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Sport Nation
How to tune into Sport NationTrade talk: The failed trade Essendon must mimic with Merrett
Jaiden Sciberras • September 30th, 2025 12:30 pm
Do the Bombers concede to the Hawks and hand over their captain Zach Merrett?
Or do they stand firm, bring back their star midfielder and hold him to his contract for at least another season?
Merrett’s desire to leave the club and join Hawthorn during the 2025 Trade Period has been well documented, with the star craving immediate success following a tumultuous journey since his debut in 2014.
However, remaining under contract until 2027, Merrett’s wishes are far from guaranteed to be granted, with Essendon expected to demand a hefty price to part ways with their club captain.
Looking back on a similar endeavour from a trade period in years past, Kane Cornes believes that the Bombers must flex their powers within the deal-making process.
He somewhat likens it to Carlton's firm stance with Bryce Gibbs the year before he joined the Adelaide Crows.
“The way that Essendon need to play this, is the exact same way that Stephen Silvagni handled Bryce Gibbs,” Cornes told Trade Radio.
“He was adamant! He was out, ‘I’m done, I’m going to Adelaide’. We all thought that was going to happen. SOS walked out of Marvel Stadium on deadline day, and no deal was done.
“Bryce went back, and he played pretty well from memory.”
In 2016, Gibbs, Carlton's former first overall pick, expressed his desire to leave the club and return home, requesting a trade to the Crows.
And while it appeared as though the trade would be a formality over the course of the trade period, list manager Silvagni was not satisfied with the Crows' best offer, exiting deadline day with Gibbs still on the books.
Bryce Gibbs went on to finish fourth in the Blues' best and fairest in 2017, before being traded the following year.
“They got two first rounders for him 12 months on,” Sam Edmund revealed.
Cornes: “That’s the point! Did he win the best and fairest at the Blues? He played really well. I think we all know Zach Merrett pretty well; he’s not going to sit out and not play.
“I think he’s pretty competitive and is going to try at least. He doesn’t have to be captain; Bryce Gibbs was a leader of that football club.
“They bring him back, he played well, then he’s a year older, the club gets a little bit more desperate, they up the offer again, and then you let him go.
“It was a disaster for Adelaide, and it was perfect for Carlton. That’s the way you handle it. Lock him in for another year, and then we’ll have this discussion in 12 months’ time when you’re 31.
“You make a stand as a footy club. SOS walked out of that, and it was like, this is a strong footy club, and he is not going to be messed with, and no one messes with SOS.”
The official AFL Trade Period commences on Monday, October 6 after Free Agency which opens this Friday.
