Zach Merrett
| Zach Merrett | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Merrett playing for Essendon in April 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Zachary Merrett | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1995 | ||
| Original team(s) |
Melbourne Grammar (APS) Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 26, 2013 national draft | ||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2014– | Essendon | 126 (44) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Zachary Merrett (born 3 October 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Essendon Football Club.
AFL career
He grew up in Cobden, Victoria before boarding at Melbourne Grammar School on a cricket scholarship. He is the younger brother and teammate of Jackson Merrett.[1] He is sometimes referred to as "Zerrett" or "Junior" to easily differentiate between the brothers.
Merrett made his debut in the opening round of the 2014 AFL season against North Melbourne.[2] He was named as the substitute and came on late in the game, replacing Martin Gleeson.[3] He was rewarded with a nomination for the 2014 AFL Rising Star after he collected 22 disposals, three tackles, and two goals in the round 11 win against Richmond.[4]
The 2015 AFL season saw Merrett spend more time in the midfield.[5] In August, following Essendon's 87-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 18, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season with a major stress fracture in his foot.[6]
In round 21, 2016, he became the third youngest match day captain in Essendon history when he led the side against Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium. Under his leadership, they won just their second match for the season, defeating the Suns by six points.[7] He won the W.S. Crichton Medal as the club's best and fairest player for 2016, becoming the youngest player in 35 years to win the award.[8] A magnificent season was capped off by polling 19 votes in the 2016 Brownlow Medal. This was the third most votes for a player whose team won three or less games, and the most for a Bombers player since Jobe Watson polled 30 votes.
Merrett was named vice-captain for the 2017 AFL season. He had another fantastic season collecting 659 disposals, receiving his first selection in the All-Australian team and being named vice-captain in the 22under22 team for the second year in a row.[9][10]
His 2018 season failed to reach the heights of his previous, after being concussed in the opening round against the Adelaide Crows.[11] He was continuously tagged throughout the year, but showed signs of improvement as Essendon worked towards a resurgence.[12]
In January of the 2019 pre-season Merrett injured his ankle resulting in the use of a moon boot for 2 weeks however he was available for selection in round 1. Merrett went on to return to near his best footy during the 2019 season capped off with a 2nd club best and fairest award beating new Essendon recruit Dylan Shiel.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to the end of 2019 [13]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2014 | Essendon | 27 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 170 | 134 | 304 | 67 | 79 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 8.5 | 6.7 | 15.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
| 2015 | Essendon | 7 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 186 | 195 | 381 | 60 | 98 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 10.9 | 11.5 | 22.4 | 3.5 | 5.8 |
| 2016 | Essendon | 7 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 349 | 308 | 657 | 110 | 136 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 15.9 | 14.0 | 29.9 | 5.0 | 6.2 |
| 2017 | Essendon | 7 | 22 | 9 | 8 | 382 | 277 | 659 | 95 | 122 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 21.4 | 11.8 | 30.0 | 6.4 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | Essendon | 7 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 281 | 309 | 590 | 69 | 132 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 12.8 | 14.0 | 26.8 | 3.1 | 6.0 |
| 2019 | Essendon | 7 | 23 | 8 | 10 | 338 | 313 | 651 | 90 | 124 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 14.7 | 13.6 | 28.3 | 3.9 | 5.4 |
| Career | 126 | 44 | 38 | 1706 | 1536 | 3242 | 491 | 691 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 13.5 | 12.1 | 25.7 | 3.9 | 5.3 | ||
References
- ^ Quayle, Emma (9 December 2013). "Brothers Zach and Jackson Merrett to play with the Bombers". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "AFL teams: Essendon names three debutants as a weekend of milestones awaits". ABC Online. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Bowen, Nick (21 March 2014). "Veterans lead charge as Dons dispatch flat Roos". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Landsberger, Sam (2 June 2014). "Essendon youngster Zach Merrett the Round 11 AFL Rising Star nominee". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Twomey, Callum (29 April 2015). "Zach Merrett: Quality over quantity". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Lerner, Ronny (4 August 2015). "Foot injury could bring Essendon youngster Zach Merrett's season to an end". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Conway, Simon (14 August 2016). "Merrett seeks out Selwood". EssendonFC.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Twomey, Callum (31 August 2016). "Young gun Don a runaway winner at Crichton Medal". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ Waterworth, Ben (31 August 2017). "AFL All-Australian team for 2017 AFL season announced: Alex Rance named skipper of star-studded side". Fox Sports.
- ^ Waterworth, Ben (12 September 2017). "AFLPA's 2017 22under22 team revealed: Marcus Bontempelli named captain of young gun side". Fox Sports.
- ^ Morris, Tom (23 March 2018). "Essendon star Zach Merrett collected in brutal collision with Adelaide's Richard Douglas". Fox Sports.
- ^ Jackson, Zane (15 July 2018). "Continual improvement required". Essendon FC.
- ^ "Zach Merrett". AFL Tables. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
External links
- Zach Merrett's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
- Zach Merrett's playing statistics from AFL Tables