Recommitted Zach Merrett [UFA 2027] - Wanted a trade to Hawthorn, but it didn't get done

[Lore]

There we go, that's the clip:

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Also by watching trade radio yesterday, I feel like an agreement to trade was put in place by Hawks & Bombers list Management yesterday and then knocked back by the Essendon Board last minute. There was a stage where Petroro was all smiles in the Essendon Trade Room and then even hugging Roughead 5 mins after in the Hawks Trade room (approximately about 1-hour before the deadline). It was when there was about 20mins left that Petroro was seen animated, but the hard part to read was that he looked angry and pointing fingers at our staff in our room? Maybe he was demanding our Team to add a Sweetener to just get the deal done or something, but it was a real interesting watch, never seen anything like it on trade deadline day lol.

Where has this been confirmed?

Haven't seen anything at all that indicates there was any agreement at all. No one from Essendon & Hawthorn has suggested they reached any type of agreement at any stage?

 

[H00t]

oh dear, yes the players are so hard done by and have had no power whatsoever over the past few years

And as for any players, let alone out of contract players, getting "called out by all and sundry" for leaving a club - what the actual heck are you talking about?

Players are being constantly being labelled as traitors, mumma’s boys and/or booed for leaving.

The go home 5, JHF, Lever, etc. all copped it. JHF was in-contract but the carry on from North fans and the general AFL community is ridiculous.

Media and clubs constantly called out players only doing their 2 years and leaving. So much so that first round contracts are now 3 years.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Already said Essendon wasn't ideal in terms of their conduct either, I don't dispute that at all. To clarify, I think Essendon should have traded away a player that wanted away.

Just questioning the narrative (from Hawks fans predominantly) that this saga makes player managers doubt Essendon and that Hawthorn were doing the right thing all the time. The overriding principle - that often gets ignored by Hawks fans - is that Essendon had every right to keep a contracted player and there is no obligation to trade him away at all no matter what Hawks fans might say.

9 times out of 10 if a player wants to leave they get to where they want to go and clubs facilitate the appropriate trade. Contracts have been broken many times in the past and this year is no different. Do you not think the wellbeing of a player is more paramount than being ruthless with them? That's where our club and Essendon are miles apart. They haven't even spoken to him yet. Should tell you a fair bit. He's collateral to their real aim and that was to own Hawthorn and flex for Andrew Welsh.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Already said Essendon wasn't ideal in terms of their conduct either, I don't dispute that at all. To clarify, I think Essendon should have traded away a player that wanted away.

Just questioning the narrative (from Hawks fans predominantly) that this saga makes player managers doubt Essendon and that Hawthorn were doing the right thing all the time. The overriding principle - that often gets ignored by Hawks fans - is that Essendon had every right to keep a contracted player and there is no obligation to trade him away at all no matter what Hawks fans might say.

You seem very invested in this.

Essendon had every right to keep Merrett - but it's just dumb.

Welsh was calling him every day according to Mitch Cleary, the powerbrokers were meeting with him. Brad Scott shared the new vision.

He still wanted to go.

If you roll out the red carpet for someone and they still dont want to be there you should probably cut your losses and focus on fixing your club. I mean, they weren't even pursuing other players outside of the Merrett trade. That's also their right but it's also dumb.

I dunno, as a hawks fan, we've always helped players exit as well as we can. We don't stand in the way of players that want to leave. It's weird for us to see this. Very odd behaviour. Doesn't seem very smart, even though it's their legal right.

But yeh, for Essendon it's considered a big win, so good for them.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

i hope your coach arrogantly dismisses teams like the suns because of their history, they gave you a touch up in the midfield this year and will only get better with Petracca added to the mix.
I dont know what you will do to replace worpel in the midfield, it wont be Merrett thats for sure

The same Worpel that got walked over in the prelim? Cats will enjoy he's mongrel floaters to Jezza Cameron on the lead. If we valued him more than pick 43 we would have tied harder to keep him. Unlike your club we don't stand in the way of players who want to leave and hold them hostage.

 

[TerryWallet]

This is probably the most level-headed response I've seen here. Does missing out on Merrett sting us Hawks in the short-term? Absolutely!! But I'd argue it potentially stings Essendon more than it does us in the long run. We now give Mackenzie his opportunity to show if he has that A-grade potential in him, if not we can go again next year/the year after for an A-Grade Free Agent.

The fact that Merrett probably wins you guys an extra 3-4 games with him in your side is probably overlooked too, I would think now (before Tassie comes into play) is when you should be happy to finish a bit lower in order to get a quality pick. Now, I could honestly see an un-injured Essendon side realistically finishing anywhere from 14th-9th and getting a pick which scales outside the top 10 with Academy/Father-Son bids.

Also regarding the offer, a lot of Hawks fans were saying it was overs and Bombers fans saying it was unders, so my thoughts were that it was probably about right for a 30-year old Zerrett (3-years younger, he would of commanded a Godfather offer). However, given you are our biggest rivals and the tension in the media/board changes you had, I don't think we offered enough to tip the scales. I personally would've tried to add a Mackenzie/Lewis unwillingly, for a chance to turbo charge a Premiership run, however I do also wonder if this would've ultimately also been knocked back. Felt like this was more of a statement from Essendon than actually being willing to come to the table and trade Merrett.

On the bolded above,

I don;t understand how Hawthorn didn;t understand they had to offer more.

There were 3 contracted Superstars targeted this year, Merrett, Curnow and Petracca. Sydney and Gold Coast paid the required absolute overs, but Hawthorn wouldn't. Instead they offered just a top players package. They simply had to offer a half decent player or the extra top pick.

And yes it is up to you to find such a player, or add the extra pick. You are trying to gain a superstar. Curnow and Petracca have had average last 2 years, but not Merrett. Reigning B&F and Captain. And probably has more longevity than Curnow and Petracca.

You can't have a superstar like that in your palm and not go ALL IN and then come out behind. Not with how important 5-6 years of Merrett would have been to you. I couldn't believe they didn't go all in like Sydney and GC did. .

Essendon were never gonna cave to the enemy unless you did. It was the perfect player to bring in at the perfect time. A relentless, classy superstar mid with positional versatility. No-one more than Hawthorn should know how valuable they are.

Stunned.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

I am sure McQualter and every other coach has privately approached targets during the season. I'm not naive there.

But your head coach now has a public 0 from 3 record in 2025. Maybe next time it should be done discreetly which apparently the other 17 coaches have been doing.

Not apparently but run with that narrative if you like.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

You seem very invested in this.

Essendon had every right to keep Merrett - but it's just dumb.

Welsh was calling him every day according to Mitch Cleary, the powerbrokers were meeting with him. Brad Scott shared the new vision.

He still wanted to go.

If you roll out the red carpet for someone and they still dont want to be there you should probably cut your losses and focus on fixing your club. I mean, they weren't even pursuing other players outside of the Merrett trade. That's also their right but it's also dumb.

I dunno, as a hawks fan, we've always helped players exit as well as we can. We don't stand in the way of players that want to leave. It's weird for us to see this. Very odd behaviour. Doesn't seem very smart, even though it's their legal right.

But yeh, for Essendon it's considered a big win, so good for them.

It's not considered a big win. Your picks were not appealing and all the insistence about them being first rounders doesn't change the reality that it was 14, 26ish and another pick in the 20's. Combined you would struggle to get a single pick inside 10. About half of the offer for Petracca.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

I think that's the other thing that's odd as a hawks fan.

I guarantee if we got a fistful of picks from someon where we have three or four targets ready to go to charge at immediately. We would have done the pre-work in discussing with other clubs what to do with those picks once received. No way we'd be pushing back on the club trying to throw picks at us to go and do the leg work and find players for us. What's the chance of them finding a play that fits our list properly? It would be dumb to just wait for that club to magically select and negotiate with players and hope they're good for us.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

It's not considered a big win. Your picks were not appealing and all the insistence about them being first rounders doesn't change the reality that it was 14, 26ish and another pick in the 20's. Combined you would struggle to get a single pick inside 10. About half of the offer for Petracca.

It depends who you talk to.

There's lots of fist pumping at Essendon over this.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

The same Worpel that got walked over in the prelim? Cats will enjoy he's mongrel floaters to Jezza Cameron on the lead. If we valued him more than pick 43 we would have tied harder to keep him. Unlike your club we don't stand in the way of players who want to leave and hold them hostage.

yeah you got walked over in the prelim with worpel, now you dont even have that scrub. Just an injury prone Day, Newcombe and a slew of guys that were even shitter than the worpedo. Meanwhile you dismiss the suns who have miller, anderson, rowell with humphrey pinch-hitting. they just added an AA calibre premiership mid into the mix.

happy for you to continue ranting about how a bottom 4 team didnt hand their contracted captain to you, but face facts you arent catching up to the big dogs without a serious overhaul of your midfield. You had a guy who could assist within your grasp but you let him go due to your own hubris.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

Merrett stuck at a team that hasn’t won a final in overs 20 years, he will be disappointed but he’s a professional and will give it all next season

Let’s hope the Bombers can get a top 10 pick right for a change and get the there Injury management back on track, so Merrett doesn’t want leave in a years time

And if he does want to leave again, let’s hope the Hawks have the capital to try and trade a contracted player out of the club. A good first step is not offering your first trade on day 9.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

I don;t understand how Hawthorn didn;t understand they had to offer more.

There were 2 contracted Suoerstars targeted this year, Merrett, Curnow and Petracca. Sydney and Gold Coast paid the required absolute overs, but Hawthorn wouldn't. Instead the offered just a top players package. They simply had to offer a half decent player or the extra top pick.

And yes it is up to you to find such a player, or add the extra pick. You are trying to gain a superstar. Curnow and Petracca have had average last 2 years, but not Merrett. Reigning B&F and Captain. And probably has more longevity than Curnow and Petracca.

You can't have a superstar like that in your palm and not go ALL IN and then come out behind. Not with how important 5-6 years of Merrett would have been to you. I couldn't believe they didn't go all in like Sydney and GC did. .

Essendon were never gonna cave to the enemy unless you did. It was the perfect player to bring in at the perfect time. A relentless, classy superstar mid with positional versatility. No-one more than Hawthorn should know how valuable they are.

Stunned.

Just stop. GC got picks back in return so explain to me how that deal is paying ridiculous overs. It was on par with what it should have been for an elite player. Curnow is a key forward in the prime of his career who has won 2 Colemans. You always pay way over for a similar type of player at any club. You don't pay 4 firsts and a player without anything coming back for a 30 year old. Not now not ever. It was ridiculous than and it will continue to be seen as that for the foreseeable future. You don't piss off player managers in the process either who said it was a fair deal we offered and so did Merrett. Do yourself a favour and sit this out and enjoy the wasteland of a forward line you will have moving forward.

 

[jannissary]

Mate enough with the garbage it was a ridiculous position your club decided to take and you know it. Unlike us who actually let players go who want to leave with little fanfare like a professional club does. Do you even know what that's like? 2004 would have been the last time you did anything resembling functioning effectively.

#Melty

everytime you mention the finals number is you personally admitting you’ve been intellectually bested by a superior intellect. move on, squirt

 

[Geead]

I don;t understand how Hawthorn didn;t understand they had to offer more.

There were 2 contracted Suoerstars targeted this year, Merrett, Curnow and Petracca. Sydney and Gold Coast paid the required absolute overs, but Hawthorn wouldn't. Instead the offered just a top players package. They simply had to offer a half decent player or the extra top pick.

And yes it is up to you to find such a player, or add the extra pick. You are trying to gain a superstar. Curnow and Petracca have had average last 2 years, but not Merrett. Reigning B&F and Captain. And probably has more longevity than Curnow and Petracca.

You can't have a superstar like that in your palm and not go ALL IN and then come out behind. Not with how important 5-6 years of Merrett would have been to you. I couldn't believe they didn't go all in like Sydney and GC did. .

Essendon were never gonna cave to the enemy unless you did. It was the perfect player to bring in at the perfect time. A relentless, classy superstar mid with positional versatility. No-one more than Hawthorn should know how valuable they are.

Stunned.

Completely agree, however again, would Mackenzie/Lewis being thrown in have actually brought them to the table or would they still have stayed firm to make a statement?

I also think neither Mackenzie or Lewis wanted to be traded to Essendon, so unlike the NBA, we may have had no choice in being able to add one of them to the trade, as you can't force trade a player in the AFL. So this offer could very well have been the best the Hawks could have put up, perhaps if we hadn't left it so last minute we could have received a better pick to trade if they were willing to be traded to another team.

 

[jannissary]

Completely agree, however again, would Mackenzie/Lewis being thrown in have actually brought them to the table or would they still have stayed firm to make a statement?

I also think neither Mackenzie or Lewis wanted to be traded to Essendon, so unlike the NBA, we may have had no choice in being able to add one of them to the trade, as you can't force trade a player in the AFL. So this offer could very well have been the best the Hawks could have put up, perhaps if we hadn't left it so last minute we could have received a better pick to trade if they were willing to be traded to another team.

lewis no, for injury related reasons, mckenzie yes

 

[Geead]

I am sure McQualter and every other coach has privately approached targets during the season. I'm not naive there.

But your head coach now has a public 0 from 3 record in 2025. Maybe next time it should be done discreetly which apparently the other 17 coaches have been doing.

I agree, I don't think 3 meeting being leaked is coincidental. We will see if the same happens next year again i guess lol

 

[TheFourPillars]

er, no? That's completely not correct?

I wouldn't have thought it would need to be spelled out but the obligations between parties are different - the player is committing to service over a period of time and the club is committing to paying them for that service.

I'm genuinely struggling to believe you've posted this, honestly. Either you're way too emotionally affected by this or you actually have no idea how contracts function

hahaha yes I wonder about the contract young Ugle Hagan was on when he didn't train or play this entire year and the consequences for such a breach. Contracts have a way of being used in different ways in the AFL

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Throughout this trade period McKenzie's value somehow now exceeds 2 -3 first rounders.

 

[Ka Norkers]

James Worpel

29

James Worpel

Age

26

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.2

5star

HB

11.3

5star

M

2.9

3star

T

4.5

5star

CL

5.1

5star

No current season stats available

D

15.6

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

9.4

5star

M

1.0

1star

T

3.2

5star

CL

1.8

4star

2025. 21 matches played, was 21st in the best and fairest.
Love the guy, but he is certainly no loss, as the stats would indicate.

 

[Dazza the Viking]

And if he does want to leave again, let’s hope the Hawks have the capital to try and trade a contracted player out of the club. A good first step is not offering your first trade on day 9.

You should be worrying about your club Essendon, than what Hawthorn are doing or not doing

 

[Red Black and Blue]

It depends who you talk to.

There's lots of fist pumping at Essendon over this.

I haven't seen a lot of fist pumping, I've seen divided supporters on what should have been done. I'm someone who wanted him traded and even still I wouldn't have accepted the package. Unfortunately the reality is with this draft being unattractive, your picks couldn't generate the traction a top 10 pick would normally. Last years draft and this deal likely gets done.

 

[jannissary]

It depends who you talk to.

There's lots of fist pumping at Essendon over this.

talk out your ass more please, it makes you look really smart

 

[bomberlegend2007]

You should be worrying about your club, than what Hawthorn are doing or not doing

Oh, I’m not worried.

 

[jannissary]

Why Merrett saga was ‘line in the sand’ moment for Dons... and how it will hurt Hawks

Why Merrett saga was ‘line in the sand’... and how it will hurt empty-handed Hawks

www.foxsports.com.au

that darn biased…. dylan bolch… he doesn’t know what he’s talking about at all!!!