After missing the entire 2015 season , speculation by the media surrounded Petracca and when he would play his debut match , however , a basketball mishap saw him break his toe during the Christmas break . Early reports stated he could still make his debut in round one , but , then-Melbourne coach , Paul Roos , quashed the reports by stating the mishap had cost Petracca a round one debut . Following the recovery from his broken toe , he played in the Victorian Football League ( VFL ) for Melbourne 's affiliate team , the Casey Scorpions . As he spent more time in the VFL , speculation grew as to when he would make his AFL debut , along with '' AFL Media '' journalist , Callum Twomey , noting the footy world was " fascinated " with Petracca and his potential debut . Petracca ultimately made his debut in round six against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in a 39-point loss ; there was strong hype surrounding his debut , however , his performance in his debut was labelled as a glimpse of his potential by News Corp Australia journalists , Adam Baldwin and Jay Clark . In his second match he kicked his first AFL goal , finishing with two for the match ; his second goal , in which he broke away from his opponent and tapped the ball to himself from the ground , saw former forward , Jonathan Brown , praise his skill by stating " jeez ... it 's a simple game when you make it look that easy . " In his fourth match , he recorded twenty-one disposals , eleven score involvements and seven tackles in the sixty-three point win against the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground , which saw him rewarded with the round nine nomination for the Rising Star . The match drew high praise from the head of football writer at the '' Herald Sun '' , Mark Robinson , while teammate , Jack Watts , labelled him an " absolute beast " . After a handful of matches , Petracca became the favourite to win the Rising Star and received praise from Australian Football Hall of Fame members , Matthew Lloyd and Wayne Carey , with the former claiming his ability would bring fans through the gates , and the latter compared him to Norm Smith Medallist and three-time premiership player , Steve Johnson . '' Fox Sports Australia '' journalist , Ben Waterworth , made further comparisons to Steve Johnson , while also declaring Petracca edged Johnson with his overhead marking ability , with former St Kilda captain , Danny Frawley reiterating during the Queen 's Birthday clash , " every time he goes near the ball , you sense he 's going to mark the ball because he 's got a beautiful pair of hands . " He played every match following his debut , and finished the season with seventeen in total . After tailing off towards the end of the season , which he later attributed to his body tiring from the demands of AFL football , he finished sixth in the Rising Star and finished twelfth in Melbourne 's best and fairest count . Despite finishing sixth in the Rising Star , he ranked first for inside-50s , second for goal assists and third for contested possessions per game out of all the Rising Star nominees . Furthermore , he was recognised as one of the best young players in the league when he was named in the 22under22 team on the half-forward flank
Rising Star
2016 AFL Rising Star
Christian Petracca