AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - 3x AA 🏅🏅🏅 4x Crichton Medallist 🥇🥇🥇🥇

[Beerfish]

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

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

OMG Sydney didn't even have the pick. You are a wise monkey, they should hire someone like you so they don't go trying to trade unicorns.

They should, I'll throw in some unicorn food for free.

 

[yodellinhank]

They should, I'll throw in some unicorn food for free.

We're kidding ourselves though, trade would just hit a stumbling block with Dodoro demanding a monkey of commensurate age and value back in return.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

We're kidding ourselves though, trade would just hit a stumbling block with Dodoro demanding a monkey of commensurate age and value back in return.

That's why you'd have me though, I'd request a Dodo or Esquilax.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

There's been a little bit of disquiet in regards to Merrett over the past year and it really has me beat. If we just do a like for like comparison and look at the output at the same stage of their careers then Merrett wins hands down. It's basically daylight between the two.

Merrett has been our best draft get since James Hird

James Hird

Age

51

Ht

188cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.4

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

7.0

4star

M

5.9

5star

T

1.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

7.2

5star

T

0.6

3star

.

Andrew McGrath of the Essendon Bombers Career AFL Stats

Andrew McGrath of Essendon Bombers career AFL statistics

www.footywire.com

Zachary Merrett of the Essendon Bombers Career AFL Stats

Zachary Merrett of Essendon Bombers career AFL statistics

www.footywire.com

I just think this needs to be put out there. Everyone fawns over the number one draft pick mantle but any sane person would give up No. 1 right now to get Zach.

McGrath has the capacity to become a really good mid but is not there yet and should get there very soon. Merrett on the other hand has been there for the last 5 years and is still 25 while McGrath is 22.

Perspective.

 

[cAsEy_18]

Yeah I think Merrett gets sold a bit short in here.
He’s an amazing player.
Sure he has his knocks, and Im definitely a believer in the theory that those head knocks took a toll on him and the exact style he plays.
But as you say - he’s 25. And he’s been one of our very rare in recent years “elite” midfielders for several years now.
I think we rightly have reason to be excited about McGrath - but I’d be happy if he got to and maintained Merrett levels of production. That’s a very high level.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

I am always stunned by how much s**t Merrett gets on this forum, he is an A-grade mid.

 

[yodellinhank]

That's why you'd have me though, I'd request a Dodo or Esquilax.

If we could trade Dodo and a Butterflion I'd be happy with an Esquilax. Pick swaps to even it all out of course.

 

[Howard Moon]

I assume people are downramping him cause there's a hunch he might go next year so they are getting in first as a mental health saver

Classic behaviour really

 

[Highly Evolved]

Merett's biggest undoing is that he isn't necessarily marketable or handsome (which is awful to say). He doesn't necessarily stand out as much as other players whom have a distinctive characterstic. He's an absolute star player but is underrated terribly because of it.
If you gave him Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

's mullet or Heppell's dreads the media would fawn over him.
He's a hard-worker, (2-way running has lacked a bit recently, but so has 95% of the team), and is very much an A-Grade midfielder.

 

[Tang]

as much as I love Merrett he hasn't improved really since 2016/17, while still being a gun.

McGrath on the other hand looks to have the sky as the limit with incredible leadership qualities

 

[JayJ20]

Merrett is our best mid, but McGrath's leadership is very valuable. Both are great players. Merrett may want to leave so we need to think about that.

I am always stunned by how much sh*t Merrett gets on this forum, he is an A-grade mid.

See this is probably the other extreme. He isn't A grade yet. His A-grade year was 2017. He needs to either be more damaging, be more disciplined defensively or ridiculously exceed his cohort in his position to be considered A grade. He has the talent but hasn't quite put it all together yet.
A grade is Dusty, Dangerfield, Fyfe, Pendlebury, Cripps, Oliver, Bont, Neale, Petrecca this year etc.

Next year is contract year so I do expect him to lift his performance to another level.

 

[ant555]

Send treloar to GCS for 5
Combine with 1st
Then we'll consider

Treloar will not leave Victoria. Even if the Pies want to move him on he will not leave Victoria.

 

[Yoda_]

Merett's biggest undoing is that he isn't necessarily marketable or handsome (which is awful to say). He doesn't necessarily stand out as much as other players whom have a distinctive characterstic. He's an absolute star player but is underrated terribly because of it.
If you gave him Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

's mullet or Heppell's dreads the media would fawn over him.
He's a hard-worker, (2-way running has lacked a bit recently, but so has 95% of the team), and is very much an A-Grade midfielder.

hes a nice player.

It's staggering to think he finished so high in the coaches votes, and brownlow count yet when the All Australian (squad) team was selected, no mention. Not even unlucky.

He's a nice player on the eye, capable of soo much more.

 

[andleanback]

Treloar will not leave Victoria. Even if the Pies want to move him on he will not leave Victoria.

If pies want to move him and we sign Caldwell, don’t discount st Kilda.

 

[ant555]

If pies want to move him and we sign Caldwell, don’t discount st Kilda.

I wouldn't as they are in Victoria

 

[BrunoV]

hes a nice player.

It's staggering to think he finished so high in the coaches votes, and brownlow count yet when the All Australian (squad) team was selected, no mention. Not even unlucky.

He's a nice player on the eye, capable of soo much more.

The coaches don't tag players who they give best on ground.

Something there doesn't make sense.

 

[windyhill]

He’s not a tough nut Merrett, but considering his size he is a brilliant tackler.

 

[Lore]

Merrett is kind of my favourite player. I don’t really have favourites because every time I declare a favourite they bloody well leave, but yeah.

I think he is something a bit rare, very classy, good decision making with good disposal and quite versatile and consistent. He seems to be a cool head and you can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll make an impact.

Aside from alleged issues with defensive running (which seems to be an epidemic at the club), the only real weakness is that he seems a bit insular/introverted.

McGrath I don’t really have a lot of thoughts about. He’s a great player but he isn’t fully evolved yet, was just on the cusp of doing what he did in U18s at AFL level when he got hurt. So he still has another level to get to.

McGrath as he is currently is more like Shiel and a dozen other inside mids with burst speed in the competition that seem to play 4D chess in traffic and then waste it off the boot.

His leadership and relationship building is his greatest strength, seems to know and care about everyone and everyone likes him.

 

[Yoda_]

Merrett is kind of my favourite player. I don’t really have favourites because every time I declare a favourite they bloody well leave, but yeah.

I think he is something a bit rare, very classy, good decision making with good disposal and quite versatile and consistent. He seems to be a cool head and you can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll make an impact.

Aside from alleged issues with defensive running (which seems to be an epidemic at the club), the only real weakness is that he seems a bit insular/introverted.

McGrath I don’t really have a lot of thoughts about. He’s a great player but he isn’t fully evolved yet, was just on the cusp of doing what he did in U18s at AFL level when he got hurt. So he still has another level to get to.

McGrath as he is currently is more like Shiel and a dozen other inside mids with burst speed in the competition that seem to play 4D chess in traffic and then waste it off the boot.

His leadership and relationship building is his greatest strength, seems to know and care about everyone and everyone likes him.

what bothers a lot of us is the trajectory he was n to become a very, very top echelon player in the comp in 2017 (as a 22 year old?) has not been reached.

Still young enough to get there, he isn't that far off it to be honest. We all know he can produce more.

 

[DERO]

Apparently he sits at 12th on the table for Essendon player's all time brownlow votes, only 12 behind Timmy Watson. Not too shabby for a bloke who turned 25 not that long ago.

 

[7zark7]

I can’t see why Merrett couldn’t be as good as Neale.

 

[Lore]

The web represents stats as a percentage of the stat leader in the AFL. Top centre is clearances.

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[calyam]

He is often treated poorly on this board. I don't think we collectively recognise how good he is.

I can’t see why Merrett couldn’t be as good as Neale.

If you popped him in a genuinely good team there is no reason he couldn't win a Brownlow. Neale was meaningfully better than Merrett has been before heading to Brisbane.

 

[blitzer]

I agree Merrett gets underrated on here. He has some flaws but is very good at what he does. Currently he's been our best player pretty much every year except when Daniher made AA that one year. Even in a better team he'd still be a top 3-5 player and may even go to a higher level in the right situation.

I disagree with anyone that suggests we should ever consider trading him unless we absolutely cannot retain him.

 

[I Remember Bluey]

"Stand up somewhere": Tim Watson wants to hear from Zach Merrett's management

"I thought that he was staying, but this is the point."

www.sen.com.au

Not sure if it was in this thread or the trade one, but some have said Zach does not have a manager at the moment, but according to Tim Watson his manager is Tom Petroro from TLA