Essendon captain Zach Merrett could be preparing one of the most dramatic moves of the upcoming AFL trade period, with reports suggesting he may hand in his captaincy to strengthen his bid to leave the club.
According to 7NEWS Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary, Merrett is weighing up the bold step as a signal to the Bombers that his time at Tullamarine is nearing an end. Speaking on The Agenda Setters, Cleary said it could add “a further layer” to the already strained relationship between the club and its skipper.
“He is all in on this. He has gone nuclear. And Zach Merrett knows now that this is all-out war with the Essendon Football Club,” Cleary explained. “It’s a long way going back and this will be just another step in him trying to force his way out of the Essendon Football Club.”
Essendon Standing Firm
Merrett remains contracted to the Bombers until the end of 2027 on a lucrative long-term deal, and club leadership has been adamant he will not be leaving. Coach Brad Scott, president David Barham, and CEO Craig Vozzo have all publicly dismissed the possibility of a trade, but the skipper’s intentions are becoming increasingly clear.
Although Merrett has not officially requested a trade, sources close to him believe the writing is on the wall. Craig Hutchison argued that the captaincy situation is already untenable, regardless of who makes the first move.
“It feels inevitable that he won’t be there, but the moves ahead of the move, do you think it’s a matter of who quits the captaincy on the other first?” Hutchison asked on the program.
Cleary responded: “Potentially. So you jump before you are pushed out of the footy club. And Zach may well get on the front foot here to get ahead of Essendon there before they take it away from him as another sign to the footy club (that) ‘I won’t be going back to your footy club’.”
The “Mexican Stand-Off”
Hutchison likened the situation to “a borderline Mexican stand-off,” urging Essendon to consider the upside of moving on from their star midfielder.
“It’s an emotional breakup that they’re struggling to come to terms with and to deal (with), and part of that is they’re worried about the optics and how quick they succeed,” he said.
“But if he leaves, how quick they succeed, it becomes less relevant. And like Hawthorn did, were brave some time ago, and like Richmond have done recently, there’s a huge opportunity to reset their club.
“And I’m told there’s already some dialogue between Brisbane and Essendon as part of this in the background.”
Brisbane’s Interest
The Lions have emerged as a key player in this unfolding saga. Outgoing Bombers ruckman Sam Draper is expected to join Brisbane after declaring he will exercise his free-agent rights, while defender Jordan Ridley has also shown interest in making the move north. Ridley remains under contract, but Hutchison suggested discussions between Brisbane and Essendon have already taken place.
“I’d be surprised if that doesn’t happen in the end,” Hutchison said of Ridley’s likely switch. “If you look at it from an Essendon perspective, if they can remove the cloud of emotion, they’re going to get some unbelievable assets out of this.”
The Draft Pick Equation
Hutchison detailed how Brisbane could leverage Draper’s contract and compensation to sweeten the deal. He speculated Essendon could secure as many as seven picks inside the top 25 across the next two drafts.
“Merrett will be (worth) at least two first-round (draft picks in a trade),” he said. “Hawthorn are sitting on pick eight and also, you want to take some of these picks into next year, which is stronger, arguably, than this.
“They say the Draper compensation is a work-through with Essendon. It might be as much as $1.2m to get a first-round compo this year. But that’s something Brisbane can play ball on if they get Ridley out of it.
“I think there’s a Draper and Ridley to Brisbane-situation brewing.”
According to Hutchison, Brisbane could ensure Draper’s contract is structured to guarantee Essendon a first-round compensation pick, while also offering up pick 17 for Ridley. The end result could see the Bombers holding an unprecedented draft “war chest.”
“Essendon could end up with (picks) 4, 5, 6, 8, 17, 22, 25 this year, and still have two into next year,” Hutchison explained. “And it’s a war chest that you can use not only for players and reset your list but also to chase big trades.”
Doubts Over Reset
Not everyone is convinced this approach would benefit Essendon in the long run. Kane Cornes questioned whether the club could attract talent if their leaders were so desperate to leave.
“So that’s great. And that looks magnificent, Hutchy. But at what point do you take a stand as a footy club?” Cornes asked.
“Good luck getting players in at this stage when players like Merrett and Ridley and Draper want out. Like, that’s going to be difficult.”
Caroline Wilson echoed the sentiment, pointing to the strange wording in Draper’s recent press release about his departure.
“We talked last week about the Draper press release, which was so strangely worded, where he talked about the mental and physical toll that the injuries had taken on him. I mean, it wasn’t a great ad for the club,” Wilson said.
“But Kane, this has got personal now, and I reckon it’s been personal for a while. And the reason I reckon he’ll go is because the club, in the last few weeks, have just been selectively letting people know about little acts of selfishness, disrespecting AFLW players, just little things along the way. And players like Redman speaking last week, and we know there was a meeting this morning with McGrath.”
What Comes Next
As the AFL trade period approaches, Essendon’s situation with Merrett is rapidly becoming one of the biggest stories in the league. If the captain resigns his role before the club can act, it will only escalate the pressure on the Bombers to negotiate a trade.
For Brisbane, the chance to add proven talent such as Merrett, Draper, and Ridley could be game-changing. For Essendon, however, the prospect of a draft overhaul may represent both a painful reset and an uncertain new era.
