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

[katana]

The deal was Pick 10, Pick 22 and (best guess) Pick 17 next year.

This year’s draft is widely considered to be weak at the top end. The picks are worth less and we already have five of them.

It wasn’t a terrible deal by any stretch, but I don’t think it was ridiculous overs for the superstar that Merrett is and will continue to be for another few years.

that's more than adequate. it's not 'ridiculous overs'. but when does that ever happen? carlton ffs just got curnow done, melbourne got petracca done.

 

[bommer16]

Been supportive throughout.

 

[windyhill]

Come on Zach, it's ****ing Dingly son !

 

[Phone]

that's more than adequate. it's not 'ridiculous overs'. but when does that ever happen? carlton ffs just got curnow done, melbourne got petracca done.

a key feature is that Carlton and Melbourne sent stuff over to the Swans/GC too. It doesn't seem like we were remotely interested in doing that. If you're asking for 3 X First Round picks, the reality is you're going to need send the other team a 2nd round pick or two over as well (if only we had some 2nd round picks to spare. oh well)

 

[dank420_]

Now go to your ****en room Zach and make sure you fold your shit clothes

 

[Doss]

In the end our position, fundamentally, never really changed.

It was pretty clear picks in the 20s and 30s were never going to cut it. That should have been obvious.

So therefore, if Hawthorn really wanted to make it happen they needed to get their hands on a second high pick from a third and even fourth club, or convince a decent player of theirs to come over.

That didn’t happen, and there is no indication that there was ever much effort to make the third or fourth club aspect happen.

So here we are.

 

[CBombers17]

So we keep the 30yo captain that wanted out over a heap of good picks? Woohoo!?!?

 

[Blind Turn]

Just when you think we can't mess things we say hold my beer and we show what we really can do. A captain - the guy who's meant to provide the way forward to the players especially the young ones, basically said you're not good enough to give me success in the 6 remaining years I have that I want out and now we kept him and expect the players are going to have trust in him. Honestly, pick 10, 22 and a future first was pretty good given what we'll get offered next year. Could have taken the deal and tried to use the picks to get higher up etc or just use the picks, I mean 22 is such a terrible pick that we forget the great players we've taken over the last 5 years with picks in the top 10 (yes, sarcastic) and dismiss that we got Zac with picks 26. Muppets!!

A footy club also needs to make it patently clear that if you sign a contract with us you will treat that contract as stipulated. Then if you wish to break a contract you must work through it with the club you signed for - respectfully. You don’t undermine it and you certainly don’t allow the poaching club to destabilise the relationship. It’s not a precedent any self-respecting club should allow.

 

[Lore]

So we keep the 30yo captain that wanted out over a heap of good picks? Woohoo!?!?

Most of the picks were going to be futures which we can still get our hands on at the draft or in 12 months time

We gave up 2025 pick 10 and 22 to keep him. Picks we couldn't have actually used this year anyway, we'd have to trade it forward or up.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

I have no issue with us keeping him. He is a great player and he is also entitled to chase success if he thinks thats best.

But the way that the Hawks carried on, just expecting him to go to them is my issue. They kept throwing unders at us, they had Tom "Bin" Morris in their corner and obviously Merretts manager creating this massive media attack. We shouldnt have to settle for unders, we did the right thing, we knew his market value and stuck to our guns. I like that about Welsh, Rosa. Bit of back bone.

yeah it may come back to bite us in the immediate future but really what is three end of round 1 draft pics oging to do for Ess? sweet FA.

Welcome back Zac. Never doubted you.

Yep. A bigger bunch of arrogant tossers there is not.

 

[Petrify]

 

[Old Campaigner]

In the end our position, fundamentally, never really changed.

It was pretty clear picks in the 20s and 30s were never going to cut it. That should have been obvious.

So therefore, if Hawthorn really wanted to make it happen they needed to get their hands on a second high pick from a third and even fourth club, or convince a decent player of theirs to come over.

That didn’t happen, and there is no indication that there was ever much effort to make the third or fourth club happen.

So here we are.

I guess their fundamental issue coming into the trade period was that if they've got nothing of value to offer us then other clubs probably weren't going to bite either. So unless they offloaded a couple of good players to somebody they were unlikely to get any better picks for us.

I overestimated them, I assumed they had something in reserve in case we didn't blink but they weren't even willing to accept what in the scheme of things wasn't a hugely different deal for them and include the 2027 F1.

 

[quotemokc]

Hawthorn should takes notes from Sydney on how to trade for players.

 

[ghostdog]

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.

The point is he signed the contract. He also said he was all in on our future

 

[Blind Turn]

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Did the Alcatraz prisoners sign contracts to stay for another two years? How ****ing stupid! Idiots! They were never getting out.

I heard the prison they were offering to transfer him to was called Guantanamo. Might’ve dodged a bullet there Zach.

 

[Xyle01]

So we keep the 30yo captain that wanted out over a heap of good picks? Woohoo!?!?

Good picks according to who?

 

[brutus76]

Hawthorn should takes notes from Sydney on how to trade for players.

And Geelong.

 

[Charliebrow 16]

I think list spots are pretty tight too. So we probably would’ve needed to consolidate those Hawthorn picks and try to get higher up the order.

Not displeased. I think we’ll get less for him next year but that’s okay. It’s worth it just to see if we can repair the relationship and watch him retire in the red and black where he belongs.

 

[Old Campaigner]

The point is he signed the contract. He also said he was all in on our future

I mean if he was given certain assurances about our direction in order to have him sign the contract, and then thinks start looking to him like we're not living up to those I can understand why he might not be happy about it.

It seems like the things he was particularly upset about was Draper being let go and Laverde being delisted; the loss of mature players who might bring about success quicker than a new crop of draftees.

 

[Petrify]

Hawthorn should takes notes from Sydney on how to trade for players.

And Gold Coast. Player managers are going to be sooo cautious trading with Hawthorn now

 

[Phone]

I think list spots are pretty tight too. So we probably would’ve needed to consolidate those Hawthorn picks and try to get higher up the order.

Not displeased. I think we’ll get less for him next year but that’s okay. It’s worth it just to see if we can repair the relationship and watch him retire in the red and black where he belongs.

if only there was a way to do this

 

[dank420_]

I still don’t trust his judgement.

Wanting to share a locker room with Nick ****ing Watson

 

[Saddlemanbags]

If we traded 3 firsts for a 30yo curnow or petracca who actually didn't want to come here it'd be ridiculous, it'd nuke the club and set the rebuild back years, there'd be no logic to it. That's basically what we've done.

 

[Loonerty]

Aren't all the Hawks into memes and TikTok and shit.

He would've hated it.

 

[Old man fletch]

Hypothetical now, but if Hawks added another pick in the 20's to their offer yesterday, would that have been enough to get us to agree if we/they found a club wanting to trade out of the first round for a couple of second rounders?

Not really sure what their strategy was with an initial offer with 36 hours remaining, then an offer late on the last day which wasn't much better than their first offer