Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca is facing more time on the sidelines after he suffered a cracked rib at training on Friday.

The 29-year-old had returned to full fitness after a traumatic and season-ending injury in the King’s Birthday clash with Collingwood last year.

Petracca lacerated his spleen, broke four ribs and suffered a punctured lung, spending nearly a week in ICU after undergoing emergency surgery. He did not play again in 2024.

The 2021 Norm Smith Medallist had fully recovered and returned to pre-season training when he sustained the latest injury in a knock at Demons training at Casey Fields.

The club has yet to put a timeframe on his recovery.

“During today’s training session, Christian received a knock to the rib area in a contest,” the club’s performance manager, Selwyn Griffith, said in a statement.

“We sent Christian for scans this afternoon, which unfortunately showed a crack in his rib.

“This is frustrating news for Christian, who was progressing well and had recovered from the rib and spleen issues he sustained during the 2024 season.

“A timeline for his recovery will be determined in due course.”

The Demons did not specify whether the crack was related to Petracca’s rib damage last season.

Petracca struggled with his mental health in the immediate aftermath of the injury and wanted to be traded at the end of the season, despite being contracted until the end of 2029.

At the end of August, he and the club issued a joint statement saying the four-time All-Australian remained committed to the Demons.

Melbourne’s first official pre-season game is against Fremantle on March 2.