AFL Player 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett - Stepping down as captain for 2026

[DERO]

It’s not really being hard to deal with though. Merrett is contracted, was approached by the horkes, the onus is on them to come up with a deal that convinces us to part ways with our captain and best player

Hard to bend over the table and ream.

 

[andleanback]

I guess we've played this well if we end up taking the deal... Hard to know what's really going on, but if Zerret's at the club next year I don't see how it benefits him or us. He wasn't himself all year, safe to say you can expect that level of performance and worse going forward.

Nah I feel at this point with the way the club have talked, they need to see it out til the end. If the fold like minute and take the deal I’ll be very disappointed. Petroro is a flog

 

[Mercurial89]

55 minutes of footage of them trying to make phone calls and going to voice mail, followed by 5 minutes of deadline day live streams?

More so this agent in particular being one who is followed. Maybe he bit off a bit more than he could chew.

I still think this gets done personally.

I've heard the agents doco was pretty good tv for what it's worth. Show me the money was the one.

 

[Saddlemanbags]

What?
He had a great year. Not sure what more you were expecting from him.

Guess we watched different teams because his disposal was worse than I've seen it in years. Winning the BnF doesn't mean much with all his competition down with injury, see roberts coming 2nd.

Any draft picks outside the top 5 are pretty speculative. I would rather have the known commodity and so would most clubs.

If we get a single 200 game player from one of those 3 picks it's a win. He's 30, he's not gonna play in a prem here, so he isn't worth as much to us as to Hawthorn or other contenders. I've heard people say he'll play to 35 so it's value keeping him, well that's a bigger if and more speculative than taking a punt on a first round pick by far.

 

[Lore]

More so this agent in particular being one who is followed. Maybe he bit off a bit more than he could chew.

I still think this gets done personally.

I've heard the agents doco was pretty good tv for what it's worth. Show me the money was the one.

Yeah I heard a lot about it, they've done it a couple of times. I think I've seen a clip from one of them at one point, but it was always on a platform I didn't have (Stan?)

 

[DERO]

More so this agent in particular being one who is followed. Maybe he bit off a bit more than he could chew.

I still think this gets done personally.

I've heard the agents doco was pretty good tv for what it's worth. Show me the money was the one.

What gets it done?

Currently the offer is 10 a future first and 22.

 

[MightyDon]

I guess we've played this well if we end up taking the deal... Hard to know what's really going on, but if Zerret's at the club next year I don't see how it benefits him or us. He wasn't himself all year, safe to say you can expect that level of performance and worse going forward.

If he doesn’t perform it only hurts his chances of getting traded to a strong club if he still wants out. Zach being contracted and only trying to force his way to one club who has no draft capital is as big a **** up on his part as it is the hawks but that’s why they tried to go nuclear

 

[carnthedons]

I don’t understand why Hawthorn aren’t going full kitchen sink here. They’ve tried to extract him, he’d be their best player, they think they’re close, we hope it’s Tom Mitchell/Jaeger

 

[thepokey]

How can Petroro say with a straight face he isn't happy with our behaviour? Keeping a contracted player to his contract? Wow shocking behaviour! Not at all like advising your client to go behind the club's back having dinner with an opposition coach and look to "blow up the club" on his way out.

I hope, for Zach's sake, if he ends ups staying that he fires his manager and gets someone in who conducts themselves better

 

[faible]

How can Petroro say with a straight face he isn't happy with our behaviour? Keeping a contracted player to his contract? Wow shocking behaviour! Not at all like advising your client to go behind the club's back having dinner with an opposition coach and look to "blow up the club" on his way out.

I hope, for Zach's sake, if he ends ups staying that he fires his manager and gets someone in who conducts themselves better

Given it appears he might well be the one leaking to Tom Morris, Petroro has burnt a lot of bridges with EFC trying to force this to happen.

 

[andleanback]

How can Petroro say with a straight face he isn't happy with our behaviour? Keeping a contracted player to his contract? Wow shocking behaviour! Not at all like advising your client to go behind the club's back having dinner with an opposition coach and look to "blow up the club" on his way out.

I hope, for Zach's sake, if he ends ups staying that he fires his manager and gets someone in who conducts themselves better

It’s because he thought with all his leaking and shit canning essendon the past months we’d just happily trade merrett. And we aren’t playing ball with his little game

 

[DallasCrane316]

Apparently Merrett’s manager looked very happy leaving the Essendon room - have we agreed to a trade?

 

[Saddlemanbags]

If he doesn’t perform it only hurts his chances of getting traded to a strong club if he still wants out. Zach being contracted and only trying to force his way to one club who has no draft capital is as big a **** up on his part as it is the hawks but that’s why they tried to go nuclear

I think they've offered plenty, certainly more than other contending clubs could. He probably knew he wanted out this year too but it didn't help his performance, he's played here 12 years there comes a point where you just can't keep giving it 100% for 0 in return, and this period would have to put a dent in his trade/premiership hopes going forward.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Given it appears he might well be the one leaking to Tom Morris, Petroro has burnt a lot of bridges with EFC trying to force this to happen.

I'd suggest other clubs would be paying attention too, and quite a few would be unimpressed

 

[Chucks]

Just outrageous gaslighting by Petroro regarding Merrett, and the whole '30 years old' narrative. You'd think he's some washed up, old campaigner who can barely walk.

Ironically, he's probably going to the Hawthorn camp and reassuring them that Zach's got a good 8 years left. Lol

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Apparently Merrett’s manager looked very happy leaving the Essendon room - have we agreed to a trade?

I recall the phrase "jacked off" mentioned in this thread a while back. Dare I say...

 

[emblurr]

They need to stick this up on the door of the Essendon room

 

[Old Campaigner]

I don’t understand why Hawthorn aren’t going full kitchen sink here. They’ve tried to extract him, he’d be their best player, they think they’re close, we hope it’s Tom Mitchell/Jaeger

There's still hours to go, if there's more first round picks on offer they'll come right before closing time

 

[Corleone]

Apparently Merrett’s manager looked very happy leaving the Essendon room - have we agreed to a trade?

I think this would be just about enough to make me walk away from the club if this trade goes through.

If Welsh is going to come out and lie to the supporters on day one, how can we take anything that comes from the club seriously at all?

 

[maskmcgee]

They need to stick this up on the door of the Essendon roomView attachment 2457219

But we only have one so he'd still be allowed in

 

[boncer34]

Given it appears he might well be the one leaking to Tom Morris, Petroro has burnt a lot of bridges with EFC trying to force this to happen.

I'd suggest other clubs would be paying attention too, and quite a few would be unimpressed

Remember when people thought the same about Connors?

Nobody in the industry will care in 3 weeks time.

 

[Lore]

Hawthorn swapped picks with Carlton a few minutes ago, they now have 10 and 22 this year ^

They still have all their 2026 and 2027 picks, plus a 2026F3 tied to Sydney

 

[Lore]

Remember when people thought the same about Connors?

Nobody in the industry will care in 3 weeks time.

Because they know on which side their bread is buttered. Player managers have too much power to be properly ignored (unless you're Leek Aleer's manager, then you're not powerful enough to protect your client from a club reneging on a deal).

 

[Milanista28]

Correct - we are in a competition and it’s not in our interests to make one of our opponents stronger.

Emotional response. Unhelpful to us.

 

[thepokey]

I don't like the idea of Merrett and Petroro being happy at the end of today