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

[Benson FC]

I was pretty hesitant about not accepting the trade, but after 24 hours.. I’m stoked. I actually think it is really unifying for our club. We stand for something. It might be small, and somewhat petty, but we haven’t stood for something for a long time. It started with a strong board decision, and I hope this filters down now to all supporters. We now bring in 3 kids and 2 academy players into a club that stands for something. My stance now is that we made the correct decision, and I’ll be spreading that word and sharing that with all essendon mates and supporters. The infighting about what was right and wrong should end now. Get behind the decision, this feels like the turning point. Hawks can piss off. This is our club, our captain, and try as you might, you couldn’t dismantle us. Feels nice to have something to swagger about for once.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Lol "a source with knowledge of what was said" so someone from the hawks or petroro himself, totally reliable source there
Petroro has also used scott gulan in the Sun to unload his frustrations.

 

[Lore]

Lol "a source with knowledge of what was said" so someone from the hawks or petroro himself, totally reliable source there
Petroro has also used scott gulan in the Sun to unload his frustrations.

View attachment 2459108

Petroro was aware that the cameras were there and SMSd Damien Barrett, who was live on air at the time, to explain what it was about. Barrett read some of the SMS out loud but couldn’t read all of it because of the expletives. That is how we found out about the four first rounders and a future second rounder counter offer.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Wasn't it something like "telling hawthorne to tell essendon to accept the ****ing deal"?

 

[jmoo wan]

Lol "a source with knowledge of what was said" so someone from the hawks or petroro himself, totally reliable source there
Petroro has also used scott gulan in the Sun to unload his frustrations.

View attachment 2459108

nah, i didn’t say you were a campaigner, i said you were acting like a campaigner, there’s a difference

 

[JayJ20]

Hawthorn wouldn't be in this position if they drafted Merrett instead of Billy Hartung

Billy Hartung

Age

30

Ht

177cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.0

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

8.3

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

1.8

4star

CL

1.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.0

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

. Not the first time they moved on from Merrett.

 

[Lore]

Lol "a source with knowledge of what was said" so someone from the hawks or petroro himself, totally reliable source there
Petroro has also used scott gulan in the Sun to unload his frustrations.

View attachment 2459108

The Sun article is basically just a recount but it’s alright. The most interesting bit is the amount of agency the players had in what they said to the media the week of the dinner

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-truth-about-essendon-and-zach-merretts-pr-war-in-failed-trade/news-story/8e39be59f208c0cba957ca4d2d87902f?amp

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Lol "a source with knowledge of what was said" so someone from the hawks or petroro himself, totally reliable source there
Petroro has also used scott gulan in the Sun to unload his frustrations.

View attachment 2459108

Just keeps getting better. And the melts on the Hawthorn board are delicious.

 

[windyhill]

**** me, this germ petroro also manages kako/caddy. FFS.

 

[Orfullrules]

Hawthorn wouldn't be in this position if they drafted Merrett instead of Billy Hartung. Not the first time they moved on from Merrett.

They tried moves on roger back in the day.

 

[Yoda_]

Zac deserves to drop Tom Petroro.

Slime ball who set Zac up with character attacks and rubbish innuendo. That fact isnt lost on me as a big reason why we wanted such a large haul. Hawthorn and Petroro are pathetic

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Zach's wife complaining on an instagram post that "it's not great". Spare me!

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Zac deserves to drop Tom Petroro.

Slime ball who set Zac up with character attacks and rubbish innuendo. That fact isnt lost on me as a big reason why we wanted such a large haul. Hawthorn and Petroro are pathetic

Hes basically boasted to the Herald Sun this evening about his strategy of leaking to Tom Morris. Bloke has cooked it and is now doubling down instead of showing some humility.

 

[Phone]

Zac deserves to drop Tom Petroro.

Slime ball who set Zac up with character attacks and rubbish innuendo. That fact isnt lost on me as a big reason why we wanted such a large haul. Hawthorn and Petroro are pathetic

lmao. it's ok, we can actually blame zach for his part in this too you know.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Zac deserves to drop Tom Petroro.

Slime ball who set Zac up with character attacks and rubbish innuendo. That fact isnt lost on me as a big reason why we wanted such a large haul. Hawthorn and Petroro are pathetic

the way they went about it was pretty ****in bad, have to say.

absolute amateur hour, id like to think it was petroro more than zach though, think he was massively led down the garden path.

 

[Phone]

in the end, maybe the funniest thing is that it's pretty obvious now that Hawthorn were really the only Victorian team actually interested in Merrett anyway, so Merrett and his manager probably could have gone down a different path at the start in how they tried to get zach out of here which may have been more successful

 

[84859300]

Zach's wife complaining on an instagram post that "it's not great". Spare me!

She and Mrs Mitchell would have been thick as theves!

 

[Zach Package]

Yeah I don’t know what the play was… Or if the Hawks was waiting for Zach and TP to go public and confirm the request.

At first I thought the waiting was to see if the two clubs were close to a deal before announcing a trade request.

I guess we will never know for sure… The two clubs are business they’ll be fine.

Zach is still human with a young family so hopefully he is doing okay!

Trade period needs to be shorter, 5 days tops!

As a fellow ‘I’ve named my Bigfooty account after a player that is no longer at the footy club’ poster, I half empathise with you.

I’ve still got half of it intact, can’t imagine how you are holding it together.

 

[Lore]

Trade period needs to be shorter, 5 days tops!

"work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion" - Parkinson’s law

 

[windyhill]

As a fellow ‘I’ve named my Bigfooty account after a player that is no longer at the footy club’ poster, I half empathise with you.

I’ve still got half of it intact, can’t imagine how you are holding it together.

POTY !

 

[Yoda_]

Break the Merrett picks down and it's shit. (hypothetical Hawks finish 4th in 2026 and 2027)

Pick 10 is neat and all (1,276 draft points)
pick 22 (686 draft points)

2026 first likely to be around pick 17 (879 draft points)
+ Henry Hustwaite (worth nothing)

Zac Merrett
2026 third rounder (what, likely pick 50? 71 draft points)
= 2,770 DVI (pick 2 & pick 38)


now go over what we apparently requested,

pick 10 (1,276 DVI)
pick 22 (686 DVI)

2026 first (circa 879 DVI)
2026 second (circa 277 DVI)

2027 first (circa pick 25, 590)
=3,118 DVI (pick 1 & pick 47)


Soo, its not really the godfather offer Hawks supporters want to make it out to be


Petracca just went for
pick 7 (1,543 DVI)
pick 8 (1,443 DVI)
pick 37 (297 DVI)
2026 first (likely pick 15, circa (973 DVI)

For Petracca + 24 (621 DVI) & 28 (505 DVI)
= 3130, pick 1 & pick 47

 

[Yoda_]

the way they went about it was pretty ****in bad, have to say.

absolute amateur hour, id like to think it was petroro more than zach though, think he was massively led down the garden path.

doesnt even begin to describe how pathetic he has acted. from the tantrum throwing on dead line day to the interview on behalf of Zac.




Can someone explain to me why Tom was going between the two clubs when he is acting for Zac, not Essendon and Hawthorn. Zac put his flag in the ground, it should be up to clubs to nut out a deal not via a player agent who has skin in the game

 

[Lethal]

Sign the Petition

Free Zach Merrett to join Hawthorn Football Club

www.change.org

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Mmmmm the Hawthorn tears are so salty and delicious, I'm drinking them up by the cup full at the moment...

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Sign the Petition

Free Zach Merrett to join Hawthorn Football Club

www.change.org

View attachment 2459223

Lisa twomey?

I knew cal twomey was a hawks insider!