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

 

[Rack Watts]

Could have gone all the way!

SHOULD HAVE!
Looked like Boomer Harvey.

 

[yaco55]

Struggled to get into the game but as usual makes good decisions.

 

[daz17]

SHOULD HAVE!
Looked like Boomer Harvey.

Probably doesn't have the confidence to run all the way just yet. Played it very smart passing it back though.

 

[JDavey]

That one passage of play where he turns a ball from Danger over and then burns clock time shows exactly why that should be his last game as starting sub. I have his game time as more important than at least a couple of our established midfielders already.

 

[Bomberblitzer]

That one passage of play where he turns a ball from Danger over and then burns clock time shows exactly why that should be his last game as starting sub. I have his game time as more important than at least a couple of our established midfielders already.

I'd say he was just being managed. Its pretty clear that he doesn't start as the sub, but he's only 18 so I doubt he'd be able to get up for every match.

 

[Kakkle]

Struggled to get into the game but as usual makes good decisions.

Not suited as the sub. In fact we don't have many players who are.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Not suited as the sub. In fact we don't have many players who are.

I agree but I don't mind it actually this week, he has already played more games than the coaches probably expected so we need to manage him, the last thing we need is Zach to get OP by burning him out!

 

[Rack Watts]

Jumping on him for the rising star now, should never be sub again.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Such a clever player.

 

[Browne Eye]

Zach > Jackson

 

[Bomberblitzer]

Zach > Jackson

Why the need to make comparisons?

 

[BrunoV]

If the very quiet whispers that "we would have selected Zach with a first round selection if we had it" are legit I have absolutely no trouble believing it.

Hell, they might as well take the credit for them anyway. "Class act" does not do him justice.

 

[Browne Eye]

He was an absolute steal.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

BURN HIM OFF!!, BURN HIM!!, FINISH HIM!!!, *sits back down and golf claps*

Decision making like a player well beyond their first half dozen games in the AFL.

 

[Kakkle]

41:30


We were genuinely surprised that he had lasted that long.

 

[Yoda_]

Spoke to him briefly at the VFL today. He really is a schoolboy living the dream

 

[srobbo]

Clever clever head....and I need not mention what I'm referring to.

Starts next week after a productive last qtr & can see him taking huge confidence & proving very slippery for the Cats.

Love this kid.

 

[Kakkle]

Spoke to him briefly at the VFL today. He really is a schoolboy living the dream

Anyone else thinks he still sleeps in a bunk bed?

 

[Yoda_]

Anyone else thinks he still sleeps in a bunk bed?

Jacko would be on the bottom for sure!!

 

[calyam]

I'd say he was just being managed. Its pretty clear that he doesn't start as the sub, but he's only 18 so I doubt he'd be able to get up for every match.

Pretty much this. He's going to play most games over the remainder of the season, so you don't want to run him into the ground. A sub-performance every now and then will do him absolutely no harm at all.

 

[daffo]

I wanted him to keep on running but from memory there was an Ade player (Sloane) covering from the middle and he may not have been able to out run him,

He picked the safer option which at the time of the game, was the correct decision. He has been amazing this year. He clearly needs more time to get his endurance up as he has struggled with it all year but I would expect him to become a regular in our side over the next 18 months and you just can't ask for more from a mid 20's pick.

 

[Zach Package]

I wanted him to keep on running but from memory there was an Ade player (Sloane) covering from the middle and he may not have been able to out run him,

He picked the safer option which at the time of the game, was the correct decision. He has been amazing this year. He clearly needs more time to get his endurance up as he has struggled with it all year but I would expect him to become a regular in our side over the next 18 months and you just can't ask for more from a mid 20's pick.

Couldn't ask for anything more from a top 5 pick, given he doesn't have an afl body or an afl tank as of yet

 

[Ess_don]

41:30


We were genuinely surprised that he had lasted that long.

First time I'd seen that vision.. man how good would it be to be a fly on that table listening to their conversation!
Any expert lip-readers out there pick up anything Bomber said? Had a pretty big say in the lead up to getting Zach's name called, even had a classic Bomber cheeky grin in there. You'd think he would be nothing but for picking up Zach Merrett.

Either way this kid is a absolute gem.

 

[daffo]

I was looking through the draft list from last year. Boy there is some talent there. I can see how Merrett dropped now. He is short. There is a lot of quality in the top 20. The 2013 will be known for quality kids and a lot of them.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I was looking through the draft list from last year. Boy there is some talent there. I can see how Merrett dropped now. He is short. There is a lot of quality in the top 20. The 2013 will be known for quality kids and a lot of them.

Dion Prestia dropped because he was short too...don't see Gold Coast complaining just quietly!