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

[thebigboy]

The article is exactly what you would expect to read. There was never going to be a full-blown apology for trying to leave, nor a strong statement that he wants to leave at the end of the year.

Lines about how excited he is for the younger players, how hard he has trained, and how he wants to be successful are what you would expect from any player at his level to say.

At the end of the day, we all expect him to be professional and play to the best of his abilities, as captain or not, but his actions when the season ends will say it all, and if we miss the top 10, I would fully expect him to try to leave again.

 

[Zach Package]

He's certainly painting a vivid image of him in some kind of fuhrerbunker entirely of his own making.

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?

Not saying he thinks too much of himself as a player, because he is an absolute screaming jet but the contract situation and the cloak and dagger just made it impossible for other clubs to even have a go.

 

[Howard Moon]

He's certainly painting a vivid image of him in some kind of fuhrerbunker entirely of his own making.

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?

Not saying he thinks too much of himself as a player, because he is an absolute screaming jet but the contract situation and the cloak and dagger just made it impossible for other clubs to even have a go.

Youve got me thinking of making a Merrett further bunker video, maybe his manager can be Steiner

 

[dank420_]

I don’t think he needs to apologise tbh.

 

[84859300]

I don’t think he needs to apologise tbh.

It's footy and shit happens.

Nothing to say sorry about.

 

[faible]

I don’t think he needs to apologise tbh.

I think he should make a phone call and personally apologise to each and every member.

 

[Old man fletch]

“It also emerged during those talks that Merrett’s contract had been front-ended, with the bulk of his money coming in the first two years, meaning he was likely to be playing for well below his market value in the final two years.”

And there it is… not just about success was it Zach?

I’m still glad he wasn’t traded (especially to Hawthorn) and he can sulk as much as he likes over the next two years. Chooch.

If a club picks up a player from a club like this, the club receiving the player should have the difference from highest to lowest contract year $ added to their salary cap. Players being dodgy signing up to a multi-year contract likely knowing they won't stick around for the length of it

 

[thebigboy]

“Multiple times during this interview, Merrett mentions his excitement to work hard and do everything to improve the club next year. It feels notable he does not say for the rest of my contract or career.”

Except at the bottom of the article in The Age where he says the following:

“So for me now, it’s honouring that contract as well as I can, and performing and having the best possible year I can to hopefully slingshot us into that top 10.”

 

[jannissary]

I think he should make a phone call and personally apologise to each and every member.

finally someone is making sense!

 

[mitch-wa]

Well, considering that his efforts to leave were a dog act, I’m thinking it was some kind of Ghostdog.

 

[jmoo wan]

he’s certainly acted like a bit of a dryp

 

[fairbump_playon]

I think he should make a phone call and personally apologise to each and every member.

How would he reach them all with just one phone call?

 

[dank420_]

How would he reach them all with just one phone call?

bro it's 2025

 

[Howard Moon]

How would he reach them all with just one phone call?

Spam dick pic

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

I’ve heard enough from you Zach. Get on with it and drop the PR stuff. We’ll trade you next year for a bounty and everything will be sweet but don’t stake claim that you made a move with the clubs best interests in mind.

 

[Call Me Cake]

It's not that he wanted to go that was the problem but the way he went about it. Left it so late after recently banging on about how he was all in, then decided on only one club who we all know we hate and basically held us at ransom and saw no issue with the disrespectful "deadline/first and final offer" BS that the Hawks were peddling. It was just pathetic all the way through.

Had he not signed on for heaps recently, spoke to the club early on or was more open to compromise like Curnow was for example, then it'd be more forgiving and respectful with the club's best interest in mind. Instead he threw a tantrum like a petulant child. As an adult you should have way more foresight than that.

Water under the bridge now, think we've set a precedent that we're not gonna let players out of their contracts for a pittance whenever they choose to and reckon it's galvanized us as a club. Just play footy.

 

[Unfazed]

It's not that he wanted to go that was the problem but the way he went about it. Left it so late after recently banging on about how he was all in, then decided on only one club who we all know we hate and basically held us at ransom and saw no issue with the disrespectful "deadline/first and final offer" BS that the Hawks were peddling. It was just pathetic all the way through.

Had he not signed on for heaps recently, spoke to the club early on or was more open to compromise like Curnow was for example, then it'd be more forgiving and respectful with the club's best interest in mind. Instead he threw a tantrum like a petulant child. As an adult you should have way more foresight than that.

Water under the bridge now, think we've set a precedent that we're not gonna let players out of their contracts for a pittance whenever they choose to and reckon it's galvanized us as a club. Just play footy.

I'm not sure there was any way Merrett could have requested a trade without upsetting the fanbase but he certainly chose the most offensive way possible. Everything from potting the club, threatening to go nuclear and only considering Hawthorn were guaranteed to upset fans enormously. These latest interviews only confirm that Zach is only about Zach.

 

[Duckworth]

Spam dick pic

a member for the members.

 

[Lore]

bro it's 2025

Get AI to do it?

 

[Phone]

He's certainly painting a vivid image of him in some kind of fuhrerbunker entirely of his own making.

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?

Not saying he thinks too much of himself as a player, because he is an absolute screaming jet but the contract situation and the cloak and dagger just made it impossible for other clubs to even have a go.

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).

 

[Vindicater]

He's certainly painting a vivid image of him in some kind of fuhrerbunker entirely of his own making.

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?

Not saying he thinks too much of himself as a player, because he is an absolute screaming jet but the contract situation and the cloak and dagger just made it impossible for other clubs to even have a go.

Reading between the lines I think he got sold a lemon by Mitchell and Petroro.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

I've always thought he's a very good player but always had the impression he's a complete w***er of a bloke tbh.

He's done a phenomenal job this year on proving both things.

 

[Petrify]

 

[Old Campaigner]

Reading between the lines I think he got sold a lemon by Mitchell and Petroro.

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.

 

[Lore]

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.

Perhaps if Petroro put his time into convincing them to pony up…