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Petracca speaks for the first time after verbal incident
SEN • July 27th, 2026 10:23 pm
Christian Petracca has spoken for the first time following a verbal incident involving himself and teammate Leo Lombard.
In the fourth quarter of the Suns’ 13-point loss to Carlton, the four-time All-Australian was caught yelling at the 19-year-old after he was caught holding the ball, having undercut Petracca to get the footy initially.
After that, the Suns’ academy graduate could be seen telling him to “f—k off”.
Following the incident, many experts, including SEN’s David King and Brenton Sanderson, criticised the former Demon for his actions given the age/experience balance between the two.
Reflecting on the incident with News Corp’s Jon Ralph in an exclusive interview, he admitted he was too passionate in the moment and should have been more constructive.
“I think for me, reflecting on that moment, I was probably a bit too passionate with my feedback,” Petracca said.
“Obviously it was the fourth quarter, the heat of the moment, and we were losing at the time. I should have said it in a more constructive way.
“That can be difficult during the game, but I have got nothing but love for Leo. He’s like a little brother to me.
“He’s an amazing player. It’s only his second year but I think all of us hold each other to really high standards across the team.
“He’s incredibly competitive and obviously passionate too. But we all learn to accept and give feedback and that’s something as a leader I need to keep improving.”
Petracca will look to put the incident behind him as the Suns attempt to break their nine-game losing streak against Melbourne on Sunday.
The match takes place at 3:15pm AEST.
