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Find your frequency hereCursed: Essendon skipper's season in doubt
SEN • August 10th, 2025 5:41 pm
Essendon’s injury nightmare has gone from bad to worse, with skipper Zach Merrett facing a potential season-ending setback.
During the Bombers’ spirited contest with Geelong on Friday night, Merrett reported a sore hand, playing out the game with what has been revealed to be a fracture.
While the injury will come as a blow for the Bombers, having already lost countless first team players to injuries across the course of the season, the biggest blow lies with Merrett himself, who was set to line up in a major milestone game next week.
“He was set to play his 250th game next Friday night against St Kilda,” AFL.com.au reporter Josh Gabelich told SEN Crunch Time.
“That is on hold. He broke his hand in the third quarter on Friday night, playing out the game (against Geelong). Reported a really sore and swollen hand post-game.
“He had a scan yesterday, did reveal a fracture. With just three weeks to go, he isn’t a guarantee to play again this year.
“They are still working through what he does. If he goes down one path he’ll miss a week, be good to go and come back for his 250th against Carlton next Thursday night.
“There is another chance that he misses the rest of the season, because if he has more significant hand surgery, he is done for the year given we are in the middle of August.
“We’ll find out a bit more, but another injury for Essendon. It’s just been one of those years.”
As it stands, Essendon’s injury list currently holds 16 senior players (including Merrett), with a majority expected not to return until 2026.
The Bombers currently reside in the bottom four, winning just six games this season.
