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

[Lore]

There we go, that's the clip:

 

[HairyO]

Wait - sorry, I'm slow on all this draft detail - so if the pick gets pushed because of academy picks or father son selections it doesn't actually change who Hawthorn/Essendon would draft with that pick?

It's only the compo picks that actually change who will be available for them to select, right?

So if pick 8 gets pushed to pick 50 because there are 42 northern academy players picked up by brisbane and gold coast then Essendon would still be drafting the same player anyway with pick 50?

Technically yes. Clubs can only draft players who are available. Every time they select a F/S or Academy the big can be matched - and usually are.

So from that standpoint, pick 8 would get the 8th best available player - who likely is the 11th or 12th best (highest rated) player in the draft.

What the AFL should have done many years ago was no matching unless you have a pick in the same round of the draft as a part of the transition to no matching at all in the 1st round of the draft.

Clubs with top draft picks because they have had poor seasons are not able to top up quickly because the best players get gobbled up. And, in a scenario like this with Merrett, pick 8 sounds like a great pick for a 30 year old but will drift out.

Even though ultimately it still gets used to select the same player at 11th or 12th, rather than 8th.

 

[Hawkk]

Mitch Lewis. Damn Hawthorn are rolling out the big guns now. How could you possibly turn down this gun.

Not far off.

Carlton pick, future first and Mitch Lewis for Merrett. McKenzie, Worpel compo (traded up to 1st when bundled with Carlton second) for Petrecca

Will probably need some forwards to build again the year after but Hawthorn has always been an attractive target for additional targets (big Vic club, MCG, multi-generational success over 70 years etc.)

We have five seasons left to tick off the 2020’s in the run. And need to get James Sicily a flag before he retires (since 1959 only one Hawthorn captain has not won a flag, Ritchie Vandenberg)

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Technically yes. Clubs can only draft players who are available. Every time they select a F/S or Academy the big can be matched - and usually are.

So from that standpoint, pick 8 would get the 8th best available player - who likely is the 11th or 12th best (highest rated) player in the draft.

What the AFL should have done many years ago was no matching unless you have a pick in the same round of the draft as a part of the transition to no matching at all in the 1st round of the draft.

Clubs with top draft picks because they have had poor seasons are not able to top up quickly because the best players get gobbled up. And, in a scenario like this with Merrett, pick 8 sounds like a great pick for a 30 year old but will drift out.

Even though ultimately it still gets used to select the same player at 11th or 12th, rather than 8th.

Yeh ok - so the whole "pick 8 is really pick 29" is irrelevant unless it's the compo picks pushing it out.

 

[Come back Cyril]

Dono, I wouldn’t want him at the lions.

Your list management would.

 

[jdstorm]

You didn't even read his post did you?

I'm starting to understand the damage 20 years of Adrien Dodoro winning trade week has done to this club's supporter base.

I read exactly what he wrote.

To summarise. Hawthorn have lots of good players. We value Zac as depth and that will inform any offer we make for him.

If one club values a player as Captain, BnF winner and an AA calibre player even if not selected, and another thinks they are generously a 12 man no better then a player they are willing to let go via free agency to Geelong a club notoriously known for not overpaying players (legally anyway) or the high pick who’s been mostly been playing VFL in his 3rd season (typically when good mids break out)

Then it seems too great a disparity in perceived value to find common ground.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Is this a joke? We absolutely are punching behind Brisbane and Geelong. But Collingwood, lol, they are rolling a Hawthorn reject in their starting line up.

I'm still baffled by "Guthrie".

Zac Guthrie is a defender. And Cam has missed like 3 years due to injury....

 

[Elixuh]

After hearing Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis

Age

39

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

310.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.8

5star

say that Essendon have no choice but to trade ZM for whatever they can get, I’ve changed my tune.

 

[Hawkk]

After hearing Jordan Lewis say that Essendon have no choice but to trade ZM for whatever they can get, I’ve changed my tune.

Wasn’t Jordon Lewis on the committee that selected Brad Scott? Absolutely has the Bombres best interest at heart…

 

[Leather Poisoning]

hahaha the quote they showed On the Couch from Brad Scott saying you shouldn't try to keep players that want to leave.

 

[CobberRodgers]

hahaha the quote they showed On the Couch from Brad Scott saying you shouldn't try to keep players that want to leave.

Not forgetting Brad himself requested a trade, from Hawthorn, to go and play with his brother

 

[Elixuh]

Wasn’t Jordon Lewis on the committee that selected Brad Scott? Absolutely has the Bombres best interest at heart…

The calls coming from inside the house

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Brad Scott is quite a funny character in this scenario. Initially clueless that his perenially unhappy captain was in fact still unhappy .

Contrasting the presented quote with his recent comments on 360:

Brad then "Potentially it is possible to coerce a player into staying"
Brad now "We raised Zach's salary because we were effectively underpaying him"

Brad then "A player in the end resents that and thinks they were guilted into staying or coerced into staying and that's a bad outcome for everyone"
Brad now "I was blindsided that he was meeting with another club"

 

[JayJ20]

Wait - sorry, I'm slow on all this draft detail - so if the pick gets pushed because of academy picks or father son selections it doesn't actually change who Hawthorn/Essendon would draft with that pick?

It's only the compo picks that actually change who will be available for them to select, right?

So if pick 8 gets pushed to pick 50 because there are 42 northern academy players picked up by brisbane and gold coast then Essendon would still be drafting the same player anyway with pick 50?

There's a big difference between the 8th best player in the draft and the 8th best player in the open draft. Pick 8 doesn't have the same value from year to year. Last year, teams would have given up a lot for pick 8. This year, I doubt teams would even bother making an offer.

This year, there are 3, possibly 4 northern academy players and Carlton's F/S Dean that are inaccessible in the projected top 10 players. The draft is already weak talent-wise and further weakened by the fact that 4 or potentially 5 of its top talent are locked out of the draft.

Pick 8 is not going to be worth the same as last year where the top 10 only had two academy players (pick 5 and 9) in a strong draft. On top of that, we have West Coast and Essendon likely getting Band 1 compensation, which further dilutes the pick.

If Essendon get pick 8, it blows out to 14-15, (2 compensation picks + 4-5 academy-F/S players).

In an already weak draft, the quality drops off, which is why one first is nowhere near enough.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

After hearing Jordan Lewis say that Essendon have no choice but to trade ZM for whatever they can get, I’ve changed my tune.

Sam Frost and a third rounder it is.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

There's a big difference between the 8th best player in the draft and the 8th best player in the open draft. Pick 8 doesn't have the same value from year to year. Last year, teams would have given up a lot for pick 8. This year, I doubt teams would even bother making an offer.

This year, there are 3, possibly 4 northern academy players and Carlton's F/S Dean that are inaccessible in the projected top 10 players. The draft is already weak talent-wise and further weakened by the fact that 4 or potentially 5 of its top talent are locked out of the draft.

Pick 8 is not going to be worth the same as last year where the top 10 only had two academy players (pick 5 and 9) in a strong draft. On top of that, we have West Coast and Essendon likely getting Band 1 compensation, which further dilutes the pick.

If Essendon get pick 8, it blows out to 14-15, (2 compensation picks + 4-5 academy-F/S players).

In an already weak draft, the quality drops off, which is why one first is nowhere near enough.

Yes but they are only worse off by 2 players beacuse they couldn't select the 4-5 academy F/S picks anyway.

That's the point I'm making. You can argue that the draft is stronger or weaker, but you can't argue that the academy picks make pick 8 worth less because they're only missing out on un-draftable players.

And isn't one of those compo picks the on they're expecting for Draper?

 

[Elixuh]

Sam Frost and a third rounder it is.

And youll be thankful

 

[RCAB]

If this year is a weak draft, so what? Sounds more of an Essendon problem than a Merrett or Hawthorn problem.

 

[JayJ20]

Yes but they are only worse off by 2 players beacuse they couldn't select the 4-5 academy F/S picks anyway.

That's the point I'm making. You can argue that the draft is stronger or weaker, but you can't argue that the academy picks make pick 8 worth less because they're only missing out on un-draftable players.

And isn't one of those compo picks the on they're expecting for Draper?

Undraftable doesn't take them out of the 2025 talent pool, which means you're not getting the same value for the pick as you would if they were not tied to academies. Teams that finish higher jump the queue and pick better talent before us. Pretty simple concept to understand.

Yes it is for Draper, but it's Carlton's pick that is diluted. That's the one Hawthorn are trading/

 

[BIGHAWK23]

Pretty clear Lloyd has been sent a text message

Someone gave him a task on 9 and he actually butchered it

If you start with Watson, it’s rough

 

[HirdsTheWord]

If this year is a weak draft, so what? Sounds more of an Essendon problem than a Merrett or Hawthorn problem.

i mean kind of is everyone's problem if you want him and he wants out

those pesky contracts and all, if only they werent a formal agreement gosh darnit.

 

[Hawkk]

i mean kind of is everyone's problem if you want him and he wants out

those pesky contracts and all

That’s why I want to get Petrecca done first so come what may well end up in front out of the week. If Merrett comes, great, if not we’ll still be a better team next year…

Petrecca wants Hawthorn, Melbourne is open to offloading him, and he’s a better fit for our actual needs.

 

[tombomb]

Surely the only thing Essendon should be saying publicly, privately, or whatever is just 'Merrett is our best player. We understand he is frustrated that we aren't improving as quickly as he hoped. We will be reasonable in negotiations but we will only be trading him if we get an offer that helps us. Otherwise, we expect him to honour his contract'.

Unless Merrett is a complete dick, he would understand and respect that position and if a good offer doesn't come then everyone would just get over it and get on with preparing for next season.

 

[bluespooner]

Sam Frost and a third rounder it is.

I wouldn't be paying that for a 30 year old.

 

[bluespooner]

Surely the only thing Essendon should be saying publicly, privately, or whatever is just 'Merrett is our best player. We understand he is frustrated that we aren't improving as quickly as he hoped. We will be reasonable in negotiations but we will only be trading him if we get an offer that helps us. Otherwise, we expect him to honour his contract'.

Unless Merrett is a complete dick, he would understand and respect that position and if a good offer doesn't come then everyone would just get over it and get on with preparing for next season.

They haven't been saying that though and the outbursts of essendon players and supporters to a lesser extent, has made Merrett's position untenanble at essendon.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

They haven't been saying that though and the outbursts of essendon players and supporters to a lesser extent, has made Merrett's position untenanble at essendon.

Merrett meeting with an opposition club coach as captain is what's made his position untenable. If you notice that occurred before anyone commented on it, and "outbursts" is a fair bit of mayo. Senior players said they were disappointed. No duh?

Merrett isn't an idiot, he knows the only way to get out is to force our hand through the media. He knows there's no coming back from it. As long as we get the appropriate deal he can go, but I don't think we should roll over just because he's gone down this route.

I'd rather try and mend the bridge than just let him go for peanuts. I am sure Matt Rosa will make the right call, if it's his to make that is. Either way we are likely bottom 4 with or without Merrett so it's not going to change a huge amount realistically.