Triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown says Zach Merrett, at times on Sunday night, looked like he was “not trying and not caring” in a likely insight into how “defeated” the Essendon star would be feeling.
Merrett’s Bombers slumped to their 28th loss from their past 29 games on Sunday night, going down to reigning premiers Brisbane by 90 points at the Gabba to remain anchored to the bottom of the AFL ladder.
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It comes as trade speculation continues to bubble around the contracted Merrett, who’s being tipped to request a move away from the Bombers at season’s end after his bid to join Hawthorn last year fell over on deadline day.
A six-time best and fairest winner, three-time All-Australian and former club captain, Merrett is widely regarded as a club great who’s given terrific service to the Bombers ever since being drafted with Pick 26 in the 2013 draft.
But speaking on Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night, Brown suggested Merrett’s body language reflected how emotionally exhausted he’d become.
Brown pointed to four passages of play from the Lions-Bombers clash on Sunday, which you can watch in our video player above.
It showed Merrett not win critical contests against Lions trio Darcy Wilmot, Ryan Lester and Eric Hipwood, as well as failing to run defensively to keep first Lester, then Logan Morris, accountable.
“I feel for the Essendon supporters. It’s been a tough run,” Brown said. “I was a Fitzroy supporter growing up, so I understand what they’re going through. It would be so frustrating. That (on Sunday) was like watching a training run.
Zach Merrett against the Lions.Source: FOX SPORTS
“It’s hard when you see your former captain (Merrett) – and arguably your best player out there – giving out the impression that he’s not trying and not caring.
“Now, of course he’s ‘trying’, we know that. But imagine how defeated he must feel inside himself. It only portrays itself in behaviours like this.
“I’m watching the game and going: ‘Geez have a look at him. It looks like he’s not trying and not caring.’ And I know Zach Merrett wouldn’t be like that.
“He’s given great service to the footy club, but you go: What hope have you got?”
Seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley suggested Merrett might’ve hit a “tipping point” over the weekend.
“I know him well enough to know that he has carried an enormous amount of pride in his own performance and that of his team – and potentially that pride is what results in efforts like this at times,” Buckley said on Fox Footy.
“Having had some experience with it … 1999 was not a great year at Collingwood and we didn’t win a lot. But having not played finals for about eight or nine years at Collingwood, I know the emotional and mental toll that it can take. Patty Cripps would have been there a couple of years ago.
“When you’ve been such a high performer and you’ve stayed the course and you’ve been through a couple of iterations and a couple of coaches, there is a breaking point. Everyone has a breaking point – and I think we might have seen it with Zach on the weekend.
Zach Merrett of the Bombers handpasses as he is tackled by Noah Answerth. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“But I don’t think that’s going to stay that way.”
Buckley said Essendon’s priority should be giving Merrett and the group a renewed sense of purpose for the remainder of the season.
“What is their hope in the next six weeks? You need to be able to reframe it in some shape or form,” he said.
“Dean Solomon isn’t talking about that, but it’s easier said than done when you’re reframing with the experiences that Essendon have had – not just over the last couple years, but through Zach Merrett’s entire career, largely. Now it’s about: ‘OK, what’s the next iteration for him and for the club?
“If you invest so much, I think then you get the equal and opposite effect, which is what we saw (on Sunday night) – because Zach Merrett is beyond reproach in terms of the investment that he’s made to his football club and his footy.”
Asked whether the Bombers needed to have an “honest conversation” with Merrett about where he was mentally — and what it meant for his future — Brown said: “Would Zach Merrett want that though? Because the likelihood that he leaves at the end of the year … would he want to end that way for the footy club?
“I think he’s still got pride in his performance … and respect.”
Solomon sees lessons in defeat | 05:55
AFL legend Leigh Matthews said Essendon’s prolonged struggles were taking their toll on Merrett, but urged the Bombers to return their star midfielder to his preferred position.
“The result tends to be you lose hope, you lose energy and it looks like you’re not trying and can’t run,” Matthews told On The Couch. “That’s part of the cycle of Essendon because they’re stuck in that cycle.
“Wouldn’t you be putting him (Merrett) in a key role? Forget about the flanks … They’re trying to be competitive. So put your best player in his best position and see if he can get the best out of him.
“At the moment, there’s been a bit of look for the future, getting the younger guys into the centre square – and I understand that. But right at the moment, you’re just trying to find a little bit of hope by being competitive in games. So getting the best out of your individuals by playing them in their key spots would seem the logical way.”