Z Merrett meets Hawks / betrayal

[Outtatym]

You speak to any one club player and they will tell you the pride they have for playing for one club is immense.
To jump ship to another club for the last 2 or 3 years of your career, to chase a flag you probably won't get, will diminish his reputation at Essendon. Is it worth it?

Dunno how many one club players would be speaking with immense pride if they never won anything - let alone a final.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Good luck to the bloke. Essendon are miles off it and he deserves a real crack before his time is up.

No one at Essendon thinks less of Paul Salmon because he went and finished his career at Hawthorn.

That's not correct. He finished his career at Essendon.

Also, he wasn't club captain and their best player when he left.

 

[PiCkLeJuiCe]

We are not that far away from

1. NRL style - player signs for another team for next year during the season; and then
2. NFL / MLB style - players traded during the season to another team

 

[Linda Lovelace]

I'm just excited at the prospect of finding out whether the Ewing Theory can be applied to the AFL.

Thank you for alerting me to this hilariously stupid 'theory', which makes little sense being named after Ewing in the first place.

 

[iameviljez]

You speak to any one club player and they will tell you the pride they have for playing for one club is immense.
To jump ship to another club for the last 2 or 3 years of your career, to chase a flag you probably won't get, will diminish his reputation at Essendon. Is it worth it?

Now introduce those one club players to Brian Lake, Tom Lynch, Isaac Smith, Josh Gibson, Joe Daniher, Shaun Burgoyne, Patrick Dangerfield...... the list goes on and on

Yeah, exactly. And there are also plenty of star players who went on to play a few seasons at other clubs in the twilight of their careers - Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Chapman, SJ, etc etc. Not that many people really care that much about the one-club gold star.

 

[Nugett]

Carlton's 1st rounder + Mitchell's Nan gets the deal done.

Bit of physio and some deep heat and she could do bits off a half back flank before the hips start creaking.

Heard she makes a decent chocolate chip cookie…

 

[Corkintheocean]

I wouldn’t be upset if Cripps wanted to meet with West Coast.

I would be.

 

[Tackle Bag]

That's not correct. He finished his career at Essendon.

Also, he wasn't club captain and their best player when he left.

Makes my point even stronger. Clearly they weren’t carrying a grudge. They took him back.

He was a club champion. When all is said and done, no one cares that he played elsewhere. He is respected

 

[Rod Stroker]

Makes my point even stronger. Clearly they weren’t carrying a grudge. They took him back.

He was a club champion. When all is said and done, no one cares that he played elsewhere. He is respected

If Merrett leaves, their captain, after saying publicly 3 months ago that he's committed to staying, and then meeting rival coaches to explore an exit, the Ess faithful won't look at him with the same adoration as Salmon. Different situations.

 

[Boomer93]

Ok.

Here is the Data that just supports my argument, seeing as you are too lazy to have an opinion of your own. Again I have bolded the players who are still outstanding at an older AFL Age (my opinion)

For 31 Year Olds

Mason Wood
Taylor Adams
Jake Lloyd
Toby Greene
Elliot Yeo
Jack Crisp
Sam Docherty
Lincoln McCarthy
Alex Sexton
Harry Cunningham
Jed Bews
Stephen Coniglio
Rory Laird
Jaeger O'Meara
Kamdyn McIntosh
Jack Viney
Brodie Grundy
Nick Vlastuin
Jake Stringer
Aidan Corr
Tim Membrey
Sam Collins
Charlie Cameron
Oscar McInerney
Rory Atkins
Lachie Whitfield
Adam Saad
Tim Kelly
Jack Macrae
Toby Nankervis
Aliir Aliir


For 33 Year Olds

Nat Fyfe
Jack Gunston
Tom Campbell
Max Gawn
Steven May
Brodie Smith
Jeremy McGovern
Jamie Cripps
Tom Liberatore
Nick Haynes
Jack Darling
Cameron Guthrie
Jamie Elliott
Ryan Lester



For 34 year Olds
Luke Breust
Rhys Stanley
Steele Sidebottom
Michael Walters
Liam Jones
Mason Cox
Mark Blicavs
Taylor Duryea
Mitch Duncan
Jake Melksham


If you want me to do 35-39. Ill just say Pendlebury


My POINT is, that very few players stay in the outstanding catagory after they turn 31 or so. Looking at Their achievements, there are some outstanding players on the lists above, but they all fade eventually


So why would we sell the Farm for a 30 year old? Zach is Cream, not the cake

Hahaha that is a lot of effort for trolling. Can you re do the list and only include players that were ever 'outstanding'. Plenty of those players like Elliot and Melksham are currently playing as good as they ever have. You know this tho ur just being silly.

 

[Boomer93]

He will be 32 when his Essendon contract ends. So I would think it makes sense to see which 32 year olds are tearing things up.

The amount of AFL players that are 'tearing it up' to Merrets level are extremely small. So to catorgise it by specifically 32 year olds instead of 32+ year olds is just being manipulative.

 

[HairyO]

The amount of AFL players that are 'tearing it up' to Merrets level are extremely small. So to catorgise it by specifically 32 year olds instead of 32+ year olds is just being manipulative.

He is currently 29. We have no idea how he will go at 32. What we do know is that at his age, there are no small soft tissue issues. Everything takes far longer to recover.

We may only be offering 3 years, or 3 + 1.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Reminds me of Leigh Colbert

Leigh Colbert

Age

50

Ht

192cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.5

4star

K

8.6

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

10.8

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

6.2

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

when he left the Cats acrimoniously (and was Captain at the time).

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

He's shown an amazing amount of loyalty by staying as long as he has.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

We are not that far away from

1. NRL style - player signs for another team for next year during the season; and then
2. NFL / MLB style - players traded during the season to another team

the NRL thing is horrible. imagine fronting up against your new team mates in a key match late in the year.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

Yeah, exactly. And there are also plenty of star players who went on to play a few seasons at other clubs in the twilight of their careers - Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Chapman, SJ, etc etc. Not that many people really care that much about the one-club gold star.

Those blokes had already won multiple flags.
What about Deledio? Do you think he is remember differently if he stays at the Tigers?

 

[MadMaxx]

Hahaha that is a lot of effort for trolling. Can you re do the list and only include players that were ever 'outstanding'. Plenty of those players like Elliot and Melksham are currently playing as good as they ever have. You know this tho ur just being silly.

I am not sure you get the point.... This is ALL players in that catagory.. If you need me to tell you who is and was good. Not sure I can help you.

Lazy posting to call someone a troll just because you cant understand it

 

[nineteen eighty]

the NRL thing is horrible. imagine fronting up against your new team mates in a key match late in the year.

NRL players manage it just fine. Very different levels of maturity between the codes when it comes to player movements. Fans are also accepting of it. AFL clubs and supporters take it personally whereas it's a business transaction with the NRL.

No judgement on either...just different. I'm old school and not a big fan of it but also have to accept that this is the norm these days.

 

[iameviljez]

Those blokes had already won multiple flags.
What about Deledio? Do you think he is remember differently if he stays at the Tigers?

No, I don’t - quite genuinely. Same with Bryce Gibbs.

 

[Boomer93]

I am not sure you get the point.... This is ALL players in that catagory.. If you need me to tell you who is and was good. Not sure I can help you.

Lazy posting to call someone a troll just because you cant understand it

You are discussing the affects of getting older on performance while using 95% irrelevant data, because 95% of those players were never performing at the required level that you used...

 

[Hawthorn United]

Good luck to the bloke. Essendon are miles off it and he deserves a real crack before his time is up.

No one at Essendon thinks less of Paul Salmon because he went and finished his career at Hawthorn.

He actually had a comeback and finished at Essendon.

Kinda the start and signs of how badly run they were to do that.

 

[dixyland]

hmmm..

Gary Buckenara says hold my beer, remember what happened with that?

An AFL club is not obliged to release a player from their contract, and can apply for an injunction to prevent them from playing at any competing club while their contract is in effect. What it's worth to Essendon becomes a question of what more do they lose from taking this position.

Of course they aren't obliged to let him go. But holding someone back to try and make a point only breeds resentment.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Those blokes had already won multiple flags.
What about Deledio? Do you think he is remember differently if he stays at the Tigers?

Do you think Essendon are going to play finals in the next 2 years?

 

[Shane Heard]

Do you think Essendon are going to play finals in the next 2 years?

If we had everyone firing and no injuries to 10 key senior players..for sure we had a big chance of making the 8 this year if momentum took hold.



Our form in the first month was really solid.
But as soon as we lost both ruckman, Caldwell, McKay, Ridley and Langford ..things went downhill very rapidly.

Probably our best small forward Guelfi was gone before the season ever began. So we had Kako debuting and finding the pace of league footy and with useless Gresham doing FA.


I do love Merrett as a player… but I didn’t really want him as captain after Heppell. He was just the most likely candidate out of our core senior ( older) players.
There’s always been something odd about him.

Here’s a comment ( not mine) that pretty much sums up ZM.

“I'm beginning to think Zach Merrett is all about Zach Merrett. I'm beginning to think maybe he's been the major problem in the club, with his " I am" attitude. The playing group dropped him from the leadership group a few years ago for his selfish attitude. He signs a contract then wants to sus out other options each year. If all of this is true, let him go. Demand Mitch Lewis and James Worpel as trades. The club is bigger than the individual. A good young list with 5 more picks under 30. Zach may miss the boat.”

 

[Deepthroat]

Do you think Essendon are going to play finals in the next 2 years?

Sept 2021 - We have Rutten leading us forward following a succession plan...

Sept 2022 - We have Brad Scott now after sacking Rutten and trying a Hail Mary for Clarkson, he's an experienced coach which will mean we get better, quicker...

Sept 2023 - We haven't really improved, but we have good players like Draper, Ridley, Hobbs, Perkins, Cox, Hind & Martin. We're paying big coin to McKay and Gresham to take us to the promised land.

Sept 2024 - No improvement. Tsatas, Hobbs have stalled, the others haven't come on much. We're not going to get better, quicker from FA's anymore nor are we going to use our first round pick.

Sept 2025 - See ya Draper, Ridley going too? Perkins & Cox look finished. Hobbs & Tsatas are busts... Let's sell a fully blown bottom up rebuild now and scapegoat our Captain for not wanting to stick it out.

More important question is can Essendon stick to a strategy for 2 years....

Who thinks Brad Scott will still be coaching Essendon in two years?????