The mooted move of Zach Merrett has stirred up emotions in the footy world.
Essendon fans are resentful of the way this has all gone down, and rightly so. This is their captain, their leader, their best player, and just months after talking about how he was all-in at Essendon, he is about as “out” as anyone could be.
However, there are also mixed feelings about this move amongst Hawks supporters, and we just so happen to have two here at The Mongrel who see the potential acquisition very differently. So, without further ado, here are the both the optimist and the pessimist on the potential Zach Merrett deal.
OPTIMIST – MATT OMAN
Why the Hawks getting Zach Merrett is a good idea.
This is a (at the time of writing) five-time Best & Fairest we’re talking about here! I, for one, can’t understand why Hawks fans aren’t MORE excited that Merrett has seemingly decided that the Brown and Gold should be his home in 2026. We have reached the Preliminary Final, with a midfield consisting mostly of role-players, led by the beast Jai Newcombe. Now, we know that James Worpel is very likely heading to Geelong in the off-season, and while Hawthorn’s midfield stocks are ok on paper, it’s no secret that it bats out of its league on most weeks, and that’s including the addition of Will Day.
We can never assume that Day will be fit and healthy for 23 weeks of the season (plus finals), and we also can’t rely too heavily on Newcombe to get the job done. He had an outstanding finals series, but if he gets clamped down by a tag, who can step up? Worpel could, but remember he’s likely not there next season. Josh Ward has enjoyed a breakout season, but he has also benefitted from being the third, and sometimes fourth, banana. Conor Nash is an important cog, but we also shouldn’t be relying on him to carry the load.
So, with all of that said, and knowing we’ve made it this far over the last two seasons, how much better will our midfield look if Zach Merrett were in there as well? A starting trio of Merrett, Day, and Newcombe would rival the best midfields in the competition. The likes of Ward, Nash, Connor Macdonald, Dylan Moore, Cam Mackenzie, and Jack Ginnivan can provide coverage, and that’s not even mentioning the running power of Massimo D’Ambrosio, Josh Weddle, and Karl Amon on the outside.
And that’s not even mentioning the leadership that comes in the package. A 29-year-old (yes, I know he’ll be 30 come next season), with 250 games under his belt, who has had to carry the burden of an entire football club’s fortunes on his back. Let’s not mince words here. The professionalism, game sense, leadership, and experience that a player of Merrett’s ilk will bring to our organisation cannot be fully measured. This isn’t a Chris Judd-level acquisition, where the Blues had no one else qualified, thus Judd was handed the captaincy as soon as he walked in the door. Merrett will likely be brought into the leadership group, but this is James Sicily and Dylan Moore’s team, and Merrett’s leadership qualities will be the cherry on top of what is already a well-run team, both on and off the field.
I’ve heard all the naysayers, spreading such negativity than I truly can’t understand. There’s been talk that Merrett is losing his durability (he missed one game in 2025, and has played less than 20 games just three times across his 12 year career, the lowest of which was 16 in the COVID-affected 2020), that he isn’t damaging enough (he won’t need to be, with the players he’ll have around him, and it’s not like he can’t be damaging, it just isn’t his one wood), that he doesn’t have the size compared to his peers (like that ever affected the likes of Lachie Neale, Sam Mitchell or Matt Rowell). They say that he can’t kick far enough (again, when this team possesses the likes of Amon, Weddle, Sicily and Scrimshaw, all Merrett needs to do is get the ball in their hands, something he’s extraordinarily capable of doing), and that somehow Merrett’s multiple Best & Fairests don’t carry the same weight, because he is just a good player in a bad team (which is ridiculous, let’s all take a moment to consider just how awful the Bombers would have been if Merrett hadn’t been there to lead the charge).
And yes, we have also been linked to Christian Petracca and Zak Butters, two players who are arguably better than Merrett. When asked, most pundits would prefer either of those players ahead of Merrett, and that Butters is far and away the best long-term prospect of the trio. And look, it’s not an opinion I can really argue with, given Butters has only just turned 25, and that Petracca brings finals experience, and more on-field damage than Merrett.
But we must also consider one thing.
Availability.
At the time of writing, Petracca is still undecided whether he even wants to leave Melbourne. The tea leaves all have it going in that direction, but he still hasn’t yet made the final decision.
Butters is even worse. He has planted his flag that he will be honouring his contract and will remain with Port Adelaide in 2026. Once he does decide to return to Victoria, the truth is that the Hawks are a little bit behind the Western Bulldogs and Geelong in terms of where Butters’ preferences lie. Sure, things can change in 12 months, but is that a risk worth taking?
My answer is no. Not when Merrett is available right now. Neither Petracca nor Butters have been so public (through management or otherwise) in their desire to move clubs. Yes, Petracca did it last year, but he hasn’t yet been so forward this year. Merrett has. Merrett has made it very clear that he wants to play elsewhere, and according to reports, it is at Hawthorn where he sees the success he craves coming from.
The question can, and indeed will, be asked whether we’re putting our eggs into a basket that isn’t as good as the other options out there, but it’s not like we’re talking about eating a mouldy slice of bread when a steak sandwich is on the menu.
Zach Merrett is still an unbelievably talented footballer, with many years of excellence ahead of him. And if Hawthorn can secure his services for 2026 and beyond, it fills the only missing piece of the premiership puzzle. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that a player of his standing would choose to leave his club and come to Waverly (or Dingley), but here we are.
And with all of that said, I need to confess. When HB brought the idea of this article to me, it was framed as I’d put forward three reasons why it’s a good thing we’re bringing Merrett in, and he’d give three reasons why it’s a bad thing. I’ve sort of done that, but it’s also turned into a 1,000-plus-word ramble. And that’s because I’m so excited that our club is recruiting him that my brain dumped all of that excitement onto the page without a second thought.
He is third all-time at Essendon for Brownlow votes (the most for non-winners), sits 41st overall, eighth for current players, averages almost 28 disposals per game across his career, and has five Crichton Medals and three All-Australian jackets under his belt. All of this, and still yet to turn 30 years old.
Now, tell me again why it’s a bad idea?
PESSIMIST – HB MEYERS
Why the Hawks getting Zach Merrett is a bad idea.
I want to start this by refuting the title – it is not a bad idea… I just think there could be a lot better ones out there.
Zach Merrett has been a wonderful player for the Bombers. He has been their leader, has been their best on field performer, and has been the player that drove standards at Tullamarine.
And let’s hone in on two of those words… has been.
Not to say that Merrett’s best is in the rearview mirror and will flop at Hawthorn, but if you’re expecting him to come in and play career-best football in Brown and Gold, I am afraid you’re in for disappointment. Here’s why.
When I’ve watched the Bombers over the past few years, one thing has been abundantly clear to me. When Merrett wants the footy, the team gives it to him. It doesn’t matter if he is in a better or worse position, if the man that Jobe Watson calls “Zachy” calls for the footy, his Essendon teammates oblige.
Has it made the team better?
Nup. If anything, it has propped them up here and there as he has gone about getting his numbers. More often than not, those numbers don’t equate to an acceptable number of wins. Merrett is an accumulator. He has been since his third season in the game. He finds it mostly on the outside, as his numbers over the past six seasons indicate. People say that Nick Daicos doesn’t like the hard footy? I give you… Zach Merrett.
Merrett doesn’t get to demand the footy at Hawthorn. He might, but it is not the automatic give that he’s received at Essendon. The Hawks have several who need the ball in their hands. Essendon had… him. That’s really it.
But hang on, HB… don’t the Hawks need another midfielder to compete with the best in the league?
Probably. They were belted by the Cats at stoppages in the Prelim, despite having the majority of hits outs. Merrett would fix that, right?
Wrong.
Here’s what nobody is telling you about Merrett – he averaged 1.5 centre clearances per game in 2025, and 3.9 overall. That’s where the Hawks got mutilated against the Cats, and Merrett is going to come in and fix this issue?
No… just no. He’s not. His centre bounce work is akin to that of Josh Ward. Ward attended 43% of centre bounces in the games he played for the Hawks. Merrett was at 63% at Essendon.
And then, we have to start considering what we’ll have to give up to obtain his services.
What price are you willing to see the club play?
The Hawks currently possess pick eight in this season’s draft (thanks Carlton!). That’s the starting point for the Bombers. Despite stating that Merrett is not going to be traded, I reckon this is posturing to keep their leverage in the bargaining. They will want pick eight and a whole lot more to release their skipper from the extension he signed in 2021 that ties him to the club until the end of the 2027 season. Some have said two first rounders is where things need to sit.
If the Hawks want him, they’ll have to cough up – how much are you willing to give? I’m nowhere near pleased giving up two building blocks for a replacement piece that’ll last a couple of years.
I’m a patient man. I don’t feel the need to rush into a decision on a player just because he is the best available at the time. Merrett could be good for the Hawks, but if the club was serious about addressing the issues that cost them in the finals, they’d be looking at players who can win their own footy. That’s where the Hawks fell down. That’s what needs addressing.
Serious conversations with the Petracca camp (2.7 centre clearances, and importantly, scoreboard impact) should be occurring immediately. And if we’re going to be throwing around first-rounders like confetti, then mature discussions with the camp of Zak Butters’ management, with an eye to a 2027 start at Hawthorn, should be the priority.
Merrett turns 30 next week.
Whilst plenty of players have played good footy post 30, it is traditionally seen as the start of the slope, and once a player starts rolling down that hill, the momentum is difficult to stop. As someone who remembers being 30… the end doesn’t slowly approach.
This is one of those intances I hope I am wrong. I have said that right from the outset – I hope that if Merrett comes into the Hawthorn fold, he is the missing piece to the puzzle that elevates the team to the next level. I would happily have egg on my face and cop thousands of “I told you so…” from Matt.
But if what happened against the Cats was a bullet wound, I see Merrett as little more than a bandaid. I don’t believe he is the answer to the questions that were asked of the club, and if people think he is, they’re asking the wrong questions.
