{"id":167850,"date":"2025-09-25T09:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T09:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/167850\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T09:56:09","slug":"merrett-to-hawthorn-the-optimist-versus-the-pessimist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/167850\/","title":{"rendered":"Merrett To Hawthorn – The Optimist versus The Pessimist"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mooted move of Zach Merrett has stirred up emotions in the footy world.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cout\u201d as anyone could be.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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OPTIMIST \u2013 MATT OMAN<\/p>\n

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Why the Hawks getting Zach Merrett is a good idea.<\/p>\n

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This is a (at the time of writing) five-time Best & Fairest we\u2019re talking about here! I, for one, can\u2019t understand why Hawks fans aren\u2019t 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\u2019s midfield stocks are ok on paper, it\u2019s no secret that it bats out of its league on most weeks, and that\u2019s including the addition of Will Day.<\/p>\n

We can never assume that Day will be fit and healthy for 23 weeks of the season (plus finals), and we also can\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019t be relying on him to carry the load.<\/p>\n

So, with all of that said, and knowing we\u2019ve 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\u2019s not even mentioning the running power of Massimo D\u2019Ambrosio, Josh Weddle, and Karl Amon on the outside.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not even mentioning the leadership that comes in the package. A 29-year-old (yes, I know he\u2019ll be 30 come next season), with 250 games under his belt, who has had to carry the burden of an entire football club\u2019s fortunes on his back. Let\u2019s not mince words here. The professionalism, game sense, leadership, and experience that a player of Merrett\u2019s ilk will bring to our organisation cannot be fully measured. This isn\u2019t 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\u2019s team, and Merrett\u2019s leadership qualities will be the cherry on top of what is already a well-run team, both on and off the field.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard all the naysayers, spreading such negativity than I truly can\u2019t understand. There\u2019s 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\u2019t damaging enough (he won\u2019t need to be, with the players he\u2019ll have around him, and it\u2019s not like he can\u2019t be damaging, it just isn\u2019t his one wood), that he doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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\u2019s extraordinarily capable of doing), and that somehow Merrett\u2019s multiple Best & Fairests don\u2019t carry the same weight, because he is just a good player in a bad team (which is ridiculous, let\u2019s all take a moment to consider just how awful the Bombers would have been if Merrett hadn\u2019t been there to lead the charge).<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

But we must also consider one thing.<\/p>\n

Availability.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t yet made the final decision.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 preferences lie. Sure, things can change in 12 months, but is that a risk worth taking?<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

The question can, and indeed will, be asked whether we\u2019re putting our eggs into a basket that isn\u2019t as good as the other options out there, but it\u2019s not like we\u2019re talking about eating a mouldy slice of bread when a steak sandwich is on the menu.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019d put forward three reasons why it\u2019s a good thing we\u2019re bringing Merrett in, and he\u2019d give three reasons why it\u2019s a bad thing. I\u2019ve sort of done that, but it\u2019s also turned into a 1,000-plus-word ramble. And that\u2019s because I\u2019m so excited that our club is recruiting him that my brain dumped all of that excitement onto the page without a second thought.<\/p>\n

He is third all-time at Essendon for Brownlow votes (the most for non-winners), sits 41st\u00a0overall, 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.<\/p>\n

Now, tell me again why it\u2019s a bad idea?<\/p>\n

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PESSIMIST \u2013 HB MEYERS<\/p>\n

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Why the Hawks getting Zach Merrett is a bad idea.<\/p>\n

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I want to start this by refuting the title \u2013 it is not a bad idea\u2026 I just think there could be a lot better ones out there.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s hone in on two of those words\u2026 has been.<\/p>\n

Not to say that Merrett\u2019s best is in the rearview mirror and will flop at Hawthorn, but if you\u2019re expecting him to come in and play career-best football in Brown and Gold, I am afraid you\u2019re in for disappointment. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019ve 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\u2019t matter if he is in a better or worse position, if the man that Jobe Watson calls \u201cZachy\u201d calls for the footy, his Essendon teammates oblige.<\/p>\n

Has it made the team better?<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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\u2019t like the hard footy? I give you\u2026 Zach Merrett.<\/p>\n

Merrett doesn\u2019t get to demand the footy at Hawthorn. He might, but it is not the automatic give that he\u2019s received at Essendon. The Hawks have several who need the ball in their hands. Essendon had\u2026 him. That\u2019s really it.<\/p>\n

But hang on, HB\u2026 don\u2019t the Hawks need another midfielder to compete with the best in the league?<\/p>\n

Probably. They were belted by the Cats at stoppages in the Prelim, despite having the majority of hits outs. Merrett would fix that, right?<\/p>\n

Wrong.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what nobody is telling you about Merrett \u2013 he averaged 1.5 centre clearances per game in 2025, and 3.9 overall. That\u2019s where the Hawks got mutilated against the Cats, and Merrett is going to come in and fix this issue?<\/p>\n

No\u2026 just no. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

And then, we have to start considering what we\u2019ll have to give up to obtain his services.<\/p>\n

What price are you willing to see the club play?<\/p>\n

The Hawks currently possess pick eight in this season\u2019s draft (thanks Carlton!). That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

If the Hawks want him, they\u2019ll have to cough up \u2013 how much are you willing to give? I\u2019m nowhere near pleased giving up two building blocks for a replacement piece that\u2019ll last a couple of years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a patient man. I don\u2019t 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\u2019d be looking at players who can win their own footy. That\u2019s where the Hawks fell down. That\u2019s what needs addressing.<\/p>\n

Serious conversations with the Petracca camp (2.7 centre clearances, and importantly, scoreboard impact) should be occurring immediately. And if we\u2019re going to be throwing around first-rounders like confetti, then mature discussions with the camp of Zak Butters\u2019 management, with an eye to a 2027 start at Hawthorn, should be the priority.<\/p>\n

Merrett turns 30 next week.<\/p>\n

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\u2026 the end doesn\u2019t slowly approach.<\/p>\n

This is one of those intances I hope I am wrong. I have said that right from the outset \u2013 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 \u201cI told you so\u2026\u201d from Matt.<\/p>\n

But if what happened against the Cats was a bullet wound, I see Merrett as little more than a bandaid. I don\u2019t believe he is the answer to the questions that were asked of the club, and if people think he is, they\u2019re\u00a0 asking the wrong questions.<\/p>\n

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