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

 

[jannissary]

highlight of last night for me, no one else really puts this much effort into the game in our midfield

 

[Kong]

FREE KICKS BULLDOGS

 

[Zephyr Effekt]

Bulldogs would be fuming.

4 efforts...pfftt, I see 4 frees against Merrett in that play.

1st holding the man.
2nd forceful contact below the knee.
3rd dangerous tackle.
4th umpire abuse.

 

[Yoda_]

2 more votes at least yesterday

 

[boncer34]

I was worried that with Zac that he'd be a captain that demands that defensive effort all the time from his players but didn't deliver himself.

However the effort has clearly been there and he's been more a actions speak louder than words Captain this year. But on Saturday he did both, there was a HTB tackle he won in the 4th that he got up with the pill and he looked like he was having a crack at the blokes around him to show the same level.

 

[cAsEy_18]

I was worried that with Zac that he'd be a captain that demands that defensive effort all the time from his players but didn't deliver himself.

However the effort has clearly been there and he's been more a actions speak louder than words Captain this year. But on Saturday he did both, there was a HTB tackle he won in the 4th that he got up with the pill and he looked like he was having a crack at the blokes around him to show the same level.

Interesting, I both agree and disagree here.

Overall, I actually love Merrett's defensive intensity and tackling. I think he's exactly the right guy to lead, and I think that position has made him embrace that defensive side of his game.

My only disagreement is actually in the example you highlighted haha. He got lucky there. That instance was after a particular back and forth, couple of turnovers each way, and Merrett was visibly jogging/half going in the background. It was only because the West Coast guy ran himself into a world of trouble and basically stopped in his tracks/went backwards that Merrett was all of a sudden in the contest and could put on a tackle. Benefit of the doubt, he might've been tired from the turnover, turnover, turnover going over his head running back and forth. But I think he was a bit fortunate there.

 

[boncer34]

Interesting, I both agree and disagree here.

Overall, I actually love Merrett's defensive intensity and tackling. I think he's exactly the right guy to lead, and I think that position has made him embrace that defensive side of his game.

My only disagreement is actually in the example you highlighted haha. He got lucky there. That instance was after a particular back and forth, couple of turnovers each way, and Merrett was visibly jogging/half going in the background. It was only because the West Coast guy ran himself into a world of trouble and basically stopped in his tracks/went backwards that Merrett was all of a sudden in the contest and could put on a tackle. Benefit of the doubt, he might've been tired from the turnover, turnover, turnover going over his head running back and forth. But I think he was a bit fortunate there.

I think that was what he was thinking. He was buggered going back and forth and there were blokes around him that didn't put in that effort, yet he still was the one that made the tackle. TBH my memory is fuzzy though

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Better second half today copping a seriously hard tag for the entire game. Started to play on the Kangas best mids around stoppages towards the end of the game which is what he should have been doing much earlier to create the +1 around the contest (or at least breakeven).

 

[MiguelM]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

 

[Yoda_]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

has as much to do with lacking guys willing to block and protect him as it does him having someone lagging off him at every opportunity.

Throw in Setterfield and a fit Caldwell and hopefully Zac can deal with this better

 

[supportyourteam]

9 tackles is more tagged into the game.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

Thought he played well given the hard tag. Taylor was literally not even looking at the ball the whole game. Would sprint off the half forward line straight to Merrett and follow him everywhere. He had 21 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 score involvements, 5 clearances, 30 pressure acts and 4 inside 50’s. Taylor had 8 disposals and absolutely no impact on the game.

 

[MiguelM]

Thought he played well given the hard tag. Taylor was literally not even looking at the ball the whole game. Would sprint off the half forward line straight to Merrett and follow him everywhere. He had 21 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 score involvements, 5 clearances, 30 pressure acts and 4 inside 50’s. Taylor had 8 disposals and absolutely no impact on the game.

They never seem to pay frees to Zach.

That is why no team tags Bont, he would get a free if you looked at him!

 

[Lore]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

Because he’s damaging. The more time our other senior mids spend injured or on the bench the more Merrett becomes the target of opposition planning.

He copes with it well enough, he isn’t at a point of impacting directly with someone hanging off him, but it’s a rare beast who can.

Instead they coach him to maximise the impact of others by keeping his shadow out of the way and creating uneven numbers at the contest and outside it.

An opponent who chooses to tag him enables us to mess up the rest of their game plan and if that helps the team win then that’s what we need to be focused on, rather than his fantasy score.

 

[jannissary]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

hard disagree, the few times this year where he’s been tagged hard he still gets himself into the game, just doesn’t have the dominating effect we expect from him. he’s a smart footballer & i think is willing to sacrifice his own game for the betterment of the team, i can’t think of too many players who’ll do that

 

[joey_jo_jo]

hard disagree, the few times this year where he’s been tagged hard he still gets himself into the game, just doesn’t have the dominating effect we expect from him. he’s a smart footballer & i think is willing to sacrifice his own game for the betterment of the team, i can’t think of too many players who’ll do that

100%, he still got 20+ possessions and laid the highest tackles for our team, thats not a player going to water because he is being tagged.
And lets not forget his impact in 2nd half v Blues when dealing with the Curnow tag, absolutely bossed in the forward line and entrusted hobbs/caldwell to run the midfield.
IF you want to see someone not deal with a tag refer to Josh Kelly or Daicos v Finn Maginness

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

Even Bont who is arguably the best player in the comp struggled yesterday when Finn Maginness went near him.

This has probably been his best year ever in terms of dealing with opposition attention.

 

[Zach Package]

Gets tagged out of games way too easily. Needs to learn to deal with a tag.

Argument to be made going about it in that way did more harm than good from a North perspective.

Taylor starting at half forward and rolling up to the stoppage created a +1 in our backline, which we feasted on once we sorted our shit out, and as has already been mentioned above, Taylor had no impact and Merrett still had a decent enough game despite his metres gained and touches being down.

 

[VelvetSledge]

He's officially won our 2023 POTY on the board for the 5th time.

Congrats Zach!

 

[I Remember Bluey]

 

[DERO]

Trade

 

[VelvetSledge]

Trade

 

[I Remember Bluey]

Trade

Who, me or Zach

 

[DERO]

Who, me or Zach

Zach! Imagine what we’d get for him!

 

[Kong]

Zach! Imagine what we’d get for him!

Probably time let that joke die its natural death?

There's still plenty of life left in the Margaret one, if you want in.