackles. Often slated for a role in the midfield, coach Simon Goodwin will be making the key decision this preseason. Regularly injured or unable to build his engine, the Dee has enjoyed an unrestricted preseason. An exciting prospect with a fantasy resume on the verge of relevance, take him on upside potential if available in late rounds.
Christian Petracca is undoubtedly the biggest fantasy bust of the 2019 AFL season, coming off a stellar breakout campaign where he finished top ten in the Brownlow and now on a run of five consecutive games below the midfielder baseline for draft leagues. He started off the year much the same as he left off last September, but the word is that coaches wanted him to run two ways, and he has not responded to that request at all. His centre bounce attendances have been slashed as a result, and his numbers have cratered. What a disappointment all round.
Petracca fills petrol gauge
It's a rising tide that lifts all boats, and that is particularly true in footy for HFFs. Christian Petracca started out 2018 much as he had gone the previous year, hovering just above the forward baseline with typical variability for the position, as the team started off struggling. After the bye, the club challenged for top four and his fantasy numbers climbed by nine points into every-week starter range. His disposal ratio shifted from 8:11 to 11:9, and his contested rate dropped by nine to 47%. Petracca was the fifth of five Demons to rank in the top 25 for score involvements, and with the wings heavily populated his role will drift more towards the attacking 50m line from his previous midfield starting position. His only two poor scores after the bye came against eventual premiers West Coast, and with Melbourne's fixture getting harder this season he may not be able to freewheel as much. Nevertheless, plenty of pundits believe Melbourne still has upside, and so does he as a middle-round pick.
Petracca on right track
In what was technically his third season after losing his first to injury, Christian Petracca showed signs of second-year syndrome by dropping ten points on his fantasy average after the bye last season. The most striking part of his game was goalkicking accuracy, booting 26.6 drifting forward from a wing with 57% of his 18 possessions per game being contested. There is no question that Petracca shows quality with ball in hand. Fantasy coaches just want to see it in his possession more often, something that will come with natural progression in a career that started a bit late. He still has plenty of upside in 2018 in a side which is knocking on the door of finals, and should be picked up in middle rounds.
