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

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Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2027
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 10, I Remember Bluey
 
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Blind Turn said:
The tricky thing with Zach is exposure to big games such as finals. At this point I would still have Mercuri ahead of him despite not having the BnFs or the consistent output. Mercs was big in a number of finals and he had one of the best seasons by a Bomber midfielder of all time in 99.

For an attempt at best 25 in my time (since around 1980) I’d go;
Hird
T Watson
Madden
Lloyd
TD
Fletcher
Long
J Watson
Mercuri
Z Merrett
Salmon
Wanganeen
Lucas
Harvey
Neagle
N Daniher
Thompson
Van Der Haar
Baker
Johnson
Misiti
Bewick
Heppell
Hooker
Hurley

Those likely ahead of him from pre-1980;
Reynolds
Coleman
Hutchison
Fraser
Thurgood
Clarke
Fitzmaurice
Buttsworth
Burgess
Busbridge

That makes him around 20-25 in my reckoning which is pretty good.
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Good list that, was Sean Wellman on par with Cale Hooker &/or Michael Hurley?
 
ant555 said:
Would be a place to start.

Not sure if Jobe was ever a great leader a such but even his introduction to leadership was Matthew LLoyd blowing up at the coach in a leadership meeting after round 1.
Jobe did what he could but he was never a strong vocal leader as such. More of a lead by performance guy .
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He was also voted AFLPA Captain of the Year in 2012 so must have been doing something right.
 

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Im New said:
He was also voted AFLPA Captain of the Year in 2012 so must have been doing something right.
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He was a lead by his actions guy more than anything.
 
Jobe always struck me as a kind of "real world leader", as opposed to sporting leader.

As in, he appeared to have a good set of values, he was articulate and considered, he commanded respect, and he backed himself.
 
Imagine how much we could get for him if we trade him now!
 

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Happyskeret said:
He had a lot of good leaders around him too. That always helps.
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It does but it takes lead by example and words to have the run of success they did and sides like Geelong and Syndey have.
 
And a bloody good list. Let’s not forget that. lol.

kind of reminds me of Dan Ricciardo driving the Renault.
 
Happyskeret said:
I just don’t think Jobe had the same luxuries. He had a tough gig I thought.
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I liked Jobe as a captain but I know he was not a captain that could / would really challenge the players with the blunt truth when it was needed at all times. Great leader from the front. Great player. Given a shit burger by the club and did not really have a lot of role models to learn off or young leaders to come for the ride with him.
 
He’d have been a great vice captain under a hard nosed skipper
 
Zerrett - best captain in AFL right now…
[SEN today]

David King believes Essendon’s Zach Merrett is the best captain in the AFL, heaping praise on the 28-year-old for leading by action.

Merrett is in his second season at the helm, having replaced Dyson Heppell at the start of 2023. He and vice-captain Andy McGrath form a two-man leadership model at the Bombers, with Melbourne and Geelong the only other two clubs with such a small leadership group.

Merrett has again enjoyed a blistering start to the season and almost single-handedly won the midfield battle against St Kilda in Round 3. King is enamoured by what the three-time All-Australian is doing both with and without the ball.

“I think Zach Merrett is the best captain in the league right now,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.

“There are others… people are quick to throw Max Gawn at me. I think he’s got a lot of support as captain.

“He has high-level talent around him Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Steven May, Jake Lever, who are good leaders in their own right, I could name a dozen players at Melbourne.

“I’m not sure if that’s the case at Essendon. I think he (Merrett) has done the heavy lifting, he’s upset a few along the last couple of seasons trying to get things to elevate all around and then I see him just go to work, his run-down chasing and tackling has been a feature of this season so far.”

Marcus Bontempelli was last year named as the AFL Players’ Association best captain and has won the award twice. Scott Pendlebury (2020, 2022) and Taylor Walker (2016, 2017) are the only two other current players to have won the award, although both no longer lead their clubs. No Bomber has won the award since Jobe Watson in 2012.

King has been most impressed by Merrett’s defensive efforts and toughness. The four-time best and fairest winner is averaging more contested possessions than ever before in 2024 and the same can be said for frees for.

Merrett also hasn’t averaged as many tackles as he is in 2024 since 2018, while his tackles inside forward 50 are at an all-time high.

Furthermore, Merrett is averaging career highs in centre clearances (four, third in the competition) and clearances (six).

“He’s not just part of the defensive actions of the club, he actually leads the way. I think you have to recognise that,” King continued.

“Their clearance game is the best in the competition. Essendon’s clearance game. Every time I talk to an Essendon fan they say, ‘we need a big-bodied midfielder’, they talk about what they don’t have… (but they are the) number one clearance team across the first month of footy.”

King added: “Zach Merrett has won 18 clearances and they’ve scored from eight of them. That’s a high number, that’s top five in the comp… so Zach is in very good company, but he’s doing more than just clearances.”

Merrett’s career has for a large part been plagued by the Essendon drugs scandal that saw 34 players banned for the entirety of the 2016 season. The budding superstar was drafted to Tullamarine less than three years before but should he remain injury free, is on track to be just the 6th player to play 300 games for Essendon.

The Bombers have won two of their opening three fixtures in 2024 and face Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in the fortnight to come.
 
Rick Ross said:
Zerrett - best captain in AFL right now…
[SEN today]

David King believes Essendon’s Zach Merrett is the best captain in the AFL, heaping praise on the 28-year-old for leading by action.

Merrett is in his second season at the helm, having replaced Dyson Heppell at the start of 2023. He and vice-captain Andy McGrath form a two-man leadership model at the Bombers, with Melbourne and Geelong the only other two clubs with such a small leadership group.

Merrett has again enjoyed a blistering start to the season and almost single-handedly won the midfield battle against St Kilda in Round 3. King is enamoured by what the three-time All-Australian is doing both with and without the ball.

“I think Zach Merrett is the best captain in the league right now,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.

“There are others… people are quick to throw Max Gawn at me. I think he’s got a lot of support as captain.

“He has high-level talent around him Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Steven May, Jake Lever, who are good leaders in their own right, I could name a dozen players at Melbourne.

“I’m not sure if that’s the case at Essendon. I think he (Merrett) has done the heavy lifting, he’s upset a few along the last couple of seasons trying to get things to elevate all around and then I see him just go to work, his run-down chasing and tackling has been a feature of this season so far.”

Marcus Bontempelli was last year named as the AFL Players’ Association best captain and has won the award twice. Scott Pendlebury (2020, 2022) and Taylor Walker (2016, 2017) are the only two other current players to have won the award, although both no longer lead their clubs. No Bomber has won the award since Jobe Watson in 2012.

King has been most impressed by Merrett’s defensive efforts and toughness. The four-time best and fairest winner is averaging more contested possessions than ever before in 2024 and the same can be said for frees for.

Merrett also hasn’t averaged as many tackles as he is in 2024 since 2018, while his tackles inside forward 50 are at an all-time high.

Furthermore, Merrett is averaging career highs in centre clearances (four, third in the competition) and clearances (six).

“He’s not just part of the defensive actions of the club, he actually leads the way. I think you have to recognise that,” King continued.

“Their clearance game is the best in the competition. Essendon’s clearance game. Every time I talk to an Essendon fan they say, ‘we need a big-bodied midfielder’, they talk about what they don’t have… (but they are the) number one clearance team across the first month of footy.”

King added: “Zach Merrett has won 18 clearances and they’ve scored from eight of them. That’s a high number, that’s top five in the comp… so Zach is in very good company, but he’s doing more than just clearances.”

Merrett’s career has for a large part been plagued by the Essendon drugs scandal that saw 34 players banned for the entirety of the 2016 season. The budding superstar was drafted to Tullamarine less than three years before but should he remain injury free, is on track to be just the 6th player to play 300 games for Essendon.

The Bombers have won two of their opening three fixtures in 2024 and face Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in the fortnight to come.
Click to expand...
A few things about that article:
1. It’s Kingy … despite him being an arsehat I choose to believe the main points are true
2. It’s Kingly … so there’s probably a back hander at the coach - EFC form due to Zerrett (not coach), Zerrett driving standards (not coach), etc
 
ant555 said:
I liked Jobe as a captain but I know he was not a captain that could / would really challenge the players with the blunt truth when it was needed at all times. Great leader from the front. Great player. Given a s**t burger by the club and did not really have a lot of role models to learn off or young leaders to come for the ride with him.
Click to expand...
If they had got close to success in 13/14/15 he might have toughened up

Was kind of forced to go the peacemaker & diplomat route just as he was hitting his prime as a leader and player
 
fairbump_playon said:
If they had got close to success in 13/14/15 he might have toughened up

Was kind of forced to go the peacemaker & diplomat route just as he was hitting his prime as a leader and player
Click to expand...
Maybe. The players you speak to and people from the club all say he was a good leader and a good bloke but being the hard edge guy was not his thing.
 
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AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - 5 time Crichton Medallist! 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

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