Why Christian Petracca is 'on a one-year contract in his mind' amidst Demons tension

Eddie McGuire is convinced that unhappy Melbourne star Christian Petracca is now playing like he's one a one-year contract with the Demons.

Petracca had reportedly been seeking a trade away from the Demons among a myriad of issues, most notably the club's handling of his season-ending injury that left him in a near-death situation.

Despite reaffirming his commitment to the club amidst a major relationship breakdown, which included club president Kate Roffey admitting on SEN radio that she had not been in contact with a "disgruntled" Petracca, McGuire isn't convinced the truce will last.

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And while a trade won't go through in this upcoming period, McGuire believes it's simply because it can't get done, not because Petracca doesn't want it to.

"I reckon Petracca is on a one-year contract in his mind at Melbourne, and if it doesn't come up and he can continue having chats with Carlton or Collingwood, or whoever it is, (a trade) might be something that happens next year," McGuire said on Nine's Eddie and Jimmy podcast on Monday.

"The club that he wanted to go to couldn't facilitate a trade at this particular moment in time.

"He might just use the 12 months (at Melbourne) to heal himself and get ready (to be traded).

"That's not saying he's not going to play hard for Melbourne. I think he will play his guts out for Melbourne."

But how exactly did the Demons and the 28-year-old get to this position?

"I think he (Petracca) held the mirror up and he called them to order," McGuire said.

"I think internally, he copped a bit of the, 'there's nothing here to be seen and you're the trouble', as opposed to, 'this is what's going on and I'm not going to cop it anymore'."

According to 9News Melbourne's Tom Morris, Petracca pushed his management to explore a way out of the Demons.

Additionally, the premiership star also met with opposition players in casual settings and spoke openly of his desire to leave the club.

Meantime, the mishandling of Roffey's interview had Jimmy Bartel concerned that the club will struggle to recover their already tainted culture.

"I thought it was pretty average (Roffey's radio interview). The whole entire way along, I think the messaging from the spokespeople at their football club hasn't been good ... it has actually created bigger issues," Bartel said.

Petracca pledged his allegiance to the Demons over the weekend.