By Peter Ryan
When the Brisbane Lions overwhelmed Essendon’s undersized defence at the Gabba in round nine, the Bombers’ season reached a fork in the road.
They sat 10th on the ladder with four wins. Despite being competitive, they had fallen short in a run of tough games against Collingwood, Geelong, Port Adelaide and the Lions.
Jake Stringer and Dayne Zorko during the round nine clash between Essendon and the Brisbane Lions.Credit: Getty Images
Skipper Zach Merrett hated losing. But he accepted that the winless stretch was just part of the inevitable ups and downs his coach Brad Scott had prepared him for when they caught up for a pre-season coffee just after Scott’s appointment.
Despite that, the steely midfielder, in his 10th season and with 192 games’ experience, thought he could predict how the week ahead would unfold as the Bombers began to prepare to play Richmond in the Dreamtime at the ’G clash, an opponent they had lost to on the 13 previous occasions they met.
The fierce competitor braced himself to deliver a black-and-white message to his teammates. He also expected the coaches to focus on screwing down any small thing that needed tightening to secure the four points.
But, under Scott, the opposite happened, and the maturing skipper found himself adapting with enthusiasm.
Essendon skipper Zach Merrett tackles Tiger Jack Ross in this year’s Dreamtime at the ’G game.Credit: Getty Images
“We opened it up a bit more and gave guys more freedom to make mistakes,” Merrett said.
In a classic match, the Bombers kicked the last three scores of the match to win by a point. The victory broke the four-game losing streak as well as the grip Richmond had held over Essendon since 2014. It was only the second time in 14 attempts Merrett had played in a winning team against the Tigers and the first time Essendon had kicked the final three scores of a game to win by less than a goal since round two, 2015.
“In the past we would have dropped those games,” Merrett said. “I think the confidence the guys are getting and the clarity they have of how to play [means] they are not fearing the moment.”
A fortnight later Essendon got the job done against a charging North Melbourne when the sub Massimo D’Ambrosio kicked a late goal. Merrett hugged his young left-footed teammate and screamed “match winner” into his ear after the siren. His smile was as wide as his thighs.
Heading into games against Port Adelaide, Adelaide and Geelong, the Bombers sit sixth on the ladder with eight wins, needing to win more than half of the nine remaining games to make finals. They are capable but not certainties to do that.
Merrett is optimistic about their prospects but under no illusion that mountains of hard work remain ahead of this team before the club can win finals and once again become a perennial top-four contender.
Already a great player, he is maturing and developing as a captain. Thoughtful and driven, the 27-year-old is learning to embrace the different outlooks throughout the group’s relatively young list, driving standards while encouraging personalities to shine.
Zach Merrett is embracing different outlooks in his role as Essendon skipper.
The Cobden product admits he once thought that everyone should fit in the “same glass jar” and prepare in a prescribed manner to perform. He now realises that a balance is required between enforcing the non-negotiables and allowing for individual needs.
“The non-negotiables I try to drive are to constantly chase and give as much effort as possible but, in return, I am very encouraging of guys to play to their strengths and show their natural flair as much as they can,” Merrett said.
He wants to see a variety of player numbers worn on supporters’ backs, excited by individuals skills as much as their work ethic and diligence.
“I look back [and ask] what did I want as a young player or need or what I liked or didn’t like? It is trying to give them an environment that they can come in and be themselves, get challenged and want to grow every day but have the space to explore their strengths.”
The improvement of many Essendon players has been clear as the coach and captain continue to get a feel for each individual’s capabilities in their first season together.
Merrett said the philosophy in year one of Scott’s tenure is to “let guys play to their strengths and work out what we can and can’t do and from that we are starting to build a bit of an identity”.
As they do that, the game style, which is currently a mix of possession and transition football, and their on-field identity will evolve.
That identity is hard to picture right now but many indicators are improving. Many others have significant room for improvement, with elements of their defence – such as tackling – and attack – such as clearances – still works in progress.
“We really started [this season] at a very, very basic level, talking about some very basic things and the fact we have still been winning along that journey in the first 14 weeks has been a massive bonus,” Merrett said.
“[But it] just feels like we are still so far off where we feel like we can get to. That is the really pleasing and optimistic and exciting part but also a feeling that we have a long way to go to be a really consistent team.
“There are key numbers across the competition that you need to be around the mark on to compete consistently, but we also don’t just want to fit into the norm.”
Merrett, a three-time best-and-fairest winner and a top-three placegetter in the past five seasons, has never fitted into the norm at Essendon. Throughout his form has been exceptional. He has always been invested in getting better too. His piercing left foot is elite and, according to Champion Data, his ball use has been exceptional since round 10.
It is a bonus for Scott, who asked Merrett for two things when he appointed him skipper to succeed the highly respected Dyson Heppell who has been a huge support this season: be true to himself as captain, and keep performing on the field.
The skipper points to other first-year captains Toby Greene, Darcy Moore and Jordan Dawson, who are also being recognised for their efforts in 2023, when asked whether succeeding Heppell as captain may have elevated his own performance.
Darcy Moore has had a stellar season in his first year as Collingwood captain.Credit: Getty Images
“You are more aware of your teammates and how they are going and more aware when guys are down or need help or more aware of bringing other guys into the game than just yourself,” Merrett said.
“The game has a funny way of repaying you somehow. I don’t know how it does it but watching other first year captains – Dawson, Moore and Greene – it looks like we are doing similar things. It looks like our best footy, but it is off the back of trying to help teammates.”
His excitement about the development of Archie Perkins is palpable. Now becoming an elder statesman, Merrett has been impressed with Jye Caldwell and Ben Hobbs’ work too. He also admitted he is finding it hard to subdue his excitement about Elijah Tsatas, pick five in last year’s draft, who is yet to debut.
Top-10 picks from 2020, Nik Cox and Zach Reid, are still growing which has meant they have had to be carefully managed to protect their durability, but Merrett does not hold back in his assessment of the rangy pair.
Archie Perkins.Credit: Getty Images
“Their ceilings are as high as anyone’s around the club. They have just got endless talent,” Merrett said.
“Which is awesome for the long term, but I am impatient.”
The skipper is only focused on creating an environment where players such as free agent Darcy Parish can flourish.Credit: Getty
Merrett knows he must channel that impatience in the right direction. That is evident in the way he talks about the futures of Mason Redman and Darcy Parish who are both in negotiations with the club to re-sign. He wants the pair to stay but is not pushing the issue. He is focusing on what he can influence.
“I feel like we are creating that environment and there is a clear vision of where we want to get to as a group and as a footy club,” Merrett said.
“I have not forced their hand too much, but I am there to answer some questions if they feel they need more from me or the group.”
One thing they won’t lack from Merrett or Scott is clarity.
The clean-cut pair not only look like they share barbers, but they share similar philosophies, the path they trod in leading the club back to the winner’s list from four consecutive losses showing that a new identity is being forged.
But Merrett also knows there is still so much work remaining for the Bombers.
“As older players who have been at the club through a pretty turbulent time, any smell of success or smell of stability we are really embracing that and trying to give all those younger players … every bit of freedom and opportunity to succeed,” Merrett said.
“Me and Dys [Heppell] especially have tried to lean into those guys strengths and the way they go about it and give them enough space to do it and empower them in different ways.”
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