He was wearing an Adelaide jumper designed especially for Indigenous Round to honour the club's indigenous players past and present.
On his back he sported the number 23, made famous by former champion Crow and one of the game's greatest indigenous players, Andrew McLeod.
Petrenko was not sure who was around him so he hacked the ball out of mid-air.
"I almost panicked really," he said.
Luckily for him, he connected well enough to send the ball through for a goal and give his team a one-point lead.
Only someone winning a car at a school fete after being talked into buying the last remaining ticket could make the sound Crows fans produced as Petrenko's goal sailed through.
Petrenko knew instantly that the moment was special and was immediately overwhelmed with emotion.
Flooding his mind at that very moment was the fact his team had come from five goals down late in the game to almost certainly snatch victory.
Ten minutes earlier and with his team facing a 30-point deficit, Petrenko had mentally given himself the most understated of gee-ups.
"[I thought] we better get a move on," Petrenko said.
As soon as the siren sounded, the symbolism of the jumper he was wearing, mates he had shared the journey with as well as his own teammates, and the significance of the round to indigenous people made him swell with pride as he thought of what had just happened.
"[It's a] bit embarrassing. When I ran over to the crowd at the end, I had tears of emotion," Petrenko said.
He admitted he was emotional and he found himself in the face of a few shattered North Melbourne supporters as he celebrated.
"I was very worked up, not just for the boys playing today but all the boys watching. I was overcome with emotion in the end," Petrenko said.
Two last-quarter goals, including the match-winner just before the siren, had made it a day to remember.
"I'm glad I did the boys proud," Petrenko said.
