AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - Your ANZAC Day Medallist - 25/4

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2027
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 10, I Remember Bluey

 

[essendon]

While each club resigns their best players, we wait again before our best players have to decide and wait........well what are you waiting for.....you in or not....simple....not in ...see ya later or don't play em ....we will again be the only club not to sign a big name player ....respect their wishes and all their crap...yeah whatever....who is in control here.......he waits ...he will leave.....so hope I'm wrong...

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

A lot of interest...no surprise...

Port Adelaide, Melbourne eye Bombers star Merrett

Port Adelaide and Melbourne have joined the queue of clubs interested in acquiring Essendon’s 2021 free agent Zach Merrett. The Demons, meanwhile, have re-signed Clayton Oliver.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Doss]

Tell 'em to * off.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

A lot of interest...no surprise...

Port Adelaide, Melbourne eye Bombers star Merrett

Port Adelaide and Melbourne have joined the queue of clubs interested in acquiring Essendon’s 2021 free agent Zach Merrett. The Demons, meanwhile, have re-signed Clayton Oliver.

www.theage.com.au

Ultimately, the interest is a good thing. Obviously I want to keep him, and if he is after $$$ then he'll struggle to find a club with more to give than us.

But if he wants to move on, we need whomever is after him to pay through their sinuses.

 

[Haychh]

A lot of the Port Supporters are under the impression that they’ll just be able to structure the contract so we couldn’t match. I just casually pointed out on their board that we’d almost definitely have the coin to match any offer they could put on the table. You can imagine the quality of response I received.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

A great way for him to show true leadership is sign soon. Like Hepp, Hooker and Hurley did.

 

[eth-dog]

A lot of the Port Supporters are under the impression that they’ll just be able to structure the contract so we couldn’t match. I just casually pointed out on their board that we’d almost definitely have the coin to match any offer they could put on the table. You can imagine the quality of response I received.

They do realise that you only have to match years and dollars, right?

 

[Megabattimus]

Sign the man right after Anzac Day or just before the bye. If he's still un-signed come under of the year, I'm gonna be real nervous.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

He’s happy and in no rush.

BUT THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING

 

[Ati Tude]

Let's face it, he is looking to see if we are heading in the right direction or not. The earliest he might sign with us if he does at all, is probably mid season. But it might go right to end of the season and probably will. If he wants to go, the odds are we wouldn't match it, especially if we are in say bottom 4 given the value of the comp pick we'd get and the likelihood he would go the following year. I think Jeremy Cameron

5

Jeremy Cameron

Age

31

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.5

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

2.6

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

2.0

5star

was the first matched offer since FA has been running. It might become more common and Zach is probably the sort of guy that wouldnt throw his toys out of the pram if we did match any offer.

I am not expert on this but if he then left at end of 2022, would the comp pick create an issue for us with the Davey twins? i guess we trade it for a future 1st or something like that.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Wouldn’t be surprised if Port weren’t as attractive a prospect in a few months time. Butters I think is their most important player and Duursma is a handy point of difference both out along with Bonner for 12ish weeks. Rozee, Marshall and Fanta banged up too.

I’d imagine Farrell, Bergman, Mayes, Woodcock to get extended runs and really test their quality.

 

[The Donners]

I had a squiz. I love how "Essendon fans are delusional" yet they don't actually know the basic rules of FA. Port board is a cesspit

You can take the man out of Port Adelaide but you can’t take the Port Adelaide out of the man.*


* gender neutral

 

[ant555]

And to think Crows supporters are worse

Anyway he will attract band one compo if he goes .

 

[Lance Uppercut]

oh well [/Sam Newman]. He will go or he will stay (and given I just got a Merrett-signed guernsey it's almost certain he'll go!); and that decision may be based on the club trajectory as reported.

If we go good and he stays, brilliant - we can match any offer made so if he has the will to stay we have the means to keep him.

If we go crap and he leaves, this frothy hype about him means that it's absolutely certain we'll get a band 1 compo pick that will be high, leading to a potential draft haul approaching this years quality.

That's win/win as far as I'm concerned, if you take the emotion out of losing a guy like Zach.

 

[TheGrizz]

For all those saying 'all good, we get band 1 compo' - when you get a top 5 pick, you hope to get a guy as good as Merrett with the player you select.

Merrett would be a huge loss, but wouldnt begrudge him considering the turmoil of his 8 years here at Essendon.

 

[Expat power]

You can take the man out of Port Adelaide but you can’t take the Port Adelaide out of the man.*


* gender neutral

To be fair, I don’t think Port Fans feel you’re delusional. They feel Dodoro is delusional. Didn’t come here to be inflammatory...backing away slowly now

 

[eth-dog]

To be fair, I don’t think Port Fans feel you’re delusional. They feel Dodoro is delusional. Didn’t come here to be inflammatory...backing away slowly now

There's a direct quote saying "Essendon supporters are the most delusional in the game".

 

[citizen-erased]

For all those saying 'all good, we get band 1 compo' - when you get a top 5 pick, you hope to get a guy as good as Merrett with the player you select.

Merrett would be a huge loss, but wouldnt begrudge him considering the turmoil of his 8 years here at Essendon.

this is my concern
He's been elite since his early days and is about to hit his prime.
Not many kids come on this quick and hit these heights.

If he was 28, i'd resign to the fact we had a shot with him and he left to get success.
He's 25. The next 3-4 years should see his best footy.
Will set us back a bit to lose him, top 5 pick or not.

He seems to have the right thinking, approach and ambition. We should be tapping into what he'd want to stay and looking to deliver on it
Methinks it would put us on the right track for success.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Tell 'em to fu** off.

We've been wondering who would replace Dodoro. You've got the job!

 

[jmoo wan]

If Port are keen, straight swap for Fantasia?

 

[doug85]

Losing Zach would put us at ground zero with our rebuild. 2 top 5 picks this year, 3 top 10 picks last year. First time in our history we’ve hit the draft hard 2 years running (as far as I know).

 

[Lance Uppercut]

this is my concern
He's been elite since his early days and is about to hit his prime.
Not many kids come on this quick and hit these heights.

If he was 28, i'd resign to the fact we had a shot with him and he left to get success.
He's 25. The next 3-4 years should see his best footy.
Will set us back a bit to lose him, top 5 pick or not.

He seems to have the right thinking, approach and ambition. We should be tapping into what he'd want to stay and looking to deliver on it
Methinks it would put us on the right track for success.

agree wholeheartedly, but we've had a strong case of the Norf's recently - consistent mid-table finishes. Not good enough to be good, but not s**t enough to get good draft talent.

If we do lose Zach, well it will suck, but we get a real shot at building a team that can genuinely contend in a few years rather than just Norfing it up for another half decade *shrugs*

 

[TheFrenchCut]

Losing Zach would put us at ground zero with our rebuild.

In the last two offseasons we've picked up eight talls (including Crauford who has already been let go).

Last trade period we lost four of our most talented players who are all in the 25-27 years of age range.

Half our list is currently out of contract and we just put a team out there that featured 12 guys who've played 50 games or less.

As has been pointed out elsewhere too, a lot of the many positional changes (i.e. Ambrose forward) have been made with what appears to be an eye towards helping young players feature in their ideal roles.

We already have a lot of the traits of a rebuild and I think most would agree, we've been far more competitive and encouraging over the first month of the season than expected.

 

[owen87]

For all those saying 'all good, we get band 1 compo' - when you get a top 5 pick, you hope to get a guy as good as Merrett with the player you select.

Merrett would be a huge loss, but wouldnt begrudge him considering the turmoil of his 8 years here at Essendon.

I'm not sure it's a case of "all good", but if there's ever a year to lose a guy like Merrett to FA, this is the one. We'll have a fairly low finish, get a good compo pick, and it's a strong midfield draft.

 

[Don Won]

oh well [/Sam Newman]. He will go or he will stay (and given I just got a Merrett-signed guernsey it's almost certain he'll go!); and that decision may be based on the club trajectory as reported.

I got a 2012 team signed jumper.
An Orazio Fantasia signed jumper -just before he left.
And just got a Merrett signed jumper.

it’s not you it’s me.