AFL Player 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett -

[Lore]

Get the sense he's a lot more money-driven than he is sometimes perceived by the public. I'm sure success for him is the be-all end-all, but I think he's got a deceivingly big eye on the $$ also

Not exactly. He’s paid under market rate in the first place and is generally willing to take a pay cut if it means success. But if you can have both…

 

[Chucks]

Not exactly. He’s paid under market rate in the first place and is generally willing to take a pay cut if it means success. But if you can have both…

Yeah fair point, was kind of thinking out loud when I posted that - happy to be corrected though. I think I was just reminiscing on all the extension issues at the end of '24, and the financials of the Hawthorn offer.

As a side note, was Hawthorns offer more financially lucrative? Something rings a bell about that, but could be getting mixed up

 

[ant555]

Yeah fair point, was kind of thinking out loud when I posted that - happy to be corrected though. I think I was just reminiscing on all the extension issues at the end of '24, and the financials of the Hawthorn offer.

As a side note, was Hawthorns offer more financially lucrative? Something rings a bell about that, but could be getting mixed up

Think they were pretty even.

His contract extension was more the club coming to him with an upgrade than Merrett actually chasing more dollars.

 

[Keystone agony]

Im now convinced this guys a decent part of the cancer that hasnt been removed yet

Hate jumping on giys that wanted out because theyve had their head turned. So i try and be partial to that

But hes not as good as the AFL world rate him as, certainly no where near as good as our fans rate him, tonight clearly showed that, no one in that VIC side even wants to talk to him, he looks alone

He doesnt defend much better than Shiel and Parish. Watch some of his chases theyre ordinary and its happened multiple times for us aswell, he picks and choses when to chase based on extrinsic motivation

Hes a con, hes a good player thats stood out in a poor side thats been given more or much of the drivers seat to a club as anyone else ive seen

Who constantly talks about winning 6 BnFs ?

Get what we were offered in 8 months time and shake hands

 

[Orfullrules]

Im now convinced this guys a decent part of the cancer that hasnt been removed yet

Hate jumping on giys that wanted out because theyve had their head turned. So i try and be partial to that

But hes not as good as the AFL world rate him as, certainly no where near as good as our fans rate him, tonight clearly showed that, no one in that VIC side even wants to talk to him, he looks alone

He doesnt defend much better than Shiel and Parish. Watch some of his chases theyre ordinary and its happened multiple times for us aswell, he picks and choses when to chase based on extrinsic motivation

Hes a con, hes a good player thats stood out in a poor side thats been given more or much of the drivers seat to a club as anyone else ive seen

Who constantly talks about winning 6 BnFs

Get what we were offered in 8 months time

Thought he was good and looked happy. Vic teammates looked happy with him. Not sure what you were watching.

 

[Duckworth]

Im now convinced this guys a decent part of the cancer that hasnt been removed yet

Hate jumping on giys that wanted out because theyve had their head turned. So i try and be partial to that

But hes not as good as the AFL world rate him as, certainly no where near as good as our fans rate him, tonight clearly showed that, no one in that VIC side even wants to talk to him, he looks alone

He doesnt defend much better than Shiel and Parish. Watch some of his chases theyre ordinary and its happened multiple times for us aswell, he picks and choses when to chase based on extrinsic motivation

Hes a con, hes a good player thats stood out in a poor side thats been given more or much of the drivers seat to a club as anyone else ive seen

Who constantly talks about winning 6 BnFs ?

Get what we were offered in 8 months time and shake hands

That post was hard to read and not just because of the poor punctuation.

 

[Vindicater]

Im now convinced this guys a decent part of the cancer that hasnt been removed yet

Hate jumping on giys that wanted out because theyve had their head turned. So i try and be partial to that

But hes not as good as the AFL world rate him as, certainly no where near as good as our fans rate him, tonight clearly showed that, no one in that VIC side even wants to talk to him, he looks alone

He doesnt defend much better than Shiel and Parish. Watch some of his chases theyre ordinary and its happened multiple times for us aswell, he picks and choses when to chase based on extrinsic motivation

Hes a con, hes a good player thats stood out in a poor side thats been given more or much of the drivers seat to a club as anyone else ive seen

Who constantly talks about winning 6 BnFs ?

Get what we were offered in 8 months time and shake hands

Yeah.

Nah.

 

[ant555]

Do not agree with exactly what KA is selling but if you take the blinkers off and watch his defensive actions from tonight's game you will see they were average compared to guys like McCluggage, Daicos and Serong.

 

[thisismyname]

Has he always worn an essendon coloured mouthguard? I haven’t noticed before. Does that signal anything about his intentions?

 

[Vindicater]

Has he always worn an essendon coloured mouthguard? I haven’t noticed before. Does that signal anything about his intentions?

I feel like he has actually...

 

[Keystone agony]

Has he always worn an essendon coloured mouthguard? I haven’t noticed before. Does that signal anything about his intentions?

Think hes signalled his intentions through wanting a contract extension

 

[jannissary]

Do not agree with exactly what KA is selling but if you take the blinkers off and watch his defensive actions from tonight's game you will see they were average compared to guys like McCluggage, Daicos and Serong.

acting as if it wasn't anything except retaliatory coaching from mitchell is laughable imo

 

[Big Fresh]

Do not agree with exactly what KA is selling but if you take the blinkers off and watch his defensive actions from tonight's game you will see they were average compared to guys like McCluggage, Daicos and Serong.

His chasing was noticeably poor last night, but it wasn't representative of his efforts last season.

 

[Petrify]

Do not agree with exactly what KA is selling but if you take the blinkers off and watch his defensive actions from tonight's game you will see they were average compared to guys like McCluggage, Daicos and Serong.

Last season he was rated as highly defensively as Dunkley across the course of the season

He was playing this game as a small forward/half forward for most of it. Judging the dudes defensive actions when he's out of position in an exhibition game is pretty crazy

 

[ant555]

Last season he was rated as highly defensively as Dunkley across the course of the season

He was playing this game as a small forward/half forward for most of it. Judging the dudes defensive actions when he's out of position in an exhibition game is pretty crazy

Half forward / small forward requires defensive actions. I judged him last night based on what other Victorian players where doing. It is not really hard to make a bit of effort. Others did. There were times in the wide shots where his teammates were giving him a bit of a stare for not doing the real basics.

His chasing was noticeably poor last night, but it wasn't representative of his efforts last season.

Which is why I only mentioned last night's game. Last year he was pretty good 80% of the time. Last night he looked like Zach from 4 years ago. It is also why I said I was not buying all of what KA was selling.

 

[GinniAndTonic]

Think hes signalled his intentions through wanting a contract extension

Is this the same Merrett that also said the other day that Essendon dictate his career moves for the next two years?

 

[crackers65]

His chasing was noticeably poor last night, but it wasn't representative of his efforts last season.

Zac only chases when he is a real chance of winning the ball. Otherwise he is the king of the joggers. Last year, and always before that.

 

[MiguelM]

Zac only chases when he is a real chance of winning the ball. Otherwise he is the king of the joggers. Last year, and always before that.

He doesn't possess elite pace either.

 

[Atavistic]

Is this the same Merrett that also said the other day that Essendon dictate his career moves for the next two years?

Clearly he loves us.

 

[Keystone agony]

Is this the same Merrett that also said the other day that Essendon dictate his career moves for the next two years?

Well yeh hes contracted

Hes pointing out the captain obvious

 

[JayJ20]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I want him gone at the end of the year. He stayed not because he backflipped, but because he was forced to stay. It's the way he went about it that permanently fractured it for me.

I don't mind him staying because we had no need for more draft picks in that draft, but this year is a different story.

 

[Lore]

Has he always worn an essendon coloured mouthguard? I haven’t noticed before. Does that signal anything about his intentions?

I feel like he has actually...

It was always white up until a year or two ago, but I’ve seen the red and black one before now.

 

[astrowizzle]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I want him gone at the end of the year. He stayed not because he backflipped, but because he was forced to stay. It's the way he went about it that permanently fractured it for me.

I don't mind him staying because we had no need for more draft picks in that draft, but this year is a different story.

This exactly. Better picks we need.l Zach we don't. He can request a trade but to throw the dunny out the cot was pathetic. regardless of whether it was him or his manager did my head totally. he knew and played his part. If hes spending next year designing crap clothes good luck to him.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Don’t mind us keeping him, to show we won’t just react to any player’s whim. Might have stopped another half dozen wanting impulsive trades in the next few years

Just hope he can be coached this year, and made to pick up his effort if it is under par.

He only works hard defensively when he decides to. Captaincy worked for that, brought out his grit.

Not sure “EFC is in charge of my career” offers the best settings for discretionary effort

 

[Runk]

No idea how anyone could make a judgement on a players attitude based off a glorified exhibition game? Wild