On the back of the possible departure of popular big man Sam Draper (and news that best-and-fairest winner Jordan Ridley is open to leaving), Essendon are facing an alarming situation with a fresh report that inspiring captain Zach Merrett is “disgruntled”.
While Essendon have not given up on Draper (who is linked to Brisbane and Adelaide), club legend and former Channel 7 sports presenter Tim Watson says the cult figure is “gone”.
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But Watson is more concerned about 29-year-old Merrett’s alleged “disillusionment” with the club.
“There’s more than just losing a player here (with Merrett),” Watson said on SEN.
“From Essendon’s perspective here ... I don’t see this as the same as the Charlie Curnow situation (at Carlton), because it’s a philosophical thing that you’re dealing with here ... and that is that you’ve got your leader, your captain.
“If that falls, if you allow that bloke to walk out of your club, what is that saying to the rest of your playing group?
“That is the most damning statement on your club possible that your captain, your leader, the person that you would hope is in charge of the playing group and the feelings within the playing group, or has control or has some say or has some influence over the playing group, has got to the point where he’s so disillusioned that he wants to walk out on your club.
“You cannot allow that to happen for where Essendon is at right now.”
Three clubs have been linked to Merrett: Collingwood, Hawthorn and St Kilda.
Merrett started his AFL career at Essendon in 2014. He has now played 251 games but is yet to feature in a winning final.
Watson was again asked if was concerned that his beloved club was going to lose its skipper.
“I am concerned that there’s still this disgruntlement around him and the fact that I think it’s real ... I think it is real. Why not?” he said.
“It has to be real. Like these things don’t just get plucked out of thin air. They don’t, and I had calls about him yesterday, they do not just get plucked out of thin air.”
Watson also addressed the news that 26-year-old Ridley, who won the club’s best-and-fairest award in 2020, was also “unhappy”
“I know what’s been reported is that Jordan, and I had heard this a while ago, too, that he’s unhappy with the physical conditioning department, the fact that he breaks down all that time, he wants to get out of that system and find himself somewhere where he’s going to be able to participate more regularly as a player,” Watson said.
“I also know this the club will not entertain the idea of him going.
“I’m not worried that he’s going to go, but I am worried that we’ve got a football club where we’re hearing that players are really unhappy.
“I’m worried that Sam Draper is going to go. Sam Draper’s gone. He’s out, he’s out the door.”
He said there were two clubs that were “into” Draper but the Brisbane Lions seemed to be Draper’s most likely destination.
“Maybe they don’t want to announce that in the middle of what they’re doing at the moment (their finals campaign) and disrupt their ruckmen.
“They’ve already got a ruckman in there. All of a sudden, that ruckman hears that somebody’s coming in and is going to replace him, maybe that’s not what they want to have to be dealing with right in the middle of the finals.”
Draper is an unrestricted free agent but Ridley is contracted until the end of 2029 and The Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison says the club should “flip the market on its head”.
Hutchison said Ridley was a “great person” but had only managed 19 games over the past two seasons due to injury.
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“Given you’ve longevity on his contract ... and good money, they would have to be really well compensated for him to leave.
“Flip the market ... you say this: ‘He’s floated the idea that he wants to go, great. We will await Brisbane’s offer to ge the deal done.
and if they can’t get a trade done that’s worthy of a best-and-fairest winner with a four-year contract worth a lot of money, then it just won’t happen.
“But come at us and in that instance (if the Lions aren’t able to satisfy a deal) ... (you say) rival clubs are welcome to table an offer.
“And if they’re good enough, we’ll trade him to them.
“At the moment clubs get too petrified.”
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