I can foresee a lot of plays where we hear from the potatoes “ohhhh McGrath!”
waiting for a Hirdy fab-4 article about our midfield to know that we’re going places (-;
but seriously - McG does look like he’s gonna an absolute superstar - ahead of DP and potentially Zach too…
we do however forget how young Zach is and relate to him like he’s a veteran because he’s emerged so quickly (also off the field as well) - he may have quite a way to go to reach his ceiling too…
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If any of our mids end up better than a Zerrett in the next year or 3 we’re laughing.
To be honest, even if one or two get on par or better than Heppell (and i’m assuming he’ll go back to the 2014 version from next year) we’re in great shape
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At just 22 Zerret is a great player and great team person. However, he does tend to play a defensive role, more often than an attacking one. In a way this is to his detriment, but is very important to the team defence. .
Looking at the Brownlow votes for 2017, surprisingly Zerret (15) had a patch in mid season when he polled almost no votes On the other hand Hep, who some say played “below par” polled 14, with Zaka on 11.
We now have to face the fact that there will be a lot of players in our team “taking votes off” Zerret, and that includes Hepp, who hopefully will have a better year next year as well.
Zerret needs to kick more goals, ( as in the Fremantle game where he polled 3 votes) if he was allowed to play that more forward role, imo he would seriously come into Brownlow contention in spite of the above.
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The defensive role is an instruction from the coaches and he played the role extremely well.
Pretty much all year we struggled to transition the ball out of defence and not surprisingly when Merrett or Goddard were used back there we played some of our best footy. He played a sacrificial role for the team but one that would have helped with his own development.
With the addition of Saad and Goddard more than likely playing back down in defence again I think Merrett will play more as an attacking midfielder. I can see him getting up around that 20 goal mark next season and really taking that step into the elite category. If he does that he will poll very well in the brownlow and will maintain his position as our best mid.
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They must have been using the Stanton ratio ™, in which only less than perfect disposal is recognised.
The Age has been fiction for a while now.
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I did notice Zach put the ball where his teammate was supposed to be a few times in the second game.
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That was a hallmark of his first couple of years. Beautiful aggressive kicks to exactly the right spots in the forward 50 only to discover none of our forwards knew where the right spots were.
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Joe Daniher: “Yeah, but that’s where the goals SHOULD be!”
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Sponge’ Bomber takes time to learn from the best
ESSENDON star Zach Merrett spent the off-season soaking up lessons in professionalism from influences as disparate as a Fremantle superstar and an NFL team in a bid to continue his rapid rise as a footballer.
After only four years in the AFL, the 22-year-old has already won a club best and fairest and earned All Australian honours on his way to becoming one of Bombers’ most important players.
Selected to represent Australia during the Virgin Australia International Rules Series against Ireland in November, Merrett was like a sponge around his more credentialed teammates.
“I spent a lot of time with Nat Fyfe, because he sat next to me most of the time,” Merrett told SEN radio on Tuesday.
"To pick his brain and work out how he goes about it was great, but I certainly made sure I sat there and didn’t say too much.
"(I learnt) about his professionalism and how dedicated he is inside and outside the club to make sure his body is 100 per cent ready to play every week.
“I listened to the way (Joel) Selwood and Paddy (Dangerfield) went about their work and tried to take in as much as I could.”
Merrett also used a holiday to the United States as a study tour when he was embedded with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns to get a better understanding of how other professional sports tick.
“I was lucky enough through some great contacts to get to the Cleveland Browns, and although they’re 0-16, it was great to see how they go about their business and the amount of money that is pumped through those franchises,” Merrett said.
“It was a really good experience over there.”
With expectation rising around Essendon after they returned to the finals last for the first time since 2014 and recruited strongly in the off-season, Merrett believes winning at least one final this September should be considered a pass mark for John Worsfold’s men.
And with the hype around his own game growing by the year, Merrett is embracing the attention that comes with being one the competition’s best players.
“I guess you’ve got to enjoy (the attention) that comes with the territory, and I’m ready for that and just do my best for the team,” he said.
“It’s not just about me just getting the ball, but I’m ready for that.”
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Will never be left wondering if he got the best out of himself. Leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit excellence. Love it.
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Thank fark the Hawkes took Hartung instead.
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How has he’s preseason been going? Can we expect more improvement? Will the improvement be specific to certain areas or just overall increase in performance?
Crazy that he still has 3 seasons before he hits 25.
Washington Generals weren’t hiring?
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What the …??
By all reports he is smashing it. He is a smooth mover - hes generally himself. His standards he sets so high and rarely under performs. Reminds me of pendlebury and his consistency in his prime. Zac is an absolute ripper.
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Serious man crush for zerrett and the way he goes about it.
Also makes me feel good inside that we got him during the cluster f#ck of the saga and crameri leaving. Football gods know how to even the score.
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Also makes me feel bad for being nonplussed when we picked up Jackson’s brother.
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