‘I am waiting to get booted’: Zach Merrett has left the Bombers but not their chat group

New Hawk Zach Merrett still remains in a banter-heavy WhatsApp group with his former Essendon teammates, but he knows that will soon end.

“I’m waiting to get booted and, to be honest, I probably should leave that,” a reflective Merrett said on Wednesday.

“I have some great relationships still. I ran in to Sam Durham the night that it [Merrett’s trade] happened and gave him big hugs. So, there’s still plenty of strong relationships there, not only players but with staff and, more importantly, volunteers. You know, I spent 13 years with those guys.”

That bond, however, won’t be the same after Merrett finally had his wish granted on Monday when he was dealt to the Bombers’ arch enemy in exchange for picks 15 and 25 in this year’s draft and a future second-round draft pick.

A year after a protracted and ugly battle between the Bombers and Hawks led to a failed trade, and Merrett remaining a Bomber, there was an unexpected suddenness to this deal when, running on a treadmill at a local gym, the star midfielder received a call from Bombers president Andrew Welsh to thank the seven-time best and fairest for his 274 games of service.

“Both clubs were respectful all year. We had great dialogue the whole way through the season,” Merrett said, revealing he had discussed his future again with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell during the state or origin clash in Perth in February.

“So yeah, I wasn’t overly stressed to be honest this year. To have it done day one was always the goal, sort of from both ends. [I’m] very thankful for Essendon and my time there and the way they handled it but, also, really excited for what the next four or five years can look like at the Hawks.”

The 31-year-old has signed a four-year contract worth $1 million a year with the Hawks, joining a club firmly in the premiership hunt after successive preliminary final defeats. By comparison, Merrett has played in only four finals, all losing.

“I think, obviously, there’s a lot of factors to go into making a big decision like that [his trade], knowing the backlash you’re probably going to cop from certain people,” Merrett, speaking at the launch of the Caulfield Cup carnival where he is an ambassador, said.

“But, I think for me, you know, going into an environment that the club feels like it’s set up to challenge, and be deep in the finals for a number of years to come, has got really good, strong talent that’s established now, and playing really good footy, and to learn from Sam [Mitchell] as well, [and] having coaching aspirations after footy. So, to be in an environment with a stable coach, stable club, I’m really keen to learn as much as I can.

“The next four or five years, I still feel like I’ve got a lot of things I can improve on and can contribute to the game.”

Merrett revealed he strongly considered a multi-year contract extension with the Bombers last summer despite the trade drama which later had him changing management. However, another woeful season by the Bombers where they finished last and sacked coach Brad Scott meant that thought was extinguished.

“Yeah, I did [consider it]. We had had some really healthy discussions. When I got back from the off-season, Brad was keen to explore what that could look like, and I was open to listening to what they thought. But I think, from both sides, we were just honest the whole way through. They were very good and very understanding,” Merrett said.

“They were keen to see what it could look like, but also understood they didn’t want me to rush into a decision through that period of time.

“And then, from my perspective, I was, obviously, very appreciative that they would ever consider that after the three months prior, and yeah, we looked at it. I think it was more around just slowing down and just getting the season started, and then, unfortunately, the way the season panned out, it [the new contract] probably wasn’t going to be realistic.”

Merrett has spoken of the mental health toll the rugged year had on him. While he maintained his elite training and playing standards, the failed trade weighed, and he suffered from crippling social anxiety.

He also admitted to some “dark moments” due to the scrutiny and relentless reporting about his future.

“It’s difficult. I think it’s just more the constant attention and focus was really unique, and navigating through that was just very different, probably to in the past. I probably always felt the love and support for the way I’ve played, to get very contrasting positive and then negative spin throughout the year was just a different challenge,” Merrett said.

“So I’m lucky to have bright people around me to support me and help me and guide me through that.”

Merrett and his family toured the Hawks’ Dingley facilities on Tuesday, but has yet to be awarded a new guernsey number. Befitting a fresh start, Merrett said a new number may be in the works.

“It would be nice potentially to start with a fresh number, get stuck in and try and make a name for myself,” he said.

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