Zach Merrett returns to Essendon pre-season training as crows attack Richmond’s drone at Punt Road
He wasn’t due back at the club for another 10 days, but Zach Merrett has made his official return to Essendon training. And he wasn’t the only face that caught the eye.
A spearing kick from out of a centre bounce stoppage to the leading Isaac Kako signalled the return to official club training for Essendon skipper Zach Merrett.
The current club captain, who tried to force his way out of the Bombers in the off-season, returned to club pre-season sessions on Friday.
He was not due back at the club until Monday, November 24, but after surfacing on Wednesday at Windy Hill with ex-teammate Jayden Laverde for a private session, Merrett made his official return more than a week early.
It was the main session for the Bombers, who completed some running drills before splitting into separate defensive, midfield and forward groups.
Merrett directed traffic in stoppage and transition drills and looked sharp inside the contest as the Bombers focused on extracting the ball out of the contest and entering inside forward 50.
He was spared the worst of the running, splitting from the main group when they began a gruelling interval session.
He still covered plenty of ground, closing out his session with some laps as the sun beat down at the Hangar.
Merrett is one of a host of senior Bombers getting an early start on season 2026; Ben McKay and Peter Wright squared off as they honed their aerial craft, and Jade Gresham toiled away with an extensive block of running.
As the Bombers were put to work at the Hangar, Sullivan Robey, Xavier Taylor and Lachy Dovaston watched on from a balcony.
The trio are all expected to be drafted on Wednesday night in the first round, with Robey one of the league’s biggest bolters in recent history.
Taylor and Robey are both expected to be drafted inside the first 10 selections, with Essendon holding the No.5 and No.6 picks, while Dovaston is the top-rated small forward of the crop.
OTHER THINGS WE NOTICED
– Head coach Brad Scott was spotted patrolling the field but left much of the coaching to his assistants, including a vocal and beloved ex-Bomber Michael Hurley.
– Merrett was eager to give pointers to younger teammates, and was always the first back to the field after breaks for water or rest.
– Nik Cox led from the front in the interval running, eager to put his concussion-affected 2025 behind him.
RICHMOND HITS THE TRACK AS THE CROWS SWOOP
As Adem Yze put the Tigers through the paces at Punt Road on Friday, there was an unwelcome visitor.
Just like at Melbourne training on Monday, crows – not the Adelaide kind – attacked the club’s drone that was taking aerial vision of the session, forcing it back down to earth.
Originally published as Zach Merrett returns to Essendon pre-season training as crows attack Richmond’s drone at Punt Road
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