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

 

[DERO]

Best players are usually your captain - thi sguy can't get into the leadership group of 15

There has to be a reason

It is possible to assess a player’s ability seperate to whether they have been voted into the LG by their teammates.

Dyson Heppell is our captain, Steve Coniglio was dropped last week, Ben Stratton etc, etc.

 

[Halftimehero]

Best players are usually your captain - thi sguy can't get into the leadership group of 15

There has to be a reason

Or it was just a poor decision or massive oversight

 

[eth-dog]

Best players are usually your captain - thi sguy can't get into the leadership group of 15

There has to be a reason

Dayne Zorko, Dyson Heppell, Joel Selwood, Stephen Coniglio, Ben Stratton, Jack Ziebell, Tom Jonas, Trent Cotchin, Jarryn Geary and Luke Shuey all disagree.

 

[DERO]

Or it was just a poor decision or massive oversight

Nah, it is a bring used by people who don’t understand how the system works.

It is fair enough to actually talk about his weaknesses but using a player popularity contest as a metric for performance... that is just dumb.

 

[citizen-erased]

I’ll play devil’s advocate for a bit.

Ants aside, do any of you who are suggesting we trade Merrett know anything about this year’s draft? Midfielders in particular I guess.

How would trading Merrett fit in with your overall list management strategy? Are we rebuilding? Who else are we trading? Is there enough depth in this draft to go ham?

I am firmly in the do not trade camp unless some crazy offer of taranto or something came in.

Id trade shiel before merrett. And i question the wisdom of our list mgmt going after shiel when we had parish, mcgrath and merrett on the list but no complimentary inside mid.

 

[ant555]

Best players are usually your captain - thi sguy can't get into the leadership group of 15

There has to be a reason

The vote included defensive effort. He just missed out because he voted poorly at implementing the defensive game plan.

 

[Halftimehero]

The vote included defensive effort. He just missed out because he voted poorly at implementing the defensive game plan.

Explain David Zaharakis being in it then

 

[ant555]

Explain David Zaharakis being in it then

Last year he moved to half back and agreed to play out of position and work on the team defense. The players obviously thought he was doing more to implement the team defense. It was a players vote.

 

[The Prosecutor]

Explain David Zaharakis being in it then

Well he managed to do a pretty damn good spot defending his poor performance to selectors.

 

[Halftimehero]

Last year he moved to half back and agreed to play out of position and work on the team defense. The players obviously thought he was doing more to implement the team defense. It was a players vote.

He’s probably the least defensive player on the list

 

[ant555]

He’s probably the least defensive player on the list

He was. Guess you did not look all that closely last year. I am not a fan but I did notice he had put in a fair bit of effort on his defensive stuff.

 

[DERO]

The vote included defensive effort. He just missed out because he voted poorly at implementing the defensive game plan.

You already said that was your opinion and not based on fact.

 

[ant555]

You already said that was your opinion and not based on fact.

Where did I say that ? I am pretty sure it was reported somewhere as well.

 

[DERO]

Where did I say that ? I am pretty sure it was reported somewhere as well.

No, you said it in this thread when I questioned you on it. I haven't seen it anywhere else other than from you and others that have jumped on it in this thread. I can see how you would come to the conclusion but I don't see any evidence of this being the reason why he was left out of the LG. He was voted out but there has been no mention of the leadership being centred around adherence to the defensive plan.

 

[ant555]

No, you said it in this thread when I questioned you on it. I haven't seen it anywhere else other than from you and others that have jumped on it in this thread. I can see how you would come to the conclusion but I don't see any evidence of this being the reason why he was left out of the LG. He was voted out but there has been no mention of the leadership being centred around adherence to the defensive plan.

Sorry but that is not true.
Also I did not say the whole vote was centered about defensive plan .I said defensive efforts where added to the questions asked.
If you want to keep the blinkers on then fine. There was a reason why he finished just outside and it had nothing to do with his attacking game or tackling or anything else. He scored well in everything other than defensive efforts. The vote was pretty tight. He may get back in next time around.
Take it or leave it. I do not post random garbage.

 

[DERO]

Sorry but that is not true.
Also I did not say the whole vote was centered about defensive plan .I said defensive efforts where added to the questions asked.
If you want to keep the blinkers on then fine. There was a reason why he finished just outside and it had nothing to do with his attacking game or tackling or anything else. He scored well in everything other than defensive efforts. The vote was pretty tight. He may get back in next time around.
Take it or leave it. I do not post random garbage.

I have never thought that! I have misinterpreted one of your previous posts I think.

 

[Lore]

After half time he was good. The issue is we do not always get good and secondly working back can be an easy way to get cheap kicks.
Zack Merrett may not be one of the biggest problems but he is one of the problems. He is a senior player who for whatever reason is part of one of our biggest issues. You want good players who work back in defense and around the ground. Dangerfield. Pendlebury (does now but never used to). One who doesnt really work back and defend is Martin but he goes forward and kicks big goals when needed. Fyfe is similar. Tends to go forward rather than hard defend but then Fye can be relied on to take a big contested mark through the middle of the ground.

No one can defend turnovers in the middle of the ground but he can be both. You can get into the zone and play your part. Pendlebury is a prime example of a leader who never defended to now doing all that stuff.

This bit about Martin and Fyfe playing more of a forward attacking role in lieu of team defence...

I wonder if Merrett should be playing the Zaharakis defensive forward/fat side wing role?

He used to go pretty hard before he started getting concussed and headaches and stuff.

 

[Lore]

 

[Kyptastic]

Has unfollowed Essendon on Instagram. Not looking good.

 

[citizen-erased]

So thats 2nd and 3rd in the BnF on the way out
With 1 and 4 out of contract.

When do we fold?

 

[mike14]

So thats 2nd and 3rd in the BnF on the way out
With 1 and 4 out of contract.

When do we fold?

We're merging with Norf; the Keilor Wallabies...

 

[Mercurialbomber]

Dayne Zorko, Dyson Heppell, Joel Selwood, Stephen Coniglio, Ben Stratton, Jack Ziebell, Tom Jonas, Trent Cotchin, Jarryn Geary and Luke Shuey all disagree.

Fairly harsh on Selwood, Cotchin, Zorko and Coniglio I would’ve thought. At one point or another they’ve been the best player at the club (or very close to it).

 

[citizen-erased]

We're merging with Norf; the Keilor Wallabies...

merging with norf would be so 2020..
AFL would be dead to me....or maybe it wouldn't....maybe i'd need to find the natural rival to a bombers/norf conglomerate so i could follow them and prove my norf hatred isn't some fickle joke.....
burning down Arden and Tulla might be within my 5km zone too...

 

[juggers]

Has unfollowed Essendon on Instagram. Not looking good.

Andy Maher on SEN seems to think it’s something to do with him being a free agent next year and him/the club acting now to get more for him. After all the Saad, Daniher, Guelfi, Hooker and Hurley rumours this happening to the 24 year old who is Danihers best friend, actually demands high standards of the playing group and should be our next captain... I don’t think the players have faith in Rutten at all.

 

[citizen-erased]

jokes aside - kid is my favourite player and if he leaves it's gonna be hard to swallow

Feels Wanganeen-like to lose him.