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

[Just A Tragic]

Gone from being 'our leader' to 'a' player. He is a gun on the field and I'm sure that will continue, but he has lost my emotional investment.
Footy clubs should be more than logical reasoning, transactional employment. The club and player leadership should reflect that, enable that.
Hird, Lloyd, Watson, Heppell ,even Goddard had it. Zach doesn't. It is what it is.
Hopefully this is the catalyst for the club to wake up and realise the importance of recruiting for leadership (recent signs are good ).

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Reading between the lines I think he's a bit sheepish that Hawthorn was the only club to have a dip, maybe he thought there would be more suitors and therefore more chance a deal would be done?

I think before any other club got wind of his intentions he had made his mind up that Hawks was it. Whether Hawks contacted him earlier than we thought who knows.

Reckon if he was open to other clubs quite a few would’ve been interested

 

[Vindicater]

I’d argue it was just Hawthorne who sold the lemon, I really doubt he’d have gone down that path without assurances they’d get the trade done but they instead decided we’d fold for any old deal and didn’t bother putting forward something acceptable.

Petroro would have been in on it with Hawthorn. The plan to make it chaotic and messy is as much to blame on him.

 

[ghostdog]

Petroro would have been in on it with Hawthorn. The plan to make it chaotic and messy is as much to blame on him.

Agree. Managers advise.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

FFS one PR spin article was enough, we don’t need five and two videos.

 

[Phone]

I think before any other club got wind of his intentions he had made his mind up that Hawks was it. Whether Hawks contacted him earlier than we thought who knows.

Reckon if he was open to other clubs quite a few would’ve been interested

Nah.

Let's run through the clubs that would have a use for a 30yo Zach Merrett and would be willing to spend significant assets on him

Victorian clubs:

North: No
Richmond: No
Melbourne: No
St Kilda: Last year, yes. Obviously they went down a very different path this season which removed any chance of another go.
Carlton: No
Bulldogs: Saving up for a Butters push next season + probably unlikely to want to add Zach after keeping Treloar. Likely never considered going for Zach.
Hawks: Yes, obviously.
Collingwood: Probably would have liked to have a crack but had no assets
Geelong: They didn't even pay up for the ruckman they solely need

Interstate clubs:

Freo: Spent it last season
WC: No
Port: No
Crows: yep, could have had a crack
Lions: lmao
GC: Trac made far more sense for them
Swans: lmao
Giants: they went to the bargain bin instead.

Maybe Zach's crew really thought the Saints would have another crack but outside of that, Zach's a very difficult player to justify spending assets on for most of the competition. that's why it was so annoying that the Hawks were legitimately the most logical team to go after him!

 

[Howard Moon]

Gone from being 'our leader' to 'a' player. He is a gun on the field and I'm sure that will continue, but he has lost my emotional investment.
Footy clubs should be more than logical reasoning, transactional employment. The club and player leadership should reflect that, enable that.
Hird, Lloyd, Watson, Heppell ,even Goddard had it. Zach doesn't. It is what it is.
Hopefully this is the catalyst for the club to wake up and realise the importance of recruiting for leadership (recent signs are good ).

Yeh his whole aura has totally changed, he used to be like this image of Essendon for better or worse, you knew whatever was going on he would say the right thing , do the right thing and actually believed he was putting the club first because he was the club...

Now it's like the first time you find out Santa isn't real... Wait what? It's just 2 normal people buying stuff from Kmart? And I know them and they live with me and have been lying about it for years??

Now I see this little man with eye bags. Wearing over fitting kids clothing, fallible. He's a sub contractor coming to fix the toilet, arm deep not because he wants to but because he has to. You just know he's going home at night bitching about it...

Wish Santa was still real

 

[Bunk Moreland]

He's a sub contractor coming to fix the toilet, arm deep not because he wants to but because he has to. You just know he's going home at night bitching about it.

Poetry

 

[faible]

Yeh his whole aura has totally changed, he used to be like this image of Essendon for better or worse, you knew whatever was going on he would say the right thing , do the right thing and actually believed he was putting the club first because he was the club...

Now it's like the first time you find out Santa isn't real... Wait what? It's just 2 normal people buying stuff from Kmart? And I know them and they live with me and have been lying about it for years??

Now I see this little man with eye bags. Wearing over fitting kids clothing, fallible. He's a sub contractor coming to fix the toilet, arm deep not because he wants to but because he has to. You just know he's going home at night bitching about it...

Wish Santa was still real

DRYP making a lot more sense now.

 

[doug85]

I’m hoping for a Steve Smith post sandpaper gate press conference. I want tears replete with spasmed breathing. Beg for my forgiveness, he owes me that much.

 

[Runk]

FFS one PR spin article was enough, we don’t need five and two videos.

This.

All I want from him next season is the professional we have seen on field & training track. I genuinely do not give one single brass razoo about him outside of that. Enough with the media fluff.

Once the season is done he can go join whoever he wants and we can move on.

 

[JDavey]

I think this is something that both Zach and Essendon fans probably didn't want to admit: only one Victorian club would have been interested in Zach. That's probably an ego blow to Zach, and obviously for us, it would have been nice if some other Victorian clubs started makings offers instead of just the Hawks. During the trade period I think I basically identified the Crows as the only other team in the comp that would logically want Zach (taking the view point that Petracca made more sense for the GC than Zach would have).

Most of the Vic clubs just aren't contenders, if Zach is leaving for success why would any of them put their hand up? Pies finished top 8 but they're going the other way. Mum won't let Chris take Brads toys and that leaves the Hawks.


In regards to some of the broader conversation:
I don't think Zach has anything to apologise for, when he signed the vision was clearly we would be closer to contending now then we actually are (due to factors largely outside his control). Given we haven't delivered on that front I understand why he would be exploring elsewhere so he can taste some success. We held him to his contract which is fair game and it is what it is in the end. Hopefully we make large progressions on field this year and he can see himself finishing up as a Bomber - if not I do wish him success and hope we can find a good deal come the end of the year.

No idea why some of our fans take it so personally, it's his life not yours buddy.

 

[Howard Moon]

Most of the Vic clubs just aren't contenders, if Zach is leaving for success why would any of them put their hand up? Pies finished top 8 but they're going the other way. Mum won't let Chris take Brads toys and that leaves the Hawks.


In regards to some of the broader conversation:
I don't think Zach has anything to apologise for, when he signed the vision was clearly we would be closer to contending now then we actually are (due to factors largely outside his control). Given we haven't delivered on that front I understand why he would be exploring elsewhere so he can taste some success. We held him to his contract which is fair game and it is what it is in the end. Hopefully we make large progressions on field this year and he can see himself finishing up as a Bomber - if not I do wish him success and hope we can find a good deal come the end of the year.

No idea why some of our fans take it so personally, it's his life not yours buddy.

Wish we could all sign a massively front ended contract, take the big part then walk on the small part, sounds like a sweet deal

 

[Orfullrules]

Most of the Vic clubs just aren't contenders, if Zach is leaving for success why would any of them put their hand up? Pies finished top 8 but they're going the other way. Mum won't let Chris take Brads toys and that leaves the Hawks.


In regards to some of the broader conversation:
I don't think Zach has anything to apologise for, when he signed the vision was clearly we would be closer to contending now then we actually are (due to factors largely outside his control). Given we haven't delivered on that front I understand why he would be exploring elsewhere so he can taste some success. We held him to his contract which is fair game and it is what it is in the end. Hopefully we make large progressions on field this year and he can see himself finishing up as a Bomber - if not I do wish him success and hope we can find a good deal come the end of the year.

No idea why some of our fans take it so personally, it's his life not yours buddy.

Fans take it personally because Zach was part of the vision. He signed on. He was a leader. He has tried to jump ship twice during this vision. Questions marks everywhere.

 

[astrowizzle]

Yeh his whole aura has totally changed, he used to be like this image of Essendon for better or worse, you knew whatever was going on he would say the right thing , do the right thing and actually believed he was putting the club first because he was the club...

Now it's like the first time you find out Santa isn't real... Wait what? It's just 2 normal people buying stuff from Kmart? And I know them and they live with me and have been lying about it for years??

Now I see this little man with eye bags. Wearing over fitting kids clothing, fallible. He's a sub contractor coming to fix the toilet, arm deep not because he wants to but because he has to. You just know he's going home at night bitching about it...

Wish Santa was still real

Hahaha I got great pleasure telling my younger brother that wants want real when he was like 3. A highlight of my middle child upbringing

 

[jdstorm]

I think before any other club got wind of his intentions he had made his mind up that Hawks was it. Whether Hawks contacted him earlier than we thought who knows.

Reckon if he was open to other clubs quite a few would’ve been interested

I think the issue was more how many finals bound/successful clubs in Melbourne would want Zac because he clearly didn’t want to move.

With interstate clubs making up the majority of the top 8 there wasn’t much out there.

Suprised Geelong didn’t have a dip tbh but beyond them it’s only really pies and hawks meeting the criteria and pies is unrealistic as they don’t need another small mid

 

[Howard Moon]

Hahaha I got great pleasure telling my younger brother that wants want real when he was like 3. A highlight of my middle child upbringing

It's a brothers birth right

 

[Sleepwalker]

900+ gorillas a year he's earning. He's got his arm deep in the shi/ter at the Bombres. Practice for next year when he actually gets to wear those colours.

 

[JDavey]

Fans take it personally because Zach was part of the vision. He signed on. He was a leader. He has tried to jump ship twice during this vision. Questions marks everywhere.

So fans took it personally because we've been sold lemons for 25 years but it only took 10 for him to see through it?

 

[Orfullrules]

So fans took it personally because we've been sold lemons for 25 years but it only took 10 for him to see through it?

Can’t answer that question. Only sure Zachs manager would be speaking with Schweppes.

 

[DonsRule]

 

[dank420_]

CHANGE THE THREAD TITLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[Runk]

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Thank ****, was starting to worry a little with all the puff pieces last few days that the club was trying to soften us for the announcement he would remain captain

 

[Bunk Moreland]

“Stepping down”