AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - 5 time Crichton Medallist! 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

[Beerfish]

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

 

[yodellinhank]

From memory they lost 5 games by 60 plus in their second season.

And almost doubled their wins tally from the previous season.

 

[Maxabillions]

This was a the only photo out of about 8 photos of Hepp from this EFC Insta post today that had him with one other current player. I’d read something into that I reckon

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Surely him as (C) with Redman and Lil Andy at (VC)

 

[ant555]

And almost doubled their wins tally from the previous season.

5 wins to 9 .
Truck won more games in his first two seasons

 

[yodellinhank]

5 wins to 9 .
Truck won more games in his first two seasons

And was going backwards.

 

[ant555]

And was going backwards.

Or at the level they where.

 

[ghostdog]

It marries up with a comment from Guelfi's interview on Scooter's pod about the Freo game being picked apart a week or so ago by the current coaching group.

Talking about how the players looked at the footage in that team meeting and thought they didn't work hard enough and when they looked at the same game last year with last year's coaches, the coaches thought the same (i.e. that's how the players were taught to analyse that game last year).

This year's coaches say different, they think that the defensive system itself was problematic and the players ended up running a lot more because of it (i.e. fatiguing faster and therefore looking unfit).

Training - 2023 Mens Preseason Thread

Just had a look at the the Bendigo training pics on the Essendon website for the last 2 days, and didn't see one photo of Merrett even in the group pics. Did he go?????? or are my eyes playing tricks.

www.bigfooty.com

I will note that Cara is now in charge of defence and Gia has the midfield group, so even though they were here last year they're looking at it through a different lens, and being put in charge of fixing it.

It's interesting. Cara and Truck came from a system that won premierships. It's not surprising that the coaches under Scott would examine through a different lens, the lens Scott would prefer, but to say a premiership winning system is problematic feels unreal. That makes it feel like the coaches are apologising for the players.

The system was always a work in progress and was always going to take longer than 2 seasons to get right. I would accept that they weren't fit enough and didn't work hard enough.

Good that Cara and Gia are looking at things with fresh eyes, but 'fixing it' is a step beyond for me. They have to make Scott's system work. Truck's didn't need fixing, he just needed the cattle (and the footy dept spend!) to execute it.

 

[Vander18]

Wants to be more vulnerable.

The footy landscape has changed hasn’t it? No judgement, just different.

For better or worse I don’t think Roger Merrett ever said that

 

[Lore]

It's interesting. Cara and Truck came from a system that won premierships. It's not surprising that the coaches under Scott would examine through a different lens, the lens Scott would prefer, but to say a premiership winning system is problematic feels unreal. That makes it feel like the coaches are apologising for the players.

The system was always a work in progress and was always going to take longer than 2 seasons to get right. I would accept that they weren't fit enough and didn't work hard enough.

Good that Cara and Gia are looking at things with fresh eyes, but 'fixing it' is a step beyond for me. They have to make Scott's system work. Truck's didn't need fixing, he just needed the cattle (and the footy dept spend!) to execute it.

They came from a system that was 95% made up of things that Essendon don't have. I don't think any club has ever won a premiership with a knock-off of a previous premier's game plan have they? It always has to be moulded and adapted to the club, list, and circumstances that they find themselves in.

And our team still doesn't play that defensive system well even after 5 years with Richmond's defence guru on the staff. We're still conceding 80 points and upwards of 25 scoring shots most weeks, just as in 2017. You can blame list management or injury, but if the plan is that easily dismantled after five years then something is wrong.

I absolutely feel sorry for Truck, I think Campbell sold him a lemon giving him the head coach job while his job as team defence coach hadn't really been evaluated, and especially with the board, coteries, and the spectre of Kevin Sheedy looming over us. Was a ticking time bomb that Worsfold couldn't get a grip on, let alone a baby coach in his first job.

With everything else that has happened lately, I don't think he was going to win a contract extension at the end of 2023 from this new board anyway. 12 months isn't going to fix what 5 years couldn't. There are a lot of things that you might wish you had in an ideal world, but this isn't one. So in effect, last September or next September makes little difference except in the available alternatives.

If there's one thing I'm thankful for, it's that Brad Scott doesn't appear to be trying to copy a plan or approach from anywhere else. There's a degree of confidence in what he's doing that seems to be original and adapted to what we actually have. Proof of the pudding is in the eating of course, but just for something different, we have the premiership coach's twin instead of the twin of his game plan.

 

[andleanback]

It's interesting. Cara and Truck came from a system that won premierships. It's not surprising that the coaches under Scott would examine through a different lens, the lens Scott would prefer, but to say a premiership winning system is problematic feels unreal. That makes it feel like the coaches are apologising for the players.

The system was always a work in progress and was always going to take longer than 2 seasons to get right. I would accept that they weren't fit enough and didn't work hard enough.

Good that Cara and Gia are looking at things with fresh eyes, but 'fixing it' is a step beyond for me. They have to make Scott's system work. Truck's didn't need fixing, he just needed the cattle (and the footy dept spend!) to execute it.

The system they were trying to implement wasn’t suited to our list. It’s like Scott last year at geelong, striped the game plan back and designed a new one suited to their list and the strengths of their players.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Surely him as (C) with Redman and Lil Andy at (VC)

Ridley please. zerrett and Draper vc

 

[yodellinhank]

The system they were trying to implement wasn’t suited to our list. It’s like Scott last year at geelong, striped the game plan back and designed a new one suited to their list and the strengths of their players.

Impossible. Game plans take years, decades even, to develop and fine tune.

 

[Beerfish]

Wants to be more vulnerable.

The footy landscape has changed hasn’t it? No judgement, just different.

For better or worse I don’t think Roger Merrett ever said that

His idea of vulnerable was wearing a lace up guernsey while he smashed you.

 

[ghostdog]

They came from a system that was 95% made up of things that Essendon don't have. I don't think any club has ever won a premiership with a knock-off of a previous premier's game plan have they? It always has to be moulded and adapted to the club, list, and circumstances that they find themselves in.

And our team still doesn't play that defensive system well even after 5 years with Richmond's defence guru on the staff. We're still conceding 80 points and upwards of 25 scoring shots most weeks, just as in 2017. You can blame list management or injury, but if the plan is that easily dismantled after five years then something is wrong.

I absolutely feel sorry for Truck, I think Campbell sold him a lemon giving him the head coach job while his job as team defence coach hadn't really been evaluated, and especially with the board, coteries, and the spectre of Kevin Sheedy looming over us. Was a ticking time bomb that Worsfold couldn't get a grip on, let alone a baby coach in his first job.

With everything else that has happened lately, I don't think he was going to win a contract extension at the end of 2023 from this new board anyway. 12 months isn't going to fix what 5 years couldn't. There are a lot of things that you might wish you had in an ideal world, but this isn't one. So in effect, last September or next September makes little difference except in the available alternatives.

If there's one thing I'm thankful for, it's that Brad Scott doesn't appear to be trying to copy a plan or approach from anywhere else. There's a degree of confidence in what he's doing that seems to be original and adapted to what we actually have. Proof of the pudding is in the eating of course, but just for something different, we have get the premiership coach's twin instead of the twin of his game plan.

I agree that something was definitely wrong. In my view it was culture, but I think that's what you're driving at when you mention the overarching effect of coteries and Sheedy, ultimately. I'd include the impacts of the saga, Worsfold's laissez faire approach, and the move away from Windy Hill. The combined effects of these on the culture psyche of the players can't be underestimated. Many in the group have been moulded to play the way they do now.

I think Truck tried to instil cultural values but was facing an uphill battle. Who would suggest a blue collar ethic shouldn't be strived for? His values were what we needed. His players were conditioned to get out there, have fun and 'learnings' (le earnings, right Woosha?), and so he needed time to change the culture: players like Snelling, Durham and Caldwell are brought in - more determined to defend. I dare say we'd have chased Bailey Humphrey or George Wardlaw at the draft.

Scott seems to be somewhere between Worsfold and Rutten. Play to the players' strengths - let them play - but recognising we do need defensive system, and he's more interested in that being in the forward half. This is where I hope mids either get right or get traded. Playing Perkins, Setterfield, Hobbs and Caldwell through the middle might turn the screws a little bit.

 

[ghostdog]

The system they were trying to implement wasn’t suited to our list. It’s like Scott last year at geelong, striped the game plan back and designed a new one suited to their list and the strengths of their players.

Depends how you look at it. You could also say some on our list wouldn't sacrifice parts of their own game to support implementation of the system.

I'm just saying Truck was brought in to implement a proven premiership winning system and he wasn't adequately supported to do so. That so many extra coaches have now been brought in, and so much more money has been allocated to the football dept, is evidence that he wasn't adequately supported.

The cranky causing part is that Truck was thrown under the bus to pursue a pipedream.

Anyway, back to Zach.

 

[fairbump_playon]

I agree that something was definitely wrong. In my view it was culture, but I think that's what you're driving at when you mention the overarching effect of coteries and Sheedy, ultimately. I'd include the impacts of the saga, Worsfold's laissez faire approach, and the move away from Windy Hill. The combined effects of these on the culture psyche of the players can't be underestimated. Many in the group have been moulded to play the way they do now.

I think Truck tried to instil cultural values but was facing an uphill battle. Who would suggest a blue collar ethic shouldn't be strived for? His values were what we needed. His players were conditioned to get out there, have fun and 'learnings' (le earnings, right Woosha?), and so he needed time to change the culture: players like Snelling, Durham and Caldwell are brought in - more determined to defend. I dare say we'd have chased Bailey Humphrey or George Wardlaw at the draft.

Scott seems to be somewhere between Worsfold and Rutten. Play to the players' strengths - let them play - but recognising we do need defensive system, and he's more interested in that being in the forward half. This is where I hope mids either get right or get traded. Playing Perkins, Setterfield, Hobbs and Caldwell through the middle might turn the screws a little bit.

You can play to your strengths and play on instinct and still chase and defend your ass off when the oppo have the pill.

Chase pressure and desperation will be highly valued by Scott. Fair enough too because they are the foundations of defensive system. You can be set up
beautifully but still get waltzed through if you aren’t consistently intense.

I think Rutten needed more than time to implement his plan, he needed to be feared just a bit and that particular type of respect for the coach was never in the mix.

Yes gone are the days when coaches can yell and scream all the time but I guarantee that players just instinctively do not want to piss Brad Scott off.

 

[Beerfish]

Congrats skip.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Hand this man the captaincy.

(c)

 

[citizen-erased]

View attachment 1612472

 

[andleanback]

Well let’s see how he goes

 

[faible]

Impossible. Game plans take years, decades even, to develop and fine tune.

We've been fine tuning ours since 2004!

 

[Mr Sasquatch]

Most predictable choice as captain I guess. Hope for the best.

 

[jdstorm]

The only real choice for captain given the options/circumstances. Hope it leads to a good outcome

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Merrett can now drive the standards he seemingly demands.

if he stops running defensively now he has no one to blame but himself.

 

[windyhill]

Absolute no brainer, he’s our best player. He’s not a big bloke but he’s our best tackler as well. Keeping the seat warm for Hobbs. Congratulations Zach, huge club = huge honour.