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

 

[Yoda_]

The silver lining is all of this exposed the issue. What was bubbling under the surface all came out. Players left. Stuff was said and a new path taken. We may well have blundered on for a few more years if it did not implode like it want.

I like alot of people want the club to make hard decisions, more often than not list management decisions but post 2020 saw us forced to do this both on field and off it.

The club was flushed of it's cancers and instilled a new vision from my perspective. This has done wonders for not only Zac and a guy like Parish but Redman, Laverde and even mature recruits playing with a freedom of a first year draftee.

Sure, Daniher, Saad and Fantasia were match winners but they clearly didn't want to be here. Best thing we did was get guys to the football club who do.

Off field, the clarity around Truck's path is clear, he knows what he wants and from all the murmurings and messages from the club (Brasher videos, press conferences, leakages, ITK's), the connection between on field and off it is finally in sync.

First time in a long time I have faith in where the club is heading. May not lead to the ultimate prize for a while but a sustained chance at it is a pretty bloody good start.

 

[cAsEy_18]

I like alot of people want the club to make hard decisions, more often than not list management decisions but post 2020 saw us forced to do this both on field and off it.

The club was flushed of it's cancers and instilled a new vision from my perspective. This has done wonders for not only Zac and a guy like Parish but Redman, Laverde and even mature recruits playing with a freedom of a first year draftee.

Sure, Daniher, Saad and Fantasia were match winners but they clearly didn't want to be here. Best thing we did was get guys to the football club who do.

Off field, the clarity around Truck's path is clear, he knows what he wants and from all the murmurings and messages from the club (Brasher videos, press conferences, leakages, ITK's), the connection between on field and off it is finally in sync.

First time in a long time I have faith in where the club is heading. May not lead to the ultimate prize for a while but a sustained chance at it is a pretty bloody good start.

I think it's been a bit of a perfect storm to be honest...in a good way.

You combine together:

- A young, eager coach with a modern gameplan that he is keen to implement
- Players who have been around the club for years and are starving for success that they'll happily listen to a new voice and ideas
- A few fringe mature-age pick ups with a point to prove for different reasons (eg: Hind, Wright, Waterman)
- A punch of quality youthful enthusiasm.

The buy-in has been huge. But it was a group when you actually look at it that was crying out for something to buy into.

 

[WindyHillWarrior]

I think he actually dared them to sack him in the last two seasons by saying he was done at the end of his contract. You are right in saying they signed him too early. That contract negotiation should have been towards the end of 2018. I still say their was fault on both sides here. Worsfold did not have the connection with the playing group to sell his plan but the board also pushed him to have Daniher and Raz in the leadership group who where not leaders. He also had to deal with a slightly fractured playing group where there where questions over older blokes being entitled to games and a few young blokes with big egos.
If they had of waited I suspect we would have had a new coach in 2019 as a lot of crap blew up at the start of 2018 that is for sure.
The one question is would we have changed a lot of the issues if we had a new coach then ? It feels to me we needed the massive implosion we had at the end of last year to get all the sh*t on the table and move in a different direction. Would have had to be a very strong experienced coach to change things I suspect.

who were the older blokes?

 

[ant555]

who were the older blokes?

Those who went through the suspensions. There was no written rule but there was a certain expectation within the club that they deserved games for what they went through,

 

[HirdyLannister]

His inside 50 kicks have been horrible today.

 

[ghostdog]

Watching the replay. Merrett's hip and shoulder on Tom Sparrow, collects the handball and feeds it off, eventually releasing Hind should make the midfielders defensive efforts reel this week. He was brilliant.

Does highlight the need for a forward who is more mobile on a lead though.

 

[ant555]

Best thing about his game. He is just average having to defend one on one but he is doing it. No more standing around in the back half watching the ball. He is covering in the back half where he can. For me it is as much value as anything else he does. Does not matter if he gets beaten as few times. He is now setting a standard.
Noticed Parish looks to be working on his defense as well. It is a work in progress but you can start to see he is looking to defend where he can.

 

[Mercurial89]

Best thing about his game. He is just average having to defend one on one but he is doing it. No more standing around in the back half watching the ball. He is covering in the back half where he can. For me it is as much value as anything else he does. Does not matter if he gets beaten as few times. He is now setting a standard.
Noticed Parish looks to be working on his defense as well. It is a work in progress but you can start to see he is looking to defend where he can.

The fact stringer gave a free away for a high spoil in the goal square is probably a really good sign that he too is running defensively when he has to.

 

[DallasCrane316]

Why Zach Merrett is more motivated than ever ahead of Friday night blockbuster
By Laurence Rosen

Essendon gun on-baller Zach Merrett says the club is motivated by the opportunity to defeat a top four side ahead of his side’s game against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night.

The young Bombers have made plenty of inroads in 2021 under new coach Ben Rutten, but have yet to pull off a victory against one of the competition heavyweights this season.

After going down to ladder-leading Melbourne by 11 points last Saturday at the MCG, Essendon faces a daunting trip to Geelong to face the Cats in Round 16.

Merrett explained that the “carrot” of pulling off an upset victory was driving the playing group internally.

“The carrot for us is more about beating a top four team,” he said on Sportsday .

 

[Yoda_]

People absolutely frothing over Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

24

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

’s game today. Why doesn’t this bloke get the universal love the Blues jet gets?


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[11kgm]

People absolutely frothing over Sam Walsh’s game today. Why doesn’t this bloke get the universal love the Blues jet gets?


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Because Essendon is the man utd of the AFL

We are hated by most supporters up there with Collingwood

 

[Zach Package]

People absolutely frothing over Sam Walsh’s game today. Why doesn’t this bloke get the universal love the Blues jet gets?


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Because Merrett was not at his best today in terms of cleanliness with his hands and hurt factor by foot.

Those kinds of games annoy me because I’d prefer he get it 10 less times but be really incisive and creative when he’s kicking it.

 

[doug85]

People absolutely frothing over Sam Walsh’s game today. Why doesn’t this bloke get the universal love the Blues jet gets?


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Walsh is doing it at 21. He’s a pretty special player.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Walsh is doing it at 21. He’s a pretty special player.

Merrett was doing it at 21 also, he's a pretty special player.

 

[Yoda_]

Merrett was doing it at 21 also, he's a pretty special player.

Just had a look and Merret in his third year polled 19 Brownlow votes (Danger ran away with 35, Luke Parker runner up on 26).

No AA in his best year of 2016, he earnt one in 2017 and polled a further 15 votes to again finish top dozen.


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[doug85]

Merrett was doing it at 21 also, he's a pretty special player.

We’ll have to agree to disagree. I think Walsh is playing at a level above what Merrett has ever played at.

 

[calyam]

People absolutely frothing over Sam Walsh’s game today. Why doesn’t this bloke get the universal love the Blues jet gets?

Merrett got plenty of attention and media love when he was 21. And then the Bombers didn't do anything as a team and so the gloss wears off.

Walsh is fantastic and if the Blues achieve nothing in the next three or four years, then the media won't be so interested in Walsh either.

If Essendon ever has a successful season, then I'm sure Merrett will get a lot of love. But until then he's just another good player getting great stats in a mediocre team.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

If Merrett was a top 5 pick he'd be getting a lot more accolades. Just look at our own Andy McGrath, commentators like Darcy froth over every kick and mention his draft status. The rank and file lap that shit up but the reality is that McGrath is just a decent midfielder at this stage.

Walsh is a great player and one of the few top 5 picks actually playing at the level he was drafted consistently.

Merrett's been great also and when said and done he'll be looked back as a steal and should have gone top in his 5 draft.

 

[Lore]

 

[Blind Turn]

I will be tucking this game away for Brownlow night. Best on ground in a loss. Will the loss mean more to the umps though?

 

[Vander18]

Ridiculously good today. Some of his work by foot and by hand is just absurd.

In terms of small mids, he’s as good as it gets.

 

[quotemokc]

Some great kicks on his non-preferred as well

 

[Yoda_]

Obviously another mountain of possessions today but watching as closely as one can on TV He appeared to genuinely do a hell of a lot of off the ball stuff today.

A real leaders game often wanting and willing his team mates into better positions than himself.

Was happy with his game despite him not dominating like you’d think with 30 possessions s.


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[eth-dog]

AA squad

 

[The Donners]

Love watching him play!

He and Parish are amazing to watch in unison!