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You’ve seen the teams, so who will win?
‘Let’s get this over with’: When Merrett faced the media
Zach Merrett in training with the Vics.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Zach Merrett did not look nervous. He did not look uncomfortable, and he did not look out of sorts. But he did mutter a telling comment minutes before he fronted footy’s travelling press pack in Perth earlier this afternoon: “Let’s get this over with,” he said.
The former Bombers skipper is in Perth representing Victoria in the coming State of Origin clash against Western Australia, and it was his turn to stand before the microphones.
But he knew the questions would quickly turn from wearing the Big V to being back at Essendon. And they did. Thick and fast.
This is how it unfolded.
Zach, what do you read into recent reports that you are considering extending your contract with the Bombers after seeking an off-season trade to Hawthorn?
“I don’t read into it,” he said. “I think something that was briefly spoken about through the last few months, clearly not something I’m thinking about these few days being away with Victoria, but something that will be ongoing.
“I need to get back and play really good footy and make sure that I continue to show up and be a good player for the footy club. And I’m sure those things will take care of themselves in due course.”
How do you approach Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, who is an assistant coach for Victoria on this trip to Perth? Have Essendon told you to stay away from him?
“It doesn’t affect me, good or bad. I think he’s another coach. Having Chris [Scott] there as the head coach is someone I’m really keen to learn off as much as I can within these two or three days.
“Obviously, his record speaks for itself. I feel like we get a clone in [Essendon coach] Brad and some of their philosophies, I’m sure, are the same.
“But to have Sam, but also Shaun Grigg, who’s got a really established career already as a coach, having those three guys together already, just hearing their points of view in team meetings, but also, to be honest, the players as well, guys like [Patrick] Dangerfield, [Marcus] Bontempelli, guys that have had really successful careers, and hearing their views on the game and how we should play as another player, it’s just interesting to hear how they view the game.”
What was it like for you going back to Essendon? We heard some of the players were disappointed when they thought they were losing you, and the relationships might have been strained?
“I don’t think it was strained. I think they, in a weird way, they were really keen to keep me and wanted to play with me, so I wouldn’t say they were strained relationships. I think no doubt there was a bit of awkwardness, just to start with, given that we went through those three months. But to Mason [Redman] and Nic’s [Martin] credit, we had dinner before we went back to make sure that we’re on the same page, and I could be clear with what I went through and what they went through, and we all walked back on the same page and got cracking into pre-season.
“I think it’s an ever-evolving space, the trade period, and the way the game is going, it’s going to evolve more and more moving forward. So, hopefully, if that does happen for other players moving forward, we aren’t as critical with that player.”
Zach Merrett relieved himself of the Essendon captaincy following his failed attempt to be traded to Hawthorn.Credit: Essendon FC
How was it for you personally? All the speculation, all the kind of heat that was on you, just, I guess, wanting to pursue what you wanted in your career?
“I think the media are there, and 99 per cent is incredible, and is a great part of our ecosystem, and supports the game in an incredible way. I think there’s that 1 per cent that isn’t so nice, but, I mean, I think we get paid extremely well. We get to live out our dream, and those Ts and Cs of media come with that. It’s intense at the time, but when you look back, I guess at the end of the day, it’s a game of footy.”
Do you see Essendon as your long-term home now?
“Yeah. I mean, I’m still contracted for two years, so I still very much feel like they’re in charge of my career moving forward. I think the way we’ve shifted and evolved and compounded some really good decisions in the pre-season, off-season – it looks really pleasing to replace and improve our fitness department with a new head of performance, new weights coach, obviously a new CEO recently, Andy coming on as captain, and then a new president.
“There’s been a fair bit of change, but I’ve been training in the environment, it’s been really fun to get back involved, and we trained a lot of high speed, as I’m sure most clubs are saying, but I think guys are just loving the environment this three months so far, and keen to try out what we’ve worked on against some real opposition in a couple of weeks.”
What in your mind has changed from wanting to seek a move to Hawthorn to now considering extending your contract?
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say considering it yet. There’s some openness to listen, as there always is, when you’re on your back nine of your career, so to speak, you’re always open with what that could look like.
“But nothing has progressed outside of a very preliminary chat. So sort of excluding that, I think the things that have shifted, as I said before, I think the fitness department’s really beefed up, and the club’s invested heavily resourcing that to make sure that players get the best opportunity to be fit, healthy and on the park for longer periods of time, so that we can hopefully have more talent come the weekend to string together some more wins.”
Were you nervous or apprehensive walking back through the doors?
“Not nervous. No. I think it’s weird when, you know, I played 250 games there, captained the club, and won six best and fairests, like, I feel pretty comfortable walking back into the club.
“I get the outside noise, and I get the people looking, having opinions on what I should do with my life. But no, I knew that was a really live possibility, and probably a high percentage chance I was going to be going back. So that was always very front of mind that moment and walking back into my locker and putting my boots on and getting back to work.”
Broad puts hand up to take down Toby Greene
Western Australia have completed their first training session and the skill level was elite.
If this game is taken seriously, and we keep getting told it will be, the home state’s mosquito fleet could cause Victoria headaches. Particularly WA’s Indigenous quartet – Charlie Cameron, Shai Bolton, Kozzie Pickett and Brad Hill.
Kysaiah Pickett and Liam Baker at WA training on Thursday.Credit: AFL Photos
Expect to see Pickett and Bolton rotate through the midfield, while Hill is likely to start on a wing.
The Sandgropers are also looking to play Luke Jackson as a big-bodied midfielder – in tandem with skipper Patrick Cripps – leaving the ruck work to Darcy Cameron and Tim English.
Before the session, defender Nathan Broad was asked who would be standing Victorian forward Sam Darcy.
WA duo Nathan Broad and Bradley Hill.Credit: AFL Photos
“Not me, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’m glad we’ve got Sammy Taylor and [Tom] Barrass and some big key backs there, it would be one of them I would have thought.
“I’ll leave it up to one of them and I will just stay clear. I’ll look for one of the little blokes.”
Broad was then asked which Vic he would love to line up in a bone-crunching hit.
“I don’t know about line up,” he said. “The messaging last night from some of our guest speakers [including Ross Glendinning and Glen Jakovich] about wars back in the day, I’m not sure we could probably play that way. We’d get a few weeks [suspension].
Bulldog Aaron Naughton on the track in Perth.Credit: AFL Photos
“But me and Toby Greene have gone at it for a long time now, 10 years or so, so he’ll be down there.”
Yes, that’s what we want to hear, Broady. Someone willing to take it up to Toby. That should get the competitive juices flowing.
Gawn doubts State Of Origin timing
There are so many “ifs” floating around the AFL’s attempts to resurrect State Of Origin football that it is difficult to have faith in it being a success.
While Melbourne skipper Max Gawn says he is behind the concept, he’s not convinced about the timing.
Max Gawn is questioning the timing of playing State Of Origin at Optus Stadium.Credit: AFL Photos
“The players have been lobbying for this for a while,” he said.
“I feel like any way to bring in more revenue and more eyes on our game should be looked at.
“So it’s something that I really want to try … but I don’t know if we’ve nailed the date.”
Gawn said he would look at playing State Of Origin later in the year.
“Don’t know what the exact date is, but maybe at the back end [of the season], so the granny boys can play as well,” he said.
Gawn said if the game was to be played at grand final-like intensity – “we’re all talking about it being that sort of atmosphere” at a sold-out Optus Stadium – then the players might have needed a few warm-up games.
“You’d like maybe a test run,” he said. “So maybe it’s played at the end of the practice games, just before round one.
“Then it doesn’t give you scope for small injuries.”
Origin coaches handed unfair advantage: Hinkley
Victorian coach Chris Scott might not need to flip a magnet to have a successful trip to Perth.
His greatest move might come at the end of the season during the trade period.
Chris Scott will coach Victoria in State of Origin against WA on Saturday nightCredit: AFL Photos
That’s if you believe Ken Hinkley, who says Scott and WA coach Dean Cox have been handed an unfair recruiting edge over their clubland rivals by getting to spend four days in Perth with some of the best football talent in the land.
“It is an absolute advantage to those coaches and these clubs,” Hinkley told SEN.
“Connection is the word we all look for. If you get a four- or five-day opportunity to create a connection with a potential new player …
“There’s enough discrepancies in the game, this is another one the AFL didn’t need to add to it. This was a simple AFL decision they have not thought about in any way shape or form about the advantages.
“This is a great opportunity for a coach to create a relationship with a player they may or may not be looking at.
“We don’t need to cloud the judgment for anyone. This is one example of something the AFL has not put enough thought into.”
Hinkley might not be far off the mark, considering Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell is in Perth as Scott’s assistant at the same time midfielder Zach Merrett is pulling on the Big V.
A couple of big-name Vics who enter the free agency space at season’s end are Port’s Zak Butters and Gold Coast forward Ben King. So we’ll be sure to keep an eye on just how much time they spend in the coach’s corner in days to come.
Not that the coaches will be wasting too much time on tactics, according to WA defender Tom Barrass.
“I don’t think it [Saturday’s game] will be won in the coach’s box,” he said.
“I think Coxy will have his hand off the wheel, to be honest. I think with this calibre of players and such little preparation, it’ll be a lot of common-sense playing.
“I think the brand of footy will probably be a bit more simple, a bit more contested, probably a finals-type style of footy, like it is when you have this many good players on the field.”
Gawn continues to act the part
Big Maxy Gawn had his hands full on Wednesday afternoon, carting around his luggage and two young sons who had made the flight to Perth for this weekend’s big Origin clash against the Sandgropers.
The whole weekend is shaping as a family affair with wives, girlfriends and kids forming part of the large contingent that flew out of Melbourne for the coming weekend. A point not lost on Gawn.
Max Gawn fronts the media in Perth on Wednesday.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“That was pretty impressive flight,” Gawn said. “It was a weird flight with all the young kids and journos, and Garry Lyon was sitting relatively close to the front. In fact, driving the plane.”
For those not up to speed with Gawn’s dry sense of humour, Lyon, thankfully, was not flying the plane. It was 30-minutes late leaving Melbourne as it was, and a fair chance never to make Perth if Lyon was in the cockpit.
But Gawn has been making us smile in other areas this week, playing an impressive cameo as a wine-pouring barman in Melbourne Football Club’s latest membership clip – a clever video involving a number of the Dees’ tragic fans.
Bad kicking? Blame it on Crippa
Speaking of amusing video clips. Carlton players are still defending their skill levels after footage of a pre-season training drill went viral a fortnight ago. For all the wrong reasons.
It seems skipper Patrick Cripps, who has carried the club on his shoulders with Atlas-like reliability in recent years, is carrying the blame for this one as well.
Jacob Weitering at Melbourne Airport.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“It was our mate Cripp,” teammate Jacob Weitering said of the video that showed a number of skill errors, including a butchered left-foot kick from the Carlton skipper that was so far off the mark it cleared the boundary and landed in the Ikon Park stands.
“He had a bit of a laugh at it. It’s very hard to take a 30-40 second clip out of context in a three-hour training session.”
Sorry, Jacob, we think you mean “easy” in this instance. As in, easy to take out of context. Well, at least we hope so.
“I think most teams would have moments like that within training,” Weitering continued before boarding a plane for Perth for the coming AFL Origin clash.
“If you’re talking about a two-time Brownlow medallist, five-time best-and-fairest winner and champion of the game in that manner, I’d be concerning myself with something different.”
Sorry for being concerned, Jacob, but we are worried this footage of sloppy foot skills could come back to haunt the Blues during the season.
“No, I don’t think so,” he countered.
“We’ve been pretty focused on, you know, what we can do inhouse and what we can control and for the most part, it’s been a very hot pre-season, genuine.
“We’ve had some great guys come into the club. The vibes a little bit different. It’s refreshing. So we’ll see round zero.”
Of course, come “round zero”, Weitering is likely to line up on ex-teammate and now Sydney Swan Charlie Curnow.
“There’s been conversations about it,” Weitering said. “We’ve played 10 years together, we’re great mates, so I’m certainly looking forward to the match-up, and there’ll be 120 minutes to see who comes out on top.”
Tall timber flock to emergency section
By Danny Russell
As far as precious cargo goes, the 1.30pm Virgin flight to Perth on Wednesday was stacked with some of the AFL’s greatest possessions. The State Of Origin playing group that is.
And while the Big Vic’s hierarchy – chief motivator Garry Lyon, coach Chris Scott and captain Marcus Bontempelli – were seated at the pointy end of the jet, the tall timber found themselves planted towards the middle of the plane.
Max Gawn and Tom Barrass arrive at Perth Airport.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Why? Extra leg room. The emergency exits became a veritable land of the giants.
Seated across rows 15 and 16 were Tim English, Sam Darcy, Darcy Cameron, Max Gawn, Rory Lobb, Jacob Weitering, Tom Barrass and Aaron Naughton. Not a crumbing forward in sight.
But even with the extra room, the big fellas still spent time in and out of their seats, stretching their extra-long legs and striding down the aisle to keep from seizing up.
You’ve seen the teams, so who will win?
The teams
What footy fans are really barracking for
By Danny Russell
It’s the question on every nervous footy fan’s lips as a plane load of the state’s best talent jets west for AFL Origin – how do they avoid coming back injured?
Carlton fans would be top of that list. Could the long-suffering Blues fans endure a large chunk of the season without Patrick Cripps or Jacob Weitering?
Not that the Magpie Army would be far behind them in the anxiety stakes. They would love to see Darcy Cameron and Nick Daicos fly back from WA in one piece.
Jacob Weitering (Victoria via Carlton) and Darcy Cameron (WA via Collingwood) are pumped up for Saturday’s State of Origin match.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
But fear not. The secret to staying injury free, according to Cameron, is to not think about getting injured. Let’s hope he’s never heard of Murphy’s Law.
“It’s the first game, sort of, pre-season, so you want to treat it like a proper game, a proper hit-out,” the reigning Magpies best and fairest said before boarding the flight.
“We’ll be going out all guns blazing. I feel like anytime you go out there and try not to get injured, is when is you get injured.”
Weitering dismissed concerns that the match would become a bruise-free exhibition match. Which is probably not what the Blues faithful want to hear.
“I just think it’s going to be hot,” the Blues defender said. “Boys are going to compete for the jumper and each other.
“It’s an opportunity that you just don’t get regularly. And we’ve seen, it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do it, so I think the first 10 minutes is, you know, there’s going to be a few contests.”
Cameron and Weitering conduct a media doorstop on Wednesday ahead of the State of Origin match.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
What happens if one of those contests involves the Blues skipper? What will Weitering prioritise if he finds Cripps between himself and the ball on Saturday.
“It’ll be done fairly but, but it’ll be a hell of a contest for sure,” he said.
Weitering said he was not worried about getting injured when he takes the field against Western Australia.
“The preparation, the time that has been put into it, the team that we’ve got around us, the trainers, the doctors, the communication between the clubs and the AFL, I think, has been pretty good,” he said.
Weitering expected every players’ game time to be managed.
“We’ve got 25 guys per team, so the rotations in some pretty hot weather will be handy.
“As Darcy said, if you go out thinking of maybe going at 80 or 90 per cent, that’s when you do get injured.”
So, rest assured club land fans – your precious players are in safe hands. Fingers crossed, touch wood.
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