Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell says he can’t see Zach Merrett leaving the Bombers

He is set to become one of the biggest free agents in the game but is superstar midfielder Zach Merrett’s ultimate destiny to stay at Essendon?

Essendon takes on Williamstown in a VFL match at Windy Hill in 2017.

Essendon captain Dyson Heppell has declared he can’t see Zach Merrett leaving the Bombers, saying his deputy has been as connected to his teammates as ever this pre-season.

Merrett was one of several Bombers considering his options during the last trade period before choosing to see out the final year of his current deal.

But Heppell believes Merrett – who was recently appointed vice-captain after being dumped from the club’s leadership group in 2020 – has had such a big impact on the club’s preparations for the season ahead that he is confident he will stay in red and black.

“I can’t see him leaving,” Heppell said of 25-year-old Merrett, who could become a restricted free agent at the end of 2021.

“‘Junior’ is a weapon and he has been super helpful for me at the club.

“He is an all-round star.

“He’s just someone who loves feedback. Whatever (advice) you give him, he will go away and work on it and improve.

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Dyson Heppell is confident Zach Merrett will stay a Bomber. Picture: Michael Klein

“He’s always come back a better player and person.”

Merrett would be one of the AFL’s most sought-after free agents if he decides to exercise his options.

He will likely assess the club’s direction in the early part of the season before finalising his future later in the year.

Essendon coach Ben Rutten said recently Merrett had been “rocked” when left out of the club’s leadership group last year.

Heppell managed only three games in a frustrating 2020 season due to an ongoing foot issue, but insisted he was now on top of those problems.

“It was definitely a challenging year, but it felt like I did develop my leadership off the field,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun ahead of the club’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn.

“I’m feeling really confident in the body, that’s tracking really well.

“She (2020) was a challenging period of time, so it is nice to be able to enjoy my footy and not worry about those things.

Zach Merrett is back in Essendon’s leadership group after a tough 2020. Picture: Getty Images

“It has healed nicely. We had the operations redone and it has worked a treat this time.

“I’ve really enjoyed training the new role (at half back) through the pre-season. It has been a great little challenge for me.”

He is confident Essendon can prove the doomsayers wrong, saying the depth of talent in the younger brigade was something that gave him confidence in the road ahead.

“It was pleasing the other night to see what we had been practising throughout the pre-season (in the game against Geelong) and it was just good to know that we will stack up against the best sides,” he said.

“‘Truck’ (Rutten) is big on relationships with the playing group and he has formed those with a lot of the boys. We’re really enjoying the way he is going about it.”

REVEALED: BOMBERS’ ULTIMATE GOAL FOR WINDY HILL

Jon Ralph

Essendon has revealed plans to reconnect with its spiritual home at Windy Hill after eight years away from the famous suburban venue.

Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell told the Herald Sun on Thursday night the club’s ultimate goal was to play various AFLW, VFLW and VFL games at the historic ground.

The Dons moved away to the Hangar at Tullamarine and will this year finish a second expansion of a venue with two AFL grounds and a vast indoor facility.

But Campbell said the club was working with a new Moonee Valley council and its mayor on ways to help revitalise the Windy Hill precinct, with Collingwood’s work on Victoria Park clearly a template.

“Windy Hill means an enormous amount to us,” he said.

Essendon is working at ways to revitalise the famous Windy Hill precinct.

“It’s our spiritual home and it will always be our spiritual home. We want to ensure we always have a strong connection to it.

“As a football club our preference many years ago was to stay at Windy Hill if we could and that became challenging so the opportunity to move to Tullamarine was unique and if we had our time again we would do exactly the same thing.

“But Windy Hill has tremendous character and many unique aspects we don’t have at Tullamarine.

“It’s easily accessible and it presents a great opportunity to play women’s football at.

“Clearly that depends around the timings of seasons but we want to ensure our footy presence is real and our cultural presence is real and above and beyond our broader business interests there.”

Essendon’s players trained weekly at Windy Hill over the pre-season as part of coach Ben Rutten’s determination to tap into the history of the club.

He has made a huge focus on returning to the lessons and culture of those past premiership teams as he attempts to realign the club’s culture and leadership this year.

“The players were there every Friday in the pre-season and it’s very much in line with Ben being very passionate about a strong connection to our history and heritage,” Campbell said.

Captain Dyson Heppell and his teammates have visited Windy Hill during the pre-season.

The current AFLW season runs into the cricket season, with Essendon Cricket Club using the oval, but by the time Essendon secures an AFLW team that season might roll into the winter rather than its current February-March fixture.

The club still has poker machines at Windy Hill and freehold on some parts of the precinct.

“We certainly want our VFL and VFLW teams to keep playing there. Whether we have a balance between playing there and the Hangar, that’s an option we have got,” Campbell said.

“A big percentage of our membership is located very close to Windy Hill and our roots predominantly rest with Windy Hill so it’s a big priority,” Campbell said.

“Tullamarine is now in a really good position and we have always stated the next focus point would be Windy Hill. We are working with a progressive council and a new mayor and it will have a really exciting future.”