AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - 3x AA 🏅🏅🏅 4x Crichton Medallist 🥇🥇🥇🥇

07 - merrett.jpg

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2027
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 10, I Remember Bluey
 
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Feb 13, 2007
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Looks like Oliver won the best young player award... is this award voted on over the space of two years or just the best players in their first or second year? Doubt it's the latter as the top 5 are..

Oliver
Menegola
Petracca
Walla
Adams

The Shadforth Financial Group Best Young Player of the Year Award is presented in recognition of the player who, based on his performance in his first two seasons of AFL Football, deserves to be acknowledged as the Best Young Player.

The winner of the Shadforth Financial Group Best Young Player of the Year Award is determined by the weekly votes of the AFL coaches, with previous winners including Scott Pendlebury, Joel Selwood and Brownlow medalists Chris Judd and Nathan Fyfe.
 
Couldn't disagree more. He's a gun, but his style of play is in no way complementary to ours, and is the type of player we are close to ridding from our list.
Did I stumble on the delusional pearlers?
 
A player like Tom Mitchell would immediately take Jobe's spot and improve upon it. He's a big bodied inside ball winner who would feed it to players like Zachy or Zaka 15 times a game
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
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Yet we persisted with Watson all year and when he did not play Bird played.
Can only work with what we've got. But our list strategy in the last few years has been addressing that. I'd be willing to bet it will continue to.
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
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A player like Tom Mitchell would immediately take Jobe's spot and improve upon it. He's a big bodied inside ball winner who would feed it to players like Zachy or Zaka 15 times a game
I completely agree with all of that, but none of that is contradictory to what I said. Perhaps read what I wrote before throwing DP out there.
 
I completely agree with all of that, but none of that is contradictory to what I said. Perhaps read what I wrote before throwing DP out there.
And how, pray tell, does that not suit our game plan?
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
3,821
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And how, pray tell, does that not suit our game plan?
Speed and versatility (as well as good ball use) are attributes we have been seeking in our midfielders. He doesn't fit that very well.
He would improve us over Watson no doubt, but he's not the direction we're taking.
 
Ethan's right. Towno, you said he wouldn't suit us and is exactly the type of player we're close to getting rid of. That kind of statement is ridiculous. We'd immediately be a slightly better side with him in our team.
 

Laverde2Smack

Club Legend
Nov 11, 2015
1,693
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A player like Tom Mitchell would immediately take Jobe's spot and improve upon it. He's a big bodied inside ball winner who would feed it to players like Zachy or Zaka 15 times a game
We would be a sneaky chance for this years flag if we had Tom Mitchell as well as a fit Hurles , Raz and Hooker.

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Killer_Mike

Premiership Player
Mar 31, 2017
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He is exactly what we are crying out for.

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Yeah, so people have been saying all year.

I would prefer a damaging half back, Whitfield or a shuey type mid in that order.

I like my mids to get the job done on the outside as well as inside. Just means the opposition needs to put more work into you.
 
Oct 2, 2012
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Looks like Oliver won the best young player award... is this award voted on over the space of two years or just the best players in their first or second year? Doubt it's the latter as the top 5 are..

Oliver
Menegola
Petracca
Walla
Adams

But, but.....Brunton???


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Vander18

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 22, 2011
5,397
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Let me preface this by saying I love this bloke.....but.....

Did anyone else think he developed a little bit of Cotchin-itis in the back half of the year? Felt like he was winning less of his own ball with less tackling and pressure work. Lots of cheapies, not hunting man and ball as he has in the past.

And yes....Cotchin does seem to have overcome this malady.
 
Let me preface this by saying I love this bloke.....but.....

Did anyone else think he developed a little bit of Cotchin-itis in the back half of the year? Felt like he was winning less of his own ball with less tackling and pressure work. Lots of cheapies, not hunting man and ball as he has in the past.

And yes....Cotchin does seem to have overcome this malady.
His form dropped off a bit but I thought that was because he was getting tagged after mid-year, and he was learning to deal with that. I've said it a few times but getting his opponent to follow him between another of our players and their mark has been my favourite little trick this year. A few blokes have given us 50m from that haha
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
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His form dropped off a bit but I thought that was because he was getting tagged after mid-year, and he was learning to deal with that. I've said it a few times but getting his opponent to follow him between another of our players and their mark has been my favourite little trick this year. A few blokes have given us 50m from that haha
That's not 50 though?
 
That's not 50 though?
If they're about to take a free kick (or they've marked it and are about to kick) and the opposition player runs through the protected zone, it's 50. Not sure if I worded it that well above, but Zach's opponent has run through the protected zone on a few occasions because they were tagging him and he lead them that way, before dodging around our player at the last second (his opponent continues in the original direction and infringes).
 

blitzer

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 27, 2006
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If they're about to take a free kick (or they've marked it and are about to kick) and the opposition player runs through the protected zone, it's 50. Not sure if I worded it that well above, but Zach's opponent has run through the protected zone on a few occasions because they were tagging him and he lead them that way, before dodging around our player at the last second (his opponent continues in the original direction and infringes).


Haha yeah its pretty cheeky. Zac is a smart footballer - there's no doubt about it.
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
3,821
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AFL Club
Essendon
If they're about to take a free kick (or they've marked it and are about to kick) and the opposition player runs through the protected zone, it's 50. Not sure if I worded it that well above, but Zach's opponent has run through the protected zone on a few occasions because they were tagging him and he lead them that way, before dodging around our player at the last second (his opponent continues in the original direction and infringes).
Gotya, that is 50
 
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