Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca remains in intensive care as he recovers from surgery following the horrific injuries suffered against Collingwood on Monday.
Petracca copped a brutal knee to the ribs by Magpies captain Darcy Moore in the closing stages of the first quarter.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Latest on Christian Petracca’s injuries.
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He remarkably played on in the second term before eventually being substituted out and later taken to hospital in an ambulance.
In addition to being diagnosed with four broken ribs, Petracca also suffered a lacerated spleen and a small punctured lung.
Such was the seriousness of the internal injuries, he was transferred from Epworth Hospital to the ICU at the Alfred Hospital where he still remains.
It’s expected he will be moved to a general ward within the next 24 hours, but is likely to remain in hospital until at least the end of the week.
There is still no timeline on his return to play, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely he will feature again this season.
Melbourne were criticised for allowing Petracca to play in the second quarter after the serious incident.
But Petracca said it was entirely his call.
“I’m responsible for putting myself out there by the way for people talking about the medicos,” Petracca wrote on a Melbourne Instagram post.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Melbourne said Petracca’s pain “increased at half-time” and “despite assessing relatively well” he was only sent to hospital as a precaution.
“Obviously, Christian’s health is the number one priority for us at the moment,” Richardson said.
“The next few weeks will be crucial, and we’ll be monitoring his progress closely to make sure he heals properly and fully.”