Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca's meeting with teammates was "emotional" as he opened up about his mental health struggles.
Fellow Demons ace Steven May lifted the lid on Petracca addressing Melbourne players for the first time since it emerged he was disillusioned with the direction of the club.
Petracca suffered a lacerated spleen, punctured lung and four broken ribs when crunched by an accidental knee from Collingwood captain Darcy Moore during the King's Birthday match in June.
The 28-year-old is understood to be considering his future at Melbourne, despite being contracted at the club until the end of 2029.
Petracca was scheduled to do a TV interview before the Demons' clash with Collingwood on Friday, but May filled in.
"It's upsetting to see what he's going through; the injury, then obviously the mental health, and a lot of the media reporting - it's obviously taken a toll on him," May told the Seven Network.
"I've been checking in with him, and it's good to have him back at the club now.
"We're a better club when we have him around."
Petracca spent time away from the club, including a stint in Noosa, as he processed the season-ending injuries.
Some players were unaware Petracca was in Queensland until they saw posts on social media.
May said Petracca was "pretty emotional" when he addressed his teammates on Monday.
"He had spoken to the club about that he needed some time off, and I think we might have been in an away game that week, so he didn't get chance to speak to us himself," May said.
"He just pretty much stood up and just told us exactly what he's going through.
"He hasn't missed a game for a long time, so if you take that away from someone it can really take a big toll on you.
"Mental health is different for everyone, so there's no one size fits all, and some people might be better to be at the club and be involved, or some people need to get away and get out of Melbourne so it was just good to get some clarity on that."
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin and Demons football boss Alan Richardson have repeatedly insisted Petracca is going nowhere and will remain at the club long-term.
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