It appears increasingly likely Christian Petracca has played his last game for the Demons.
A situation that seemed impossible when Petracca claimed a Norm Smith medal in Melbourne's 2021 premiership, and even when he capped a fourth straight All-Australian honour in 2023, is now almost inevitable as the midfielder weighs up a move interstate.
Twelve months after Petracca tested the waters with Victorian clubs, the 29-year-old is now being heavily linked with the Crows and Suns to revitalise his career.
In one of the classic player-watching moves when sounding out potential trades, Petracca was spotted at Adelaide Airport on Monday, along with his wife Bella and manager Anna Scullie.
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While the Demons hierarchy, including skipper Max Gawn and new coach Steven King, have insisted ad nauseum Petracca is going nowhere, various reports are now claiming the club would let him leave for the right deal.
“Christian Petracca is a wanted man," Tom Morris told Nine News on Monday. "He’s speaking to not one, but two clubs recently.
“He met with Adelaide today and had a medical, but I can also tell you tonight he’s also chatted to Damien Hardwick and the Suns in recent days.
“Melbourne is (now) open to negotiating a trade for Petracca. Their stance has softened since last year.
“My understanding is the club gave Petracca the green light to have a look around last week, knowing they hold all the cards and won’t trade him for anything less than they believe he’s worth.
“So, it’s the Suns and Crows who are exploring a move for the Norm Smith medallist, who hasn’t made up his mind yet and has four years remaining on his deal.”
The Crows have a raft of first-round draft picks at their disposal and may view Petracca as the missing piece to help this year's minor premiers break their long premiership drought.