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

[MightyDon]

that's my thoughts, unless we're planning on getting rid of all of lual, hobbs and setterfield, we wouldn't have enough spaces anyway

2 of the 3 are gone anyway if not all 3

 

[Jobe Watson]

I don't think losing Merrett was ever apart of our plan, so whatever we're building towards, it's still on track.

We have enough picks to continue adding some great young talent even with Merrett staying. The rebuild continues. Time to get lucky in the draft and see what happens next year.

 

[silk]

If he really wanted out he would have picked more than one club.

 

[SAweagle]

Well done [PLAYERCARD]Andrew Welsh[/PLAYERCARD] and co, the onus was on whorethorn & the Merrett camp to come up with a satisfactory deal for an injury free 6 x BNF and 3 x AA club captain in his prime. 4 firsts and a second was fair and equitable given the current weak draft and upcoming compromised drafts.

Whorks just dropped the cup and have shown the league they cannot be trusted to get a deal done. Not to mention downgraded their own draft hand and pissed off a young player in HH.

Zach will front up in the professional manner he always has. Scott and senior players need to organise a meeting asap and have some tough convos and a few reds before November and this will all seem like a bad dream.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

is it really that hard to move picks? we have completely cooked this.

Without knowing what we’d be able to do in that space.

Picks are like anything - the more you have of them, the less valuable they are. Five inside 30 this year is a huge haul already.

Put in this way - if we only had one (or even two) inside 30, pretty certain Zac would be a Hawk now.

 

[katana]

Picks are like anything - the more you have of them, the less valuable they are.

what on earth? they may mean less but the value is the same.

 

[Doss]

Feelings are no different for me than yesterday.

I think we should have moved him on.

But Hawthorn also didn’t deserve to get their man given the way they (and Petroro and Merrett) tried to do this, so the other part of me is happy their approach didn’t get rewarded (And is that pyrrhic? Sure)

 

[thepokey]

Hawks have gone for and missed: Merrett, Allen, Reid and to a degree, Petracca and JDG.


Merrett should have been more open about leaving and opted for more than just Hawthorne.

If Merrett wanted out so bad and it was Hawthorn and only Hawthorn ... which basically meant we were his "second choice", then he shouldn't be too shattered, he gets his second choice.

But yeah, I feel like they would have done better being open to more clubs. We might have done better too with better deals being offered + more competition between deals. That's a hope for next year.

 

[ghostdog]

The deal is perfectly fine and it's a lot more than we'll get this time next year or the year after.

The probability that we win enough games next year to change Merrett's mind is very small. So all we are doing is shooting ourselves in the foot so that we can cosplay as a proud and successful club.

I'd much rather we simply set ourselves up for a proper rebuild and this trade, while not perfect, may achieve that.

We stood up on principle today. I'm super proud. I haven't felt this proud of our club for a very long time.
It might set back the rebuild from what it could have been, but actually, we had signed Zach; therefore, we had already strategised our rebuild to include him. All we've forfeited today has been a draft hand inequitable to his true value.

 

[StackedHunch]

As I mentioned above, we get appropriate return when there is a fair marketplace. If several clubs are bidding, the value goes up. Let’s see how your club copes if the Bulldogs groom him next year and he’s a bit put off by your inability to get the deal done this year.

You make a good point. But 4 first round picks. Come on now.

 

[Howard Moon]

If you dont wanna do the time, don't sign the contract, simple. If you do want to go, make sure you choose a club that knows what it's doing, like Sydney - they stumped up big, they win their prize.

This will be a turning point in his clubs and managers deal with contract's

 

[tha Freak]

Fu#k Hawthorn. We have lost nothing. Our contracted player stays.

 

[Here_we_come]

Merrett simply isn’t worth 4 first rounders. How deluded are we to even suggest that.

 

[jannissary]

Feelings are no different for me than yesterday.

I think we should have moved him on.

But Hawthorn also didn’t deserve to get their man given the way they (and Petroro and Merrett) tried to do this, so the other part of me is happy their approach didn’t get rewarded (And is that pyrrhic? Sure)

of the belief that (without knowing the interpersonal shit) petroro spent the majority of his time trying to get anything out of hawthorn before doing something for us

 

[BratPack]

You make a good point. But 4 first round picks. Come on now.

 

[Blind Turn]

You make a good point. But 4 first round picks. Come on now.

One person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist. One person’s ‘4 first round picks’ is another person’s ‘compromised draft hand’.

 

[Stumpy Pete]

Well done Essendon. Great to see you stick your guns on this. Petroro and his tactics can get in the bin. Merrett and Scott should sack him as their manager and Merrett should see this as an opportunity to demonstrate that his commitment to being a great footballer and leader is unwavering.

All clubs are in your debt on this - even Hawthorn.

Regards

S. Pete

 

[Phone]

i just love the idea that any other team would have actually offered more than the Hawks. That's not the reason why Zach hasn't been traded lol.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

what on earth? they may mean less but the value is the same.

On paper, of course.

But in reality, depends how you use them.

This draft is rated by all and sundry to be weak at the top end.

With five picks at the top end we’re already hugely exposed to it.

If it was packed with talent and there were 10 top prospects we love and want, those picks are worth more to us.

 

[Zach Package]

4 first round picks, Come on now.

Yes, I’d imagine that’s probably something like how it went down

 

[Runk]

What a dead set debacle

 

[pepsi]

Out of this scenario and the trade offered, I don't see how it really would have benefited the club.

We have already got several picks in the top 30 in this year's draft. With Hawthorne and their best offer being pick 10 (which would end up about 14) I just can't justify trading him to hawthorn for that.

Merrett should have been happy to go to any contending Victorian club and then we would have got an offer more worthy.

It never sat right with me that we would let him go to that club for a average offer that could help them reach the pinnacle.

Merrett will need to lick his wounds and turn up with a good attitude on day 1 of pre season, which I think he will.

If they provided a great offer, we would have accepted it. They did not.. we can't be blamed for that.

 

[Duckworth]

Ah well, **** you Hawthorn, **** your arrogant flog supporter base. Eat a dick Sam Mitchel you slimey turd and cook a ****ing better moussaka, Lyndall you hack.




Having said that, I would have done the deal.




Edit edit; Zach I always loved you.

 

[Burzum]

If you dont wanna do the time, don't sign the contract, simple. If you do want to go, make sure you choose a club that knows what it's doing, like Sydney - they stumped up big, they win their prize.

This will be a turning point in his clubs and managers deal with contract's

That's not entirely true. He signed the deal with the idea the club would be moving up the ladder and the club realised the list was shit and changed course.

 

[Phone]

Out of this scenario and the trade offered, I don't see how it really would have benefited the club.

We have already got several picks in the top 30 in this year's draft. With Hawthorne and their best offer being pick 10 (which would end up about 14) I just can't justify trading him to hawthorn for that.

Merrett should have been happy to go to any contending Victorian club and then we would have got an offer more worthy.

It never sat right with me that we would let him go to that club for a average offer that could help them reach the pinnacle.

Merrett will need to lick his wounds and turn up with a good attitude on day 1 of pre season, which I think he will.

If they provided a great offer, we would have accepted it. They did not.. we can't be blamed for that.

let's go through them

Pies: Not a chance
Dogs: Not chance
Geelong: Not chance
Saints: Not chance

done.

like, anyone trying this line is crazy. We just didn't want to do the deal.