Jesus that is a ridiculous statement.
Would definitely be in the top 3 for b&f at this stage.
Still elite by foot, good hands around the contest and tackles more than anyone in our team
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Zac does cop it. Not good to see given the potential longer term health effects.
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I disagree very strongly with this. Has excellent goal nous IMO. It is a progression that he needs to (and I think will) bring to his midfield game.
He finished every second game with a black eye.
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Some people on here are so harsh with Zerrett.
He hasn’t been as good as previous years but I recon Blitz is about the only place where you’ll see people complaining about a bloke averaging 29 touches 6 tackles and 5 clearances a game.
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The positive is the load is being shared a bit more. Parish, Shiel coming in dys In prob career best form ,
Not a bad thing at all 
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overly surprised lack of zach talk here after the clinic he put on vs the Hawks in the 3rd qtr - I guess it shows what we’ve lewrnt to expect from him.
It was as good a solo performance that I’ve seen in a qtr of footy for a long, long time.
Zach was everywhere, perfect decisions & execution, sublime. neo-like really.
what a player, and he’s all ours
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Spot on. And thanks for pointing it out. Was BOG, but has been virtually ignored. We needed our leaders to stand up - after a poor first half - and Zerrett just exploded in the 3rd. Such a dominant quarter. He is a gun, but it has reached the stage where he will only receive plaudits if he has 40 touches and kicks multiple goals in a game - and is prepared to cop serious brain damage for it. Anything less and he isn’t considered a gun. Fckn ridiculous.
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Reckon it was his best kicking game for a long time.
Fingers crossed he explodes in the second half of the year
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He’ll end up winning the Crichton, despite flying under the radar.
He has picked up his defensive output which is what the coaches would have wanted to see.
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He’s one of the top 10 pressure players in the whole league. Easily our best player.
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That’s why Clarkson is the master coach going above and beyond Bolton.
- Hit merret in the head
- Pinch Fantasia
- Stomp on smacks foot
- Trade out of the draft for 10 years in a row
- ???
- Premiership
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I knew he played a awesome game watching him at the ground on Friday. But I had no idea just how good he was in the packs until I watched the replay. The guy can play inside and outside.
And as you mentioned his pressure without the ball is top notch
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That goal he kicked Friday? Class with a (grammatically requisite, but also apt metaphorical) capital C.
With the ever increasing number of players we have capable of elite clearance work when running through the middle, I wouldn’t mind seeing Zach spend additional time closer to goals, especially if he is being tagged. He has all the tools needed to be an impactful presence, both offensively and defensively, while resting forward.
Being able to average 1 goal/game is the last piece of the puzzle he needs to add to his game before he’ll enter that tippy top group of midfielders.
I never saw the replay of zacs goal but did stringers assist bounce off someone’s head to get it to Zac ?
from Herald Sun Nov 18, 2018
AFL 2018: Zach Merrett wants to kick more goals in 2019
Jay Clark, Herald Sun
Essendon midfielder Zach Merrett says he needs to hit the scoreboard harder to become a more well-rounded and damaging midfielder next season.
But the ball magnet bristled at suggestions he struggled with a tag and says he is looking forward to any heavy attention which comes his way next year.
Merrett, 23, is one of the game’s best midfielders but the ball magnet was blunt about the need to boost his goal returns in 2019.
He kicked five goals last season, and has 25 majors over the past four years.
“I think I need to kick more goals, and have more impact going forward,” Merrett said.
“It is not all defined by numbers and goals, but about encouraging my teammates to go forward as well.”
Merrett’s early form mirrored the Bombers’ slow start last season, as he was kept to 17 possessions or less four times in the first seven rounds.
The 103-gamer was concussed in Round 1.
The Sandringham product said 2018 was a big learning curve, and was plotting to spend more time outside the centre square to help the team register its first finals win since 2004.
“It was a lot about learning off playing on some really good players, especially Ed Curnow, I think was someone that challenged me pretty hard,” he said.
“I was able to learn a lot around playing more minutes outside of the midfield because I think it is easy to get stuck in there and get possessions.
“But for me and the club moving forward I think I will have to play more outside the centre bounce, and have more impact as a leader as well.”
But Merrett said the commentary that he had struggled with a heavy tag was wide of the mark.
“No, it (being tagged) wasn’t (difficult),” he said.
“It was written about a fair bit, which was quite funny.
“It is an exciting challenge. I love going out and playing on the best players, and the fact that opposition players will do their plans during the week to stop me individually is exciting.
“If that means I can help my teammates more, that’s what it is about.”
Merrett said he completed a leadership course along with Daniher in London in the off-season, alongside some other AFL coaching and high performance staff.
Daniher does not yet have a time frame for a return to full training but is gradually stepping up his workload in preparation for a Round 1 return.
Merrett said Shiel, who also completed some light running away from the main group, could add another dynamic weapon inside the centre square.
“He is a really explosive player obviously, and his work in the centre bounce is something we certainly highlighted when we played the Giants in previous years,” he said.
“So to be able to add that to our system will be a great deal for us and hopefully it will help improve our centre bounce work and clearance work.
“But I think his ability to kick goals and go forward has been pretty special as well.”
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funny how whilst his emphasis here is about kicking goals more, he’s also upped his defense - also as a result of Dev being out. remarkable.
reminds me of a documentary about MJ I saw about 20 years ago - where a player said that what makes him the GOAT is that if you ask any player whom they least want to guard for the last 24 secs it’d be MJ. and then ask everyone who they least want to be guarded by - you’d get the same answer…
not saying Zerret is MJ but he does personify that same endeavour and constant drive to improve and win everything he does - a trait that many players lack, even the more professional ones.
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Winning our b&f at this stage.
Anyone who disagrees doesn’t appreciate his all around game.
He is elite by foot, great around the contest, tackles and tracks back
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