First let me say that Merrett without question has been our best player the last decade.
That said, even before the whole trade saga he never would be viewed in the same class as players like hird, Watson (both of them), Coleman, Hutchison and Reynolds.
Those players won b and f awards in champion teams.
His importance to essendon has been heightened because the rest of the team is so ■■■■.
Peak Rish in 2021 was better.
As was peak Stringer in 2021.
Salmon is a big Hawks man. I know this through a family member. His family are all Hawthorn supporters, I recon he puts it on being a bombers person. That’s the reality.
Salmon is on Hawthorn podcasts etc, if Merrett leaves I think he will end up being the same. Not invested in our club.
he doesnt put anything on re essendon but he has admitted hes more of a hawthorn person. hehad an aboslute ball playing for the hawks and he got to play the position he preferred which was the ruck. also ended up as their ruck in team of the century. i loved the fish, he was my first footy hero. the day he was jeered at waverley destroyed his love for the bombers.
Understandable.
The booing he received that day out at Waverley would have cut very very deep.
He’s got his flags at essendon but I don’t think he’d ever regret going to hawthorn
Nah he is Hawthorn through and Through.
He’s the ruckman in the Hawks team of the century
I don’t think he has a connection with the club like Hawthorn and that’s saying something considering he played in multiple flags. Maybe we need someone to ask him. Which I might be able to do.
His 12 years of service are not in question.
A week before he went rogue almost everyone on Blitz agreed that no one would begrudge Zach the opportunity to seek success elsewhere.
what he did however is made it only about him, as if he was a victim and in doing so made a mockery of his captaincy and utterly belittled his teammates.
this whole episode could have been stage managed so much better where both player and club could have created a far more positive and respectful narrative around his desired move.
but Zach went rogue and now he has to own it
yeah ask him if you can. maybe its true about the whole family club thing.
Yea I’ll get a family member to. I am sure he has spoken to him about it and fish was diplomatic, but essentially said he is a Hawthorn person. But this chat will prompt me to ask again.
I don’t know fish but my Relo knows his wife.
Salmon was the opposite to Merrett.
He had played his finals and won his flags. The faithful turned on him before he turned on the club.
Merrett hasn’t played finals, and would trample his own nan to win a flag. He turned on the club before the fans turned on him.
I don’t think Merrett intended things to go public, but he has put his trust in his management and the ■■■■ eating dwarf who knew the only way it got done was to ■■■■ off the club and fans
It was the fateful night that McGrath took this club by the scruff of the neck.
What a weird analogy. Is your marriage ok?
This one is fine, it was all the others that were crap. And I took full responsibility for my actions. In any case, just like a footy club, there is always another option if you want to take it.
Not sure leaving a footy club is as traumatic as leaving a marriage, but seems at least on BBlitz the same sort of vitriolic nonsense prevails. Three weeks ago, Zac was the poor hard done-by bloke who was going to spend his career without even winning a final, and he was the heart and soul of the Club and deserved better. After such a pathetic performance by the Team on the field this year, many were urging Zac to find greener pastures. Now he makes an attempt and he is about the worst person that ever lived.
I have no expectations that football supporters will be reasonable or rational, but that is what the Club needs to be. I would not easily clear Zac and expect him to honour his contract. Players only exist to meet my needs of winning flags and he and the others are well paid to give me joy. Time to be dispassionate and do what is best for the ultimate goal. Zac is our best player by a long way and Hawthorn would need to give us Newcombe, Watson, pick 8 and next years first pick for me to be interested.
The abuse of Zac Merrett is not fair, and should stop by all, including the perennial BBlitz muppets.
But Zach made it all about himself. What he should’ve done was make it about the team, carry them on his shoulders, ‘wrap his arms around them’, and say to Mitchell’s wife “You can have me but you’ll have to take this noble group of underdogs too, and the assistant coaches and the fitness staff, all 58 of us, cos that’s how I’ve rolled for 12 of the most mediocre years of footballing organisation in the history of the game.”
A captain who led by example on the field and training track wasn’t enough, we should look to someone who has an easy rapport with all the players and brings them along with him. There’s a bloke running around with Port Melbourne with those attributes. Or Andy.
What I take home from this is that Gary O’Donnell is underrated by many of us.
Sure. But I don’t think it’s enough sample size to draw any conclusions from.
It could have just been St Kilda being sh*t, and we still lost the game anyway.