Brad Scott has addressed news Zach Merrett met with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell as the Essendon captain threatens to become the club’s latest big name on the move.
Watch every match of the 2025 Toyota AFL Finals Series before the Grand Final, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Merrett and Mitchell met on Tuesday night, with the 29-year-old’s camp also reportedly making contact with Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs as he eyes a fresh start away from the struggling Bombers.
It is just the latest blow for Essendon after star ruckman Sam Draper confirmed he would be heading to Brisbane as a free agent, while defender Jordan Ridley is also reportedly keen on a move to the Lions.
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
As for Merrett, it is understood the star midfielder’s main reason for wanting to leave is to win a flag.
It is something Scott effectively confirmed on Wednesday night when appearing exclusively on AFL 360, where he admitted Merrett’s meeting with Mitchell had come as a “surprise”.
“He’s very excited about the young talent on our list and has got full confidence in them, but he’s as hungry for success as any player that I’ve ever encountered and he’s a man in a rush,” Scott said.
“He’s 29. He’s concerned will the young talent mature enough in time for him to enjoy that success?
“But the reality is that this time last year, we recommitted to Zach, we felt he was underpaid for someone who was performing at such a high level.
“So, for the second time in three years, we changed his remuneration to reflect his brilliant performance and his terrific leadership.
“We committed to him, he committed to us and like our CEO, who moved interstate and committed to the club, I came and made a commitment to the club, I intend to see my commitment through, and I expect our captain to do the same.”
Merrett link emerges ahead of semi-final | 02:33
That was a consistent message from Scott throughout the interview. The position both he and the club as a whole has is clear: they expect Merrett to stay put until his contract wraps up at the end of 2027.
With that in mind, Scott stressed that Essendon’s position is that they “will not be trading” Merrett “under any circumstances”.
So, if the Bombers weren’t to grant Merrett his wish and effectively forced the captain to stick around next season, would his leadership credentials come under question?
Scott, who said he last spoke to Merrett on Tuesday, said he had little doubt the 29-year-old could still be skipper even if the Bombers coach conceded it would be a “challenge”.
“Of course he can be captain. No one’s perfect,” Scott said.
“There are a lot of players that I think are geniuses but they’re flawed geniuses too. No one is perfect and I don’t think anyone’s captaincy is perfect, anyone’s coaching ability is perfect. “It’s a learning process, so of course he can be captain. But will it be a challenge based on this situation? Absolutely it will be. But I’ve seen him overcome bigger challenges than this.”
For all of Merrett’s on-field success at Essendon, having won the club’s best and fairest award five times, the Bombers still appear no closer to ending their 21-year drought without a finals win.
An injury-stricken Essendon finished 15th this season, having been forced to blood 15 debutants.
News of Merrett’s meeting with Mitchell broke just before the Hawthorn coach fronted media on Thursday morning and Mitchell was relatively tight-lipped, although he didn’t exactly deny the club’s interest in the Bombers midfielder either.
“I’m not sure — you’d have to talk to the list management guys about that,” Mitchell said.
“I hope they are working behind the scenes on improving our list. That’s what their job is and I hope they are going about that.”
‘Be Better’ Lyon on Smith | 01:27
When asked whether he was disappointed with both Merrett and Mitchell for meeting given the former is contracted until the end of the 2027 season, Scott was diplomatic even if you could sense he wasn’t all too pleased.
“I think we’ve all got to accept that the old school, the old timers Garry, we probably have a problem with it,” Scott said.
“This is the second club captain Sam Mitchell has met with in one year. The difference is our club captain is contracted for another two years.
“So, I think you’ve got to accept that the players are going to do this and now coaches are doing it.
“But I think that the reality is that Zach’s a process driven guy. He’s got a checklist. He’ll go through his process and he likes to to come to his own conclusion. So, in a way, this is Zach just doing his due diligence.
“But now it feels like we’ve done our due diligence two out of the last three years and we have a really clear vision. It’s been a really challenging year for a number of reasons but we’ve all made a commitment and the thing about a commitment is that the reward at the end of it is not guaranteed, but the thing I’ve learned about success is that it’s fantastic when you get it, but it’s the journey and the effort and the blood, sweat, and tears that you put in to the process to get the success that’s the reward, not the outcome.
“It’s not the premiership medal or the winning finals. It’s the work that you put in with other people, the commitment you make to people. That’s the reward. The outcome is just reward for the effort.”
Zach Merrett is ready for change. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
As Scott alluded to, this is the second time Mitchell has met with a club captain this season after his private meeting with Oscar Allen as the Eagles co-captain weighed up his free agency options earlier this year.
When pressed specifically on Mitchell’s actions, Scott again repeated that the “world is changing” and that there was a time earlier in his coaching career when he would have been “pretty disappointed”.
But now?
“The reality is now that the gloves are off and all is fair in love and war and (if) that’s the path they want to go down, then we’ll play that game too,” Scott warned.
As for the growing trend of players and agents signing longer-term contracts and then effectively trying to force their way out of clubs? Well, that won’t be happening at Essendon under Scott’s watch.
“That’s not the world I live in,” he said.
“The world I live in is if you make a commitment, you see it through.”
The 15 out of contract players in Finals | 02:57
That includes committing to the vision at Essendon and while it may be tough to buy into it after another poor year of results, Scott said the “reality” is that it’s Merrett’s “vision as well”.
“He’s invested in our club and he’s been kept right up to speed with the vision and it’s been a challenging year,” the Bombers coach added.
“I mean, we started the year at 6-4. I mean, we had even challenges at that stage, but then the injury crisis has been well-documented throughout the year.
“But again, I can’t stress enough that I love this bloke. I think he’s an incredible player. I’ve rarely seen anyone like him.
“Our playing group makes fun of me for constantly referring to Zach and his on-field deeds. His will to win is unbelievable.”