Playing incredibly inspiring and consistent footy.
One minor gripe in an otherwise terrific game.
Early in the last qtr, he needed to be awake of what Bobby Hill was trying to do 65m out on the flank.
Which was engage LAV so that he could make space for Josh Daicos inside 50.
Merrett needed to close the distance to Daicos, but he didn’t.
A goal resulted.
Even if Hill takes LAV on, on the mark, he would need to go left side as Merrett would be now covering the right.
It’s worth a look.
You can’t give a skillful player like Daicos a chance from that range.
Isaac Heeney may be leading the Brownlow Medal after six rounds …
THEN …
Zach Merrett surely won’t be far behind after seven. No idea how he was left out of this club’s leadership group in 2020. Leading expertly in 2024. Even if he misses on the Brownlow, he’s tracking to get a fourth All-Australian.
Watching Heppells interview on the Bombers website just showed me how stark the difference is between him and Zach as captain. Heppell “couldn’t be prouder of the boys” after a draw when were 5 or 6 goals up at the start of the game… Zach looked pretty dour and unsatisfied with the result. Not only has his game elevated to another level, but he is leading from the front like a true captain. It doesent mean being the most popular guy on the team and showering your teammates with praise.
It was a small thing but there was a moment in the 1st quarter where Draper gave away a free kick in a ruck contest for rough conduct. Sammy started sooking to the umpire. Zach almost instantly instructed him to get into the backline and set up. Sammy instantly did what he was told. Were lucky to have a captain that commands so well while playing at an elite level.
Love Zach. Another great performance. His consistency is amazing.
He has taken his game to another level this year. Whether it is the captaincy or inspiration from Scott or players like Durham and Caldwell, his attack on the ball and man is ferocious.
I just wish he would start kicking the goals that he should be nailing. I am never confident when he lines up for goal - whether on the run or a set shot. For the best kick in the team, he just seems to go to water a little if kicking at the big sticks. If he can work on this and start to regularly hit the scoreboard it will make him a complete player and likely brownlow medalist. I hope the club psychologist is working on it with him. The issue clearly is between the ears.
Was anyone else surprised in Zac’s press conference that he said he doesn’t feel like he needs to watch the replay of the game?
I would have thought the whole team would sit down together or as groups (Mids,backs,Forwards) and watch the game from the end-to-end camera to see what worked and what didn’t as a group so they can understand changes moving forward?
And Zac being Zac and a student of the game I thought would be one of the first to analyse his performance on the replay.
it sounded like the question was in the context of whether he would sit down on the couch in his own time and watch the game for fun with a bowl of popcorn type thing, to which he said no. I imagine they would review the game and show relevant parts to players during the week as part and parcel of the review process.
Yeah fair enough. Still think he would have mentioned that.
Surely 10 minutes into the Adelaide-North game he’ll be bored enough to watch the replay of ANZAC day and thank the heavens he wasn’t drafted to North.
There’s a book by Phil Walker called The Captain Class. He uses a formula to find the greatest 16 sports teams of all time then looks at what sets them apart… Given the title, you probably guessed it’s the captains. He then looks at the seven traits that define these captains. They are:
Extreme doggedness and focus in competition
Aggressive play that tests the limits of the rules
A willingness to do thankless jobs in the shadows
A low key, practical and democratic communication style
Motivates others with passionate nonverbal displays
Strong convictions and the courage to stand apart
Ironclad emotional control
It seems to be a fair model on how Zach acts as skipper. Definitely some traits that have become more apparent since he got the gig. He’s become an outstanding leader.
In 2015 it was Zach and Joe that made a full on pact together to get this club off the ground and take it back to the top of the AFL.
We all know what Joe is doing, but rightyfully we can all agree Zach could have left us a couple of times, and he didn’t.
Regardless of what the rest of his career entails, he already is an Bomber Hall of Fame. If he can manage a Brownlow, Premiership Captain and 3 or 4 more Crichtons he will be a legend of the AFL.
