Petterd, who has had shoulder injuries before, suffered a first-time dislocation of his right shoulder late in the Demons’ 26-point loss to North Melbourne in round six.
Coach Dean Bailey said Petterd’s shoulder had popped out a couple of times during the game and scans on Monday revealed an injury more severe than the club had anticipated.
“It’s disappointing for Rick, because he was just starting to stamp himself, starting to become a real regular performer for us in the forward line and a goal-kicker,” Bailey said.
“We’re going to miss his talent and his ability to kick goals for the next period of time.”
Melbourne is now missing Petterd and Liam Jurrah from the forward line. Another attacking option, Austin Wonaeamirri, has not played this season because of a hamstring problem.
Bailey said Jack Watts still needed to string two or three good games together at VFL level before he was recalled for Melbourne, while Brad Green and Matthew Bate were two players who could contribute forward.
“I think it’ll come down to how well we can move the ball (and) how effectively we can kick the ball inside 50; that’s going to be a real telling point for us,” he said.
“We’re going to have to look for a spread.”
Bailey said Melbourne would relish a return to the Friday night stage this week when it took on the Western Bulldogs.
“It’s exciting for us; we haven’t had too many opportunities in the past,” the coach said. “We also need to redeem ourselves a little bit from our performance on the weekend.
“There’s no better time than at the MCG on Friday night with a huge audience upon us and getting under the microscope again, which is good for our young group of players.”
