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

[Keystone agony]

theres no need to leak any bad stories, him threatening to not go the the bnf of the club he captained is enough for any person to question his character lol

After team mates trashed him

Whoever came up with this idea has failed, its only diminishing his value

 

[fairbump_playon]

See my worry is that they are going to bank heavily on the strategy of "create enough of a mess that essendon will just want you gone and that in itself will be see as a bonus on top of our shitty offer" and i'm worried we are going to buckle to that

This is 100% why Merrett and Mitchell agreed on leaking his meeting

Also why he is silent

Make it a dumpster fire so we can afford to trade you in, then we can guarantee we will get you across

Deal politely and respectfully with your club, we are no chance

 

[BrunoV]

Gutted, blindsided and betrayed.

What sort of weak c*ckbags would admit such feelings?

 

[BrunoV]

If Sam Mitchell doesn't start playing nice we're going to the teacher?

 

[Lore]

Gutted, blindsided and betrayed.

What sort of weak c*ckbags would admit such feelings?

I wanna know who told Jon Ralph it was "not cool"

 

[Lore]

If Sam Mitchell doesn't start playing nice we're going to the teacher?

Nah we just put it down to Zach being dazzled and we move on with three first rounders, Lewis, Hustwaite, Serong, Mackenzie and Weddle

 

[thepokey]

Hawks fans really are like "we are offering pick 8, plus Johnny No-Name, AND we are taking Merrett off your hands, what more does Essendon want?? Hard to deal with!!!"

 

[Duckworth]

Hawks fans really are like "we are offering pick 8, plus Johnny No-Name, AND we are taking Merrett off your hands, what more does Essendon want?? Hard to deal with!!!"

Luckily, those nuffies don't control anything; they have no say, and their opinion doesn't matter. Much like what is going on in here.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

The club should be viewing this as a moment that makes the group. I don't have a lot of confidence in them to actually do it, but if your best player and captain walking out on the club doesn't do it, not sure anything will.

McGrath, Redman, Durham and Caldwell among others have to step up, lead the way, and drive standards.

Prove Merrett wrong.

 

[Howard Moon]

In the footy world of spin , optics and P.R I'd say we paint him as a selfish prick who left his mates, then the only real way we come out with a redemption arc is to walk into the draft with pick 1 and a brand new Messiah.

 

[ghostdog]

After team mates trashed him

Whoever came up with this idea has failed, its only diminishing his value

Yeah I can't see Hawthorn countering our two top ten picks position with, "Ah, but he didn't attend your best and fairest, so he's not that good."
That would be met with "Get f***** then.", and rightly so.

 

[ydc55]

This is going to be a long drawn out process isn’t it?
We can’t make the finals but we have a story that is just as enthralling as the matches themselves.

 

[Howard Moon]

 

[Old Campaigner]

This is going to be a long drawn out process isn’t it?
We can’t make the finals but we have a story that is just as enthralling as the matches themselves.

Even if the horkes came out with an offer on day 1 which we thought was good the AFL would prevent it from being announced until the final minutes of the trade period to ensure maximum content

 

[ant555]

Gutted, blindsided and betrayed.

What sort of weak c*ckbags would admit such feelings?

Tom Morris

 

[Burzum]

Just trade him. If we ever, by some cosmic fluke, manage to get good then we should be doing the exact same thing as Hawthorn.

 

[Duckworth]

Just trade him. If we ever, by some cosmic fluke, manage to get good then we should be doing the exact same thing to Hawthorn.

FTFY

 

[Nifft]

Caro and the AFLW thing. Don't think we heard any other specifics, just that she reckons we're backgrounding the media about him.

Well there's your problem right there... she'd be the last person I'd believe. I reckon the journos are all playing that telephone game (we used to call it chinese whispers) and a lot of stuff is being taken out of context or embellished.

 

[Shanghaistu]

This is all just 5D chess by Vozzo and Scott to get enough draft capital to do a swap with the Weagles and have a shot at Willem Duursma

 

[dank420_]

It's 6D chess by Dodoro to get fired before the actual saga exodus happened 10 years after the saga.

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

This is all just 5D chess by Vozzo and Scott to get enough draft capital to do a swap with the Weagles and have a shot at Willem Duursma

Think we'd have enough to do that anyway lol

 

[Doss]

Logged in for Merrett talk, got patented school of hard knocks lessons in never admitting to feelings instead.

 

[Mercurial89]

Logged in for Merrett talk, got patented school of hard knocks lessons in never admitting to feelings instead.

And your stronger for it.

 

[DERO]

Logged in for Merrett talk, got patented school of hard knocks lessons in never admitting to feelings instead.

EMPATHY IS FOR THE WEAK

 

[andleanback]

Can’t someone from the club get on the phone to Tim Watson and tell him to stfu if he wants any more paid gigs involving the club. Deadset not helping the situation