Essendon great, former premiership captain and ex-coach James Hird thinks Zach Merrett will stay at the club, despite his former star trying to defect to bitter rivals Hawthorn in the off-season.
The 30-year-old Merrett was the Bombers’ best player in their 62-point thumping by the Hawks at the MCG on Friday night, and just days later AFL.com.au and Footy Classified journalist Callum Twomey reported that the gun onballer is weighing up whether to recommit to Essendon on “a multi-year deal”.
Zach Merrett could yet recommit his long-term playing future to Essendon.Credit: Getty Images
Hird, who coached Merrett at the Bombers in 2015 and was part of a delegation of former red-and-black captains to meet with him mid-last season, said it was his “understanding” that the club approached the two-time All-Australian about a new deal.
“I think everyone’s had enough of whether he’s staying or whether he’s going,” Hird said on Footy Classified on Tuesday night.
“What this does, if he signs now, it ends it [the trade saga] – he’s loyal, he’s going to stay at Essendon for the rest of his career. I think that’s important for both Zach and for Essendon, if he’s going to stay, that they make that decision.”
Hird said he thinks Merrett wants to stay at Tullamarine.
Vision emerged of an animated player manager Tom Petroro on the final day of the 2025 trade period when Essendon shut the door on Hawthorn’s attempts to land Merrett. The former Bombers captain has since switched managers.Credit: afl.com.au
“I don’t know [for sure] but … if the contract’s in front of him, and they want this story dead and buried, and they want to move on, I think he needs to sign it.
“He wouldn’t want to go through that [a failed trade request] again.
“If I was Zach Merrett, there is no way I’d want to go through what he went through at the end of last year.”
This masthead reported in January that Merrett has since moved on from manager Tom Petroro following the saga of the 2025 trade period, and returned to his previous management group. Merrett has also ceded the captaincy to Andrew McGrath.
Hird said Merrett’s status at Essendon could still be elevated, despite the events of recent months.
“If he stays, which I think he will, and he leads them, not necessarily to a premiership but the start of that incline in two or three years’ time … this [saga] will be forgotten,” Hird said on Footy Classified.
“If he’s seen as the guy that really hung around and helped that club build back up to win a final, and maybe that’s where he gets to, he’ll be remembered as a fantastic Essendon person.”
Speaking on Footy Classified last year, before Merrett’s ill-fated bid to get to Hawthorn came down to the final stages of the trade period, Hird said he would “love to see Zach and the club [Essendon] make up and go back together”.
“I’ve coached the guy. He’s a wonderful person, a person of high integrity who has worked his backside off. He’s the hardest worker I’ve coached at any level,” Hird said.
“If I was Essendon and at Essendon now, I’d be still reaching out and trying to bring him in.”
Twomey said Merrett was now looking at a new deal of “three-plus” years to remain in the red and black.
“He’s contracted at Essendon until the end of 2027, but we can say this new deal has been put to him in recent weeks,” Twomey explained.
“Expect it to be worth around the $1.1-1.2 million mark a season. It would also incorporate a lift in his pay for 2027, the remaining year on his [current] deal.”
Twomey reported Merrett “wants to play deep into his 30s” and that this new contract offer has clauses that could take him to that point.
“Essendon hasn’t done this on a whim, or out of the blue… there’s been talks going back and forth for a number of weeks now. He’s been through two different management groups over the last few months. As he’s changed manager, there’s been more discussions around this in recent weeks.
“This deal sits in front of him – it’s up to him now to decide what he wants to do.”
‘I don’t really care what Lloydy says’: Bomber rejects ‘lazy’ label
Jon Pierik
Essendon defender Ben McKay has taken aim at the club’s critics, insisting the Bombers are not lazy and remain one of the traditional big-four Victorian power clubs despite fading in on-field relevance.
The Bombers are again dealing with a harsh spotlight, having begun the season behind a 62-point drubbing from arch-rival Hawthorn. They have now lost 14 games straight, their last victory coming in May last year in the Dreamtime Game.
Mabior Chol goes head to head with Ben McKay.Credit: AFL Photos
It’s the club’s equal second-longest losing streak, beaten only by the 17-game losing streak in 2016 when they were cruelled by season-long drug suspensions.
Club great Matthew Lloyd even accused several players of being “lazy” in commentary on 3AW on Friday night, a point McKay dismissed when questioned on Tuesday.
“What we looked at in the last couple of days, we didn’t feel it was laziness or a lack of effort,” McKay, one of the Bombers’ best players on Friday, said.
“It was, as I said at the start, some of the decision-making and attention to detail stuff that let us down. So, yeah, I don’t really care what Lloydy says.
“He has got his own opinion, and we’re trying really hard to listen to [coach] Brad [Scott], listen to Solly [assistant coach Dean Solomon], listen to everyone in-house.”
The rebuilding Bombers face the Power in Adelaide on Sunday, before tackling North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne. They won’t be seen in prime time again until the Dreamtime Game against the Tigers on May 22.
That they have not won a final since 2004, and a flag since 2000, prompted triple-premiership Richmond great Jack Riewoldt to suggest on Fox Footy they no longer belong in the same bracket as Carlton, Collingwood and the Tigers as one of the traditional big-four Victorian power clubs.
McKay said Riewoldt’s comments were ignorant, but there was a caveat.
“Factually, we are a big club, so not sure what Jack is talking about there. You look at the weekend, there were, what, 75,000, 80,000 [attendance] there. Our history is our history – we are very proud of it. You know, our attendance is amazing,” McKay said.
The Bombers, Magpies and Blues have each won 16 VFL-AFL premierships – a league record.
However, McKay said the Bombers had work to do to be relevant again when it comes to on-field results, which, as club officials pointed out to this masthead, remains the bottom line.
“Yeah, we want to be relevant again in terms of on-field performance. And that’s the biggest selling point, isn’t it? Winning games. So, I can understand [Riewoldt’s comments] from that point of view,” McKay said.
“We understand that when we’re winning games, winning finals, there’s going to be even more noise around us in a good way. So, in terms of that, that’s something we’re striving for … but, I think, clearly we’re a big-four club. I think that’s a bit ignorant, yeah.”
Heading into Sunday’s clash, Scott is under pressure to find a defensive system that holds up with the likes of Mason Redman, skipper Andrew McGrath, Zach Reid and McKay as key pillars.
While there are mitigating circumstances, including youth, as Scott has pointed out, the Bombers have now conceded a whopping combined 49 marks in their defensive 50 over their past two home-and-away games – 26 against Gold Coast in round 24 last year, and 24 against the Hawks.
It’s the third-worst stretch by any team over the past five years.
“I think it is on us older guys to lead the way, though. I mean, we can’t rely on the younger guys, just because they are high picks, to lead the way. And we made that pretty clear the last couple of days, that the leadership group and us older guys need to pave the way forward for them,” McKay said.
The Bombers are confident dynamic small forward Isaac Kako (hamstring) will be fit to face the Power.
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