Christian Petracca cuts a relaxed figure on the Gold Coast, relishing life away from the Melbourne spotlight that shone harshly on him for two seasons.
Sneers that “Brand Petracca” was behind his push to leave the Demons reached the Norm Smith Medal winner. He describes them as “laughable”, but the Suns’ marquee recruit admits those critics affected him.
“Brand Petracca” was coined in reference to the champion midfielder’s off-field pursuits, including his OnTrac5 cooking channel, which boasts 554,000 Instagram followers, and his On Trac cookbook.
When he sought a trade away from Melbourne – torn between Adelaide and the Gold Coast – pundits speculated that wherever best fitted “Brand Petracca” would be his destination.
Christian Petracca’s popular cooking channel keeps him busy off the field.Credit: Eddie Jim
But as he revelled in being “the healthiest I’ve felt mentally for quite a while”, Petracca condemned his naysayers and stressed that athletes pursuing other ventures needed to be encouraged, not torn to shreds.
“It does frustrate me a little bit, this whole ‘Brand Petracca’. I think, if anything, we should be promoting and celebrating guys for having something away from football,” Petracca said.
“The average career length is 4½ years as an AFL player, so having something away from footy is really important to me. I found my cooking stuff has had a direct correlation with my performance.
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“Some of the comments about me wanting to leave because of a cooking channel were kind of laughable. I’ve always put my best foot forward with footy, and it’s always been my number one priority.”
Petracca’s output will be paramount in the early rounds of the AFL season, with the Suns revealing fellow star midfielder Matt Rowell would miss the opening exchanges after undergoing finger surgery.
But Petracca’s point about a career’s fleeting nature spans across codes, with the average NRL tenure hovering around the 40-game mark.
Form, competition for spots and injuries are factors, with the latter inspiring Petracca’s new Suns teammate, Zeke Uwland, to prepare.
While Uwland was snapped up as the second pick in November’s AFL draft, stress fractures in his back sidelined him for six months last year.
The 18-year-old was “bullish” that he would return, but said there was a moment he feared his body would curtail his AFL ambitions.
“You have your moments of doubt,” Uwland told this masthead.
“I was unsure what the path would be like, not knowing the severity.”
Instead of wallowing, Uwland pursued other passions; beginning degrees in law and commerce, having been encouraged by his parents to have a “Plan B”.
“I’ve always been a pretty studious person, it’s an outlet away from footy, and I love arguing over the small indiscretions,” Uwland said.
There is more to Suns draftee Zeke Uwland than a blossoming AFL career. Credit: Justin McManus
“There’s more to life than football. You never know when that moment will be if you get an injury you can’t come back from, and I want to be prepared.
“It’s optimal for me when I’m not worrying about football so much. You want to come out as best prepared to tackle the next challenge, so the quicker I do that, the more I’m prepared.”
For the athletes who spiral in retirement – roughly 40 per cent suffer from depression or anxiety – the biggest factor is the loss of identity once they’re removed from those routine-based, adrenaline-charged team environments.
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Former Queensland Maroons enforcer Christian Welch, who retired before the 2025 NRL season due to injuries and concussions, revealed he became overwhelmed when invited into the Melbourne Storm sheds by his former club.
“I said to my girlfriend I had to go home. You have real withdrawal, and really miss it,” Welch said.
“It was a really awkward predicament – they’re your best mates, but it’s sad you’re not out there on that journey with them chasing that glory.”
Despite holding a Master of Business Administration – having studied in Brisbane, Stockholm, Berlin, and at Harvard – Welch admits, “you could have that many degrees, and you’ll still feel a bit lost”.
Australian cricketer Jess Jonassen has already experienced the toll of leaving elite sport, lamenting the loss of her national contract after 13 years as “a massive change and shift in my life”.
While she has degrees in forensic psychology and law, and is not yet retired, she has planned for a career in the army, revealing, “I need something that’s a bit more high-octane, high-interest, and keeps me getting out of bed”.
As Wallabies great Berrick Barnes attests: “I don’t care if you’ve got five degrees and a bloody job on the side – it’s still the identity piece.”
Barnes was first embedded in elite sport when he debuted for the Brisbane Broncos as an 18-year-old, before swapping to rugby union.
He played 51 Tests – his first at the age of 21 – before retiring in 2020.
While he found purpose as a backline coach with Saitama Wild Knights, he endured a harrowing period once his playing days ended.
“Someone asks you, ‘Berrick, how are you going mate? What are you up to? What are you doing with yourself?’ You used to be able to say you were still playing rugby,” Barnes said.
“What are you now? I’m a dad, but I don’t really know. You get low, for sure. I think everyone would be lying if they said they didn’t have tough moments.
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“I was fortunate, rugby was pretty good to me, but some guys have to make that transition to work pretty quickly, and that’s a tough one.”
It wasn’t until Barnes found a group in Lennox Heads – a network of about 90 people who partake in fitness and charity initiatives – that he felt at peace as he sought to “replicate” what he had.
“It’s about reaching out and asking for help. That’s f–king not easy because as a footy player, you get told to suck it up, toughen up, show that masculinity,” he said.
“It’s a bullshit identity thing, but once you realise you’re a human being doing your best, you don’t have to get caught up in that sort of stuff. Then you find your feet.”
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