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

[MiguelM]

This is just word salad and doesn’t answer the question.

He didn’t break any rules, there’s no need to apologise.

He went about it the wrong way and had just sprouted he "was all in".

It is not the fact he wanted to leave it is the lost trust by going against his word. Lost all integrity IMO. Playing is the easy part, getting trust back is much harder.

Everything he says now will be taken as BS.

I still think his manager had a lot to do with the way things panned out too.

 

[BomberFan355]

It is not the fact he wanted to leave it is the lost trust by going against his word. Lost all integrity IMO. Playing is the easy part, getting trust back is much harder.

Everything he says now will be taken as BS.

This exact same thing happens in work places, I had it happen in the last 18 months at the place i just finished up at. We had a good little team for a few years, then everyone's OT was cut besides the team leaders. Instead of him just telling us that, he just pretended he wasn't getting any. None of us cared that he was getting it, just that he kept up the BS that he wasn't. Everyone lost respect for him after that and it turned to shit and no a fun place to be. It's hard working for someone you don't trust, imagine it at an elite sporting level. There is no way he could have gone on as captain.

 

[Zach Package]

Good opportunity for him to attack footy without the weight and the baggage of the captaincy anyway I reckon, without all the external noise.

I don't buy into the 'he's not wearing Essendon gear' or 'he's not saying we', he was wearing an Essendon coloured mouthguard at training on Monday which I have never seen him do, it's all meaningless.

He's given a lot of himself and it's clearly worn him down, let's just give him the chance to focus on himself and let the footy do the talking, for him he gets paid the same to actually do less work and we get a fresh voice at a good time. Everyone wins in theory.

Turns out, he was, infact defatigable.

 

[ant555]

I think he behaved like a lot of supporters. **** the club. I am not buying a membership. I have had enough.
Zach. **** the club . 12 years and you still can not get your shit together.

 

[astrowizzle]

I think he behaved like a lot of supporters. **** the club. I am not buying a membership. I have had enough.
Zach. **** the club . 12 years and you still can not get your shit together.

Noone begrudges him that. It's the fact he tells everyone he's all in while trying to date Sam Mitchell that has caused the problems. Just say I've had enough rather than accepting pay rises and accolades. I don't give a crap if he doesn't play all year would rather watch the kids develop

 

[Lore]

Captain of the bandwagon got off the bandwagon

 

[ant555]

Noone begrudges him that. It's the fact he tells everyone he's all in while trying to date Sam Mitchell that has caused the problems. Just say I've had enough rather than accepting pay rises and accolades. I don't give a crap if he doesn't play all year would rather watch the kids develop

Well actually he said he was all in well before het met with Mitchell. He was all out by time he met with Mitchell. The only real thing he did wrong was not walking into the club and saying straight up he was going to explore his options. There was a lot happen between him signing the extension last year and the end of this year. Not sure his manager did him any favours either.

 

[astrowizzle]

Well actually he said he was all in well before het met with Mitchell. He was all out by time he met with Mitchell. The only real thing he did wrong was not walking into the club and saying straight up he was going to explore his options. There was a lot happen between him signing the extension last year and the end of this year. Not sure his manager did him any favours either.

Do we really know that. Mitchell seems to have been in his ear for a while

 

[Lore]

Well actually he said he was all in well before het met with Mitchell. He was all out by time he met with Mitchell. The only real thing he did wrong was not walking into the club and saying straight up he was going to explore his options. There was a lot happen between him signing the extension last year and the end of this year. Not sure his manager did him any favours either.

The meeting in August with coach manager etc that ended up being a list analysis was originally supposed to be with the intention of negotiating an extension or salary increase or something… that’s why his manager was there. I think he walked out of that meeting having done a complete 180, but didn’t communicate it to anyone else at the club

 

[Call Me Cake]

Can we please take the indefatigable outta the title thanks.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The meeting in August with coach manager etc that ended up being a list analysis was originally supposed to be with the intention of negotiating an extension or salary increase or something… that’s why his manager was there. I think he walked out of that meeting having done a complete 180, but didn’t communicate it to anyone else at the club

He was told explicitly of the club’s plans and that included not expecting to be able to compete for Top 4 and a premiership for many years to come.

His angle was that the club definitely needs a mature, accomplished ruckman and a mature midfielder or two in 2026. Fast tracking things via trade and / or FA.

He was told FA and trades were not in the clubs plans this year - we are prioritising elite talent in the draft and 2026 and 2027 will be about development of young elite talent.

For the first time in his career the club is serious about a proper rebuild and he thinks it’s probably come too late for him to see the fruits of it.

 

[jmoo wan]

i reckon we should make him captain of recruiting and list management, sounds like he was directly responsible for the three picks we got

 

[ant555]

Do we really know that. Mitchell seems to have been in his ear for a while

Mitchell was in his ear when Zach decided it was the Hawks which was after the meeting about our direction.

 

[Vindicater]

Mitchell was in his ear when Zach decided it was the Hawks which was after the meeting about our direction.

Mitchell was in his ear after Petroro realized he could get a huge pay day.

 

[ant555]

Mitchell was in his ear after Petroro realized he could get a huge pay day.

The pay day was not really a factor. It was about choosing a Victorian club in the window that had some assets to be able to trade. Pies did not have the picks to trade. Dogs where not interested. Hawks had first round picks. Petroro would have known that, the stuff up was playing it the way they did and the Hawks leaking like a rusty down pipe.

 

[maskmcgee]

 

[Old Campaigner]

The pay day was not really a factor. It was about choosing a Victorian club in the window that had some assets to be able to trade. Pies did not have the picks to trade. Dogs where not interested. Hawks had first round picks. Petroro would have known that, the stuff up was playing it the way they did and the Hawks leaking like a rusty down pipe.

Also the horks letting Merrette/Petroroe down thinking we'd fold, not putting anything forward until late in the piece, and never putting forward the sort of offer that would get Essendon's attention.

 

[yodellinhank]

He was told explicitly of the club’s plans and that included not expecting to be able to compete for Top 4 and a premiership for many years to come.

Glad everything is going to plan.

 

[doug85]

Mitchell was in his ear after Petroro realized he could get a huge pay day.

Petoro wouldn’t have gained a huge payday if Zach left

 

[Vindicater]

Petoro wouldn’t have gained a huge payday if Zach left

Yeah he would have because Merrett would have rejigged his contract with the Hawks and we had already paid him most of his salary front ended.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Yeah he would have because Merrett would have rejigged his contract with the Hawks and we had already paid him most of his salary front ended.

It would've been fairly small in the scheme of things.

The main motivation would have been the client asking for a fresh start somewhere, and as his manager setting out to find one.

 

[Phone]

lmao how are people still trying to blame the manager. zach wanted to leave because we suck and we need to keep on sucking for a bit longer so that we can actually be good. and so the only victorian team that was a logical option for zach tried to get him and zach said yes please. it's fine guys, we can just blame zach. he's 30 years old.

 

[doug85]

Yeah he would have because Merrett would have rejigged his contract with the Hawks and we had already paid him most of his salary front ended.

Managers don’t get paid a great deal from player contracts. It’s usually a 4% commission.

 

[ant555]

lmao how are people still trying to blame the manager. zach wanted to leave because we suck and we need to keep on sucking for a bit longer so that we can actually be good. and so the only victorian team that was a logical option for zach tried to get him and zach said yes please. it's fine guys, we can just blame zach. he's 30 years old.

It was the way it was done. People would not have had as much issue if it was all up front. Nearly everyone understands it was Zach wanting to leave and understood the reasons. It was simply a very poor strategy that created a bigger media frenzy than it should have despite it being big news. Pretoro was doing his job. Yes it was Zach's decision but it was a circus.

 

[Vindicater]

Managers don’t get paid a great deal from player contracts. It’s usually a 4% commission.

So if the rumored five year deal Merrett was getting from the Hawks was correct it would have been about $200 000 worth of commission. Not bad money.