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

 

[JT_the_Man]

Going in I thought we’d need a serious captain’s game from him to be a chance. He delivered and then some.

 

[carnthedons]

Massages the footy, Zach and Walla are the two best kicks of the footy I’ve seen in my time watching Essendon.

With AMT it comes from playing games of footy on basketball courts with hoops instead of goals but they just drop the thing on a dime with unbelievable regularity.

Agree with this and a certain former number 2 went alright as well (not Ricky Dyson although he had his moments)

 

[Lore]

 

[Lore]

Also interviewed today, but with ABC Sport, who are even worse with putting podcasts on platforms that I can embed on the forum

It's a video embed... of the entire show... here (starts 37:33):

Grandstand AFL Sunday - Interchange infringements - ABC listen

Corbin Middlemas is joined by former number one draft pick Marc Murphy and leading newsbreaker Mitch Cleary. How on earth did the North Melbourne interchange infringement happen? What to make of Richmond and their close finishes? Leading First Nations advocate and former Head of Diversity at the...

www.abc.net.au

 

[frodos gardener]

His defence was outstanding. He is now a complete player under Scott.

To think we nearly lost him when he was dropped out of the leadership group for Daniher & Fantasia is criminal.

I think this is a bit like the Cale Hooker situation. He became a great player only after the club tried to trade him. Did he prove them wrong, or did he prove them right in that it was the catalyst for his turnaround? I like to think the latter. Not sure about Merrett being dropped from the leadership group but you can argue it both ways.

 

[Lore]

I think this is a bit like the Cale Hooker situation. He became a great player only after the club tried to trade him. Did he prove them wrong, or did he prove them right in that it was the catalyst for his turnaround? I like to think the latter. Not sure about Merrett being dropped from the leadership group but you can argue it both ways.

He's spoken about it a bit... in one way he did change what he does to connect more with his teammates, but he also doubled down in other ways and much of the playing group around him was turned over, becoming a group that appreciates his style of demanding high standard leadership

 

[bombreys]

I know a lot of people/fans don’t care about it, but he’d be top 10 in the Brownlow voting at the moment, possibly top 5.

If not for a textbook tackle drunk, he’d be half a chance.

 

[frodos gardener]

He's spoken about it a bit... in one way he did change what he does to connect more with his teammates, but he also doubled down in other ways and much of the playing group around him was turned over, becoming a group that appreciates his style of demanding high standard leadership

Yep, saw that interview. I guess not being in the inner sanctum we don’t know if he changed the things he was dropped for and the other stuff was relevant or not. For all we know it may’ve been they didn’t mind what he was saying but how he was saying it. If that’s the case and he simply adapted his delivery then you could say dropping him was the right call. Who knows.

Anyway he’s playing so well right now and seems to be captaining great.

 

[Yoda_]

Cant find the post but posted when I first heard the news of Zac being named captain that he would be absolutely brilliant for the footy club.

He will drive standards whilst not being called into line, he is the one drawing the line and seems to have taken it like a duck to water.

We have needed someone to drive standards and he is doing just this. Love it


I say it every week but would be one of the most under rated players in the comp.

 

[Yoda_]

Also interviewed today, but with ABC Sport, who are even worse with putting podcasts on platforms that I can embed on the forum

It's a video embed... of the entire show... here (starts 37:33):

Grandstand AFL Sunday - Interchange infringements - ABC listen

Corbin Middlemas is joined by former number one draft pick Marc Murphy and leading newsbreaker Mitch Cleary. How on earth did the North Melbourne interchange infringement happen? What to make of Richmond and their close finishes? Leading First Nations advocate and former Head of Diversity at the...

www.abc.net.au

just listened to this and I don't mind the idea of Dreamtime being a complete standalone game. Would bring the whole AFL world together which would be a brilliant spectacle

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Jimmy Butler mentality.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Zach Merrett might lose a Brownlow this year if he keeps this form up. 1996 Corey McKernan

Corey Mckernan

Age

50

Ht

197cm

Wt

105kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.7

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

5.1

5star

T

0.7

3star

G

1.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

5.6

3star

HB

3.6

3star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.0

3star

G

1.2

4star

style.

 

[Lore]

Zach Merrett might lose a Brownlow this year if he keeps this form up. 1996 Corey McKernan style.

The way we’re going it’s quite possible the top few vote getters will all end up disqualified

 

[frodos gardener]

I’d not be surprised if Corey was awarded a retrospective Chas somewhere down the line.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Does anyone think the Brownlow rule thing about suspension is wrong? Surely having being suspended for a week or more is the deserved disadvantage? If you win it, when you've been out for a couple of weeks you're even more deserving.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Does anyone think the Brownlow rule thing about suspension is wrong? Surely having being suspended for a week or more is the deserved disadvantage? If you win it, when you've been out for a couple of weeks you're even more deserving.

Not really, it’s for the best and fairest and getting suspended probably rules out the latter

 

[cAsEy_18]

Brownlow is overrated anyway.

Like, it’s put on a pedestal due to…tradition?
It’s one award voted on by the umpires.
There’s the same award, but voted by coaches. Gets…well not zero attention, but considerably less.

Not saying one is more deserving/worth more than the other but - outside of tradition, there’s no real logic as to why the Brownlow is “the” award.

 

[bombadeer]

Not really, it’s for the best and fairest and getting suspended probably rules out the latter

It used to be that you’d get suspended for knocking someone’s head off and not much else.

These days, you get suspended if your tackling technique is marginally dangerous.

Might we worth looking at the grading.

 

[windyhill]

I know a lot of people/fans don’t care about it, but he’d be top 10 in the Brownlow voting at the moment, possibly top 5.

If not for a textbook tackle drunk, he’d be half a chance.

I backed him in the week before the Melbourne game !!

 

[Old Campaigner]

Brownlow is overrated anyway.

Like, it’s put on a pedestal due to…tradition?
It’s one award voted on by the umpires.
There’s the same award, but voted by coaches. Gets…well not zero attention, but considerably less.

Not saying one is more deserving/worth more than the other but - outside of tradition, there’s no real logic as to why the Brownlow is “the” award.

I wonder which one means more to the players?

 

[doug85]

Does anyone think the Brownlow rule thing about suspension is wrong? Surely having being suspended for a week or more is the deserved disadvantage? If you win it, when you've been out for a couple of weeks you're even more deserving.

My issue with the Brownlow is that getting suspended for a week doesn’t make you an unfair player. I reckon they need to redefine the threshold for ‘fairest’. Maybe a 3 week suspension should rule you ineligible?

 

[Lore]

Brownlow is overrated anyway.

Like, it’s put on a pedestal due to…tradition?
It’s one award voted on by the umpires.
There’s the same award, but voted by coaches. Gets…well not zero attention, but considerably less.

Not saying one is more deserving/worth more than the other but - outside of tradition, there’s no real logic as to why the Brownlow is “the” award.

It’s voted by the umpires but awarded by the league, whereas the other one you speak of is awarded by a third party (the coaches’ union)

 

[jmoo wan]

the should rebrand the brownlow as the best and midfieldest - problem solved

 

[Lore]

My issue with the Brownlow is that getting suspended for a week doesn’t make you an unfair player. I reckon they need to redefine the threshold for ‘fairest’. Maybe a 3 week suspension should rule you ineligible?

I think even a fine-only offence can make you unfair, if it’s for unsportsmanlike conduct, trying to win an unfair advantage (ducking/diving) or non-football acts, sticking your finger up at the crowd or something.

Conversely they seem to give suspensions away like they’re lollies lately.

 

[Lore]

If they wanna make it less stupid then maybe combine coaches votes for best performance with umpires votes for good sportsmanship. Walla surely wins it every week for the second category.