Us and Geelong. He’d probably be pretty happy back home but if the chance came up for a top job…
Removing Barham because he was Brads protector is most likely the only true bit of that post imo
A lot of players from late in the 2024 draft look terrific for a lot of teams. Its looking like a true super draft. Even if Clarke, Johnson, and another of Gerreyn, Unwin, ADW make it good, that doesn’t help too much if other clubs did just as well from that 2024 draft.
1 Like
The Footy Boss: An in-depth look at all aspects of the Essendon Football Club
From the Zach Merrett non-trade and list management to high performance and the front office — former Carlton footy boss Brad Lloyd has unpacked the entire Essendon Football Club.
Brad Lloyd | News Sport Network
October 22, 2025 4:57 pm
Essendon’s trade period was dominated by the future of Zach Merrett, who eventually wasn’t traded to Hawthorn.
I thought new Bombers president Andrew Welsh handled the situation well having just entered the top job and in the end the trade offer from Hawthorn just didn’t make enough sense to send Merrett away.
Everybody in footy is wondering how Merrett will go in returning to the club but in my experience, it won’t take too long to get past the issue and on with the job.
THE MERRETT NON-TRADE
One thing I have noticed in football is I am often shocked with how quickly players and clubs can move on.
Whether it is coaches leaving or players leaving or staying, or when a scandal breaks, clubs are really good at communicating internally and getting on with the job.
I’ve had circumstances where the club has had a big event like a senior coach sacking and players were extremely resilient and the best thing was to get back into training.
Suddenly they pick up energy and they move forward reasonably quickly.
There will be an elephant in the room at Essendon heading into pre-season and sometimes the player will want to say a few words in the first team meeting, then everybody can switch focus. I think this will be a necessary step so all can move forward quickly.
A situation like Merrett’s failed trade can actually be more difficult for the supporters because they don’t actually get to have that same discussion and it falls on the club to facilitate that messaging externally.
I don’t think he could have done a lot more for the club. I think everybody internally would understand that, it is probably more heartbreak from the supporters that he may not want to be there, which can be devastating for the fans.
Even on trade deadline day you need time to tick off to those above you what a deal may look like so everybody can understand it.
For the football GM and list manager in that situation, you have got your boundaries you are working within that has been agreed to internally that you can do for the trade.
You often have the coach there and you are communicating with him and the CEO. You and the CEO are often managing up whether that is football directors, board members and the media team – nobody wants to be surprised.
So if anything pops up outside what has been agreed to there needs to be a level of comfort for those outside of the room and you have to get on the phone quickly.
As the dust settles on the trade period, I think a lot of clubs would think Essendon has done a bit of a favour for the competition and would be quietly happy with how it all played out. It was an option to retain a player despite a request to move and it puts players on notice that they can be held if they are under contract.
As much as Merrett tried to get out, now things flip quickly to how Essendon can support him. There was some rationale and reasoning behind his decision making but now he is an Essendon player and everybody needs to get behind him and support him and come from a welfare angle for him.
THE PLAYING LIST
IN:Brayden Fiorini (Gold Coast)
OUT:Sam Draper (Brisbane), Alwyn Davey Jr, Todd Goldstein, Jayden Laverde, Jye Menzie, Dylan Shiel, Oscar Smartt, Ben Hobbs, Luamon Lual (delisted).
The Bombers value Brayden Fiorini’s running ability going both ways and there have been good wraps on his leadership capacity at the Suns.
Every time I have heard the Essendon list management team talk they mention ‘character’ and that is clearly a priority for them at this point.
That’s a reflection that they are building their list still and want to build it around good quality people and competitors, which may also be a reflection on the instability that has been around the club of late. All clubs want good characters but clearly this is top-of-mind for the Bombers.
Sam Draper, who moved to Brisbane as a free agent, is a talented player and obviously is a loss but he didn’t play a lot of footy this year, only tallying five games.
He has only had one year of regular senior footy, when he played 22 matches in 2022.
As part of contract negotiations you do factor in durability – you have to weigh up the capacity of a player and their output as well.
LIST GAPS
Having a look through the Essendon list, it is a bit limited in the ruck now that Draper has gone, I don’t see another recognisable ruckman, especially with Nick Bryan returning from a knee injury and Todd Goldstein now gone.
There is a hole there for the Bombers to fill, whether that is through an experienced body in the draft or over summer.
Everyone is pretty clear on where Essendon sits. They are trying to stabilise at the moment and keep getting enough talent into the club and keep building the right way.
As a football GM you are often the mouthpiece for the club and you are working pretty closely with the executive and the media team to deliver those messages and support the coach so they are not doing it on their own. You want to be pretty transparent where you can and provide the fans with the right information where you can. Having watched some of list manager Matt Rosa’s work, he has done a pretty good job with that over that trade period.
LIST STRENGTHS
Essendon is still clearly building its list but has found a good pairing in youngsters Isaac Kako and Nate Caddy. Caddy looks like a player who can hold up the forward line for the next decade. He brings athleticism and energy to the Essendon attack and looks like a player they can build around. Small forwards are so valuable and Kako, even at the start of his career, has shown he can hold down that spot.
DRAFT HAND
Picks — 5, 6, 21, 27, 30
Holding two picks in such a prime position of the draft just really means clubs need to go around you.
They will have a number of clubs that will come at them and now the Bombers have plenty of flexibility.
They could use the picks themselves or could use one pick and split into multiple players. It leaves them in a pretty valuable position.
Salary cap –Given their rebuilding phase, the Bombers appear to have room to move in the salary cap going forward.
When you plan out a pre-season, the program through the off-season is overseen by the GM of football and designed by the senior coach, the HP manager who runs the majority of pre-season in conjunction with what the senior coach needs.
They come with different styles but the personalities of the best high performance managers are the ones that make people believe in what they are doing and make the player think they can do anything on the field.
There needs to be time given to Inness and his new team because they are working with the same bodies that filled the injury list in 2025.
History shows players who have good pre-seasons more often than not have good years of footy so clearly they will be focused under Mat of having a really good, durable pre-season.
He is not a conservative type, he is the type to have a go at things.
I think he will be a popular president and he spoke really well in the early interviews he has done. He is a very street smart and has strong character. He is a galvanising type of person, that will do a really good job for the footy club.
I took note that fellow board member Dean Solomon had written a letter to ex-players about bringing the club together. If you were taking two players on the front line for a line in the sand game it is ‘Welshy’ and Solomon, they are two guys that would be going hard for you and it would be easy to back them in.
The big thing players want from club decision makers is stability.
I think with all the different things that have gone on – such as the Merrett situation – it is unsettling for players so to come in and settle down is really important.
So Andrew will be focused on giving the club that stability so the players can just focus on their job at hand.
12 Likes
Lines in the sand. Oooh don’t step over our line in the sand. Fmd
He’s pointing out what a lot don’t understand on here, how many are involved in these decisions.
4 Likes
He’s done that in another spot as well.
Do some have a greater say than others?
Of course. They don’t all have to agree, but once the interrogating is done, you get on with the job. All should work together to try and get the best outcome possible. It doesn’t mean you’ll get the best outcome possible, but if everyone isn’t pulling in the same direction, you you’ll be doing well to get an average outcome.
I definitely agree with this comment though.
Just like wins and losses, they go through them internally and move on to the next week. Fans usually let it spin inside their head for the whole week on repeat.
His comment about fans having greater problems with moving on because of their perspective is spot on too.
I’d also say, that most sports fan sentiment won’t be resolved by providing the information. Not everyone moves on at the same rate or even wants to move on to begin with. Messaging will have different meanings to everyone and in the end, it’s up to the individual how they take on the messaging. In the end, winning on the field will paper over whatever other rubbish drama is occurring.
More articles like this about the inner functions of what an AFL professional football club does would be great for educational purposes.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t slice through as much as a grumpy cat on X or a rant reaction on YouTube.
4 Likes
I don’t know about that, it only took me about 50 years to move on from Barry Davis moving to the Kangas, and he had to die for me to forgive him.
1 Like
This guy has a handle on the occasions where the decision making process to deal with Merrett for example, quite rightly traversed the list manager and a board member.
Whereas l blame the club for driving him out.
2 Likes
Never believe or trust any words spoken or written by any property developer.
This is one of life’s golden rules.
Davis Shelton Epis was a pretty good half back line. Performed well in the 1965 GF.
4 Likes
True, but how long did it take for you to move on from your wives (and vice versa)
Except Epis played on the wing and Geoff Pryor played on Baldock. Agree though they were a mighty half back trio.
Tim Lane rated it the third best HB line, just behind #2 Doull, Perovic, Hunter and Worsfold, Jakovic & McKenna as the greatest hb line of all time.
Lucas, Johnson, Solomon went alright.
1 Like
Enright, Taylor, Mackie/J Kelly would have to be up there.
So would Hodge, Gibson, Birchall.
1 Like
Shelton started on Baldock but was getting cut up so Pryor was switched on to him, with the desired effect.
1 Like
Love a good rant reaction on YouTube.
Brad Lloyd is interesting but he’s not goi g to attract too many Subs
Yeah but Captain you were an adult at the time and I was only wee lad.
1 Like