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Brad Scott makes the call on Zach Merrett
SEN • September 10th, 2025 11:15 pm
Trade rumours have been circulating around Essendon captain Zach Merrett, due to the five-time best and fairest winner reportedly meeting with Hawthorn’s coach Sam Mitchell to explore a potential trade to the Hawks next year.
Furthermore, SEN’s Sam Edmund also informed SEN’s Sportsday that Merrett’s manager Tom Petroro confirmed that Merrett wants to leave the club for “success”.
However, in the AFL a trade can only be completed if all parties agree, which include the player and two clubs involved.
Brad Scott has confirmed on AFL 360 that Essendon will not trade their contracted captain, Zach Merrett, under any circumstances.
“I speak to Zach daily, who was over at my house a couple of days ago having dinner, so I'm well aware of Zach's position,” Scott told Fox Footy's AFL 360.
“He talked about our young talent, and 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.
“He's 29-years-old, he's concerned 'will our young talent mature enough in time for him to enjoy that success'.”
The Essendon coach continued by announcing that he expects Merrett to commit to his contract as he recently signed an extension last year.
“The reality is that this time last year, we recommitted to Zach,” Scott said.
“So, for the second time in three years, we changed his remuneration to reflect his brilliant performance and his terrific leadership.
“So, we committed to him and he committed to us. 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.”
Scott also revealed that despite Merrett meeting with a rival club, the captain is still fully engaged in the development of the Bombers and is a leader to those around him.
“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,” Scott revealed.
“I can't stress enough that I love this bloke and I think he's an incredible player.
“I've rarely seen anyone like him, and our own playing group almost make fun of me for constantly referring to Zach and his on field deeds, and his will to win is unbelievable.
“He’s our contracted captain. Our club's position is that we will not be trading him under any circumstances.”
SEN Sportsday’s Gerard Healy and Cam Luke believed that answer was as definite as you can get to Merrett’s situation.
“As definitive as you can hear somebody say we are not trading our captain as you’ll hear,” Cam Luke said.
“Yeah, under no circumstances, there’s no room for movement or negotiation,” Healy echoed.
Despite Zach Merrett exploring his options outside of Essendon, Brad Scott is adamant that he won’t let the contracted captain go.
Craig Vozzo the CEO of Essendon is joining Garry Lyon and Tim Watson at 7:30am tomorrow morning to answer all the questions on Zach Merrett’s future at the Bombers.
