Merrett signed for 6 seasons in 2021, here's his reasoning at the time...
Merrett, 25, signed a six-year contract extension on Thursday, ending months of external speculation about his playing future.
The dual Crichton medallist said the shift under Rutten and other key leaders of the football department had sealed his commitment, pointing to the growth of several teammates as a reflection of the Bombers’ upwards trajectory.
“The biggest change has been ‘Truck’ (Rutten) taking over, and his clarity around what he expects and wants from the club, combined with ‘Mahons’’ (general manager of football Josh Mahoney) and Adrian’s (general manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro) strategy,” Merrett said.
Keep in mind, 2021 (when he signed) was Rutten's first formal year as coach...
Let's look at the first 4 years of the agreement.
2022 - Finish 11-11 (9th). Club sacks the coach so the club can "get better, quicker". Injuries galore. Chairman makes an embarrassing Hail Mary call to Clarkson which fails. They end up with Brad Scott. They bring in Setterfield/Weideman and lose Francis in trade period. They draft Tsatas, Hayes and 2 x Daveys (who haven't come on in 3 seasons).
2023 - Finish 11-12 (11th - no improvement). First year of Brad. Injuries again. Pay good coin to lure McKay and Gresham as FA's (huge overpay given their output's in 2024/25). Lose D'Ambrossio/Zerk Thatcher and pick up Duursma in trades (bust period). Caddy, Lual & Roberts drafted (big tick). But are clearly setting themselves to for an expected improvement in 2024 with the acquisition of McKay, Gresham, Goldstein & Duursma.
2024 - Finish 11-11-1 (11th - no improvement). Injuries again. Some talk that they held a high Top 8 spot with a handful of weeks to go but once the better teams they had avoided earlier came into play they fell away. No FA's taken. Trade Stringer. Trade 1st rounder into 2025. Kako looks promising. A pivot from the "get better, quicker" talk to that "build a solid cultural foundation" supported by Stringer exiting.
2025 - Finish 6-17 (15th - big step backward). Injuries again, the same players just can't get a run at it. Draper leaving, Ridley wants out.
How anyone who would sit in Merrett's seat for the last 4 years and still expect he honour a contract is beyond me. The club is a case study in schizophrenic strategy. He has done well to be silent through the four seasons.
Merrett, 25, signed a six-year contract extension on Thursday, ending months of external speculation about his playing future.
The dual Crichton medallist said the shift under Rutten and other key leaders of the football department had sealed his commitment, pointing to the growth of several teammates as a reflection of the Bombers’ upwards trajectory.
“The biggest change has been ‘Truck’ (Rutten) taking over, and his clarity around what he expects and wants from the club, combined with ‘Mahons’’ (general manager of football Josh Mahoney) and Adrian’s (general manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro) strategy,” Merrett said.
Keep in mind, 2021 (when he signed) was Rutten's first formal year as coach...
Let's look at the first 4 years of the agreement.
2022 - Finish 11-11 (9th). Club sacks the coach so the club can "get better, quicker". Injuries galore. Chairman makes an embarrassing Hail Mary call to Clarkson which fails. They end up with Brad Scott. They bring in Setterfield/Weideman and lose Francis in trade period. They draft Tsatas, Hayes and 2 x Daveys (who haven't come on in 3 seasons).
2023 - Finish 11-12 (11th - no improvement). First year of Brad. Injuries again. Pay good coin to lure McKay and Gresham as FA's (huge overpay given their output's in 2024/25). Lose D'Ambrossio/Zerk Thatcher and pick up Duursma in trades (bust period). Caddy, Lual & Roberts drafted (big tick). But are clearly setting themselves to for an expected improvement in 2024 with the acquisition of McKay, Gresham, Goldstein & Duursma.
2024 - Finish 11-11-1 (11th - no improvement). Injuries again. Some talk that they held a high Top 8 spot with a handful of weeks to go but once the better teams they had avoided earlier came into play they fell away. No FA's taken. Trade Stringer. Trade 1st rounder into 2025. Kako looks promising. A pivot from the "get better, quicker" talk to that "build a solid cultural foundation" supported by Stringer exiting.
2025 - Finish 6-17 (15th - big step backward). Injuries again, the same players just can't get a run at it. Draper leaving, Ridley wants out.
How anyone who would sit in Merrett's seat for the last 4 years and still expect he honour a contract is beyond me. The club is a case study in schizophrenic strategy. He has done well to be silent through the four seasons.
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Exactly! Real clubs back their legends, Scott just cuts and sulks. Who’d want to follow that bloke?
