Merrett's captaincy in doubt as Lloyd swipes club

Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd has expressed his disappointment in the news that captain Zach Merrett wants out of the club.

Bombers coach Brad Scott adamantly stated on Wednesday night that Merrett wouldn't be traded under any circumstances, in the wake of his meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.

The 29-year-old's wish for a fresh start reportedly stems from a desire to chase success and potentially play in a premiership.

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Lloyd believes that suggests Merrett can't see the Bombers improving dramatically in the next few years. 

"It's what's happening in the modern day game now where players, even though he's still got two years left on a contract, we've seen Charlie Curnow who's doing the same as Merrett," the former Dons skipper told Nine's Today.

"It's even bigger when you're the captain of a club. As a former Bomber, it's disappointing, but it just shows where the club is at when he doesn't see any team success (in the near future).

"He's probably going to win his sixth best and fairest for the club this year, but he doesn't see any team success coming and he wants out.

"The manager and him have made it clear and they're not hiding anything, he wants to move on and play for Hawthorn next year.

"Absolutely (it can be destabilising), they've already had two other players request to leave as well in Sam Draper and Jordan Ridley, so it says (the club) has to sort itself out and improve."

Given the club have planted their flag and stated Merrett won't be traded under any circumstances, Lloyd wonders what that means for the club captaincy.

It would be reasonable to suggest that a player, who has requested a trade to an arch rival, being forced to stay might not be the one to lead the club going forward.

Defender Andrew McGrath is the current vice captain and the likely successor.

"If they hold their ground and say they're not going to trade (Merrett), does he keep the captaincy?" Lloyd asked.

"That's another question. Can he keep that now after wanting to leave the club.

"The best and fairest night is coming up in a few weeks. Does he go to that? There's so many questions to be asked about how this will play out.

"Do they buckle at the end of the day and let him go?"

Merrett is likely to win his sixth Crichton Medal this season, putting him in rare air.

He will have won more best and fairests than any Bomber since the 1950s, with Bill Hutchison and Dick Reynolds both winning seven each before that.

It also means he will have won three consecutive Crichton Medals.

And yet, there's a world where he's not present on the night to accept the award given the looming trade messiness. 

Essendon chief Craig Vozzo said if he bowed to the emotion of the situation, then Merrett would not be captain of the club in 2026.

"Being captain is the highest honour at a football club, an honour and a privilege. If I was making an emotional decision today, I'd say, no way Zach can remain captain. But it doesn't work like that, you have to take the emotion out," Vozzo told SEN.

"The position of his teammates will be critical. In every leadership process I've been involved in, the playing group's view matters most. That will play out in time. Those decisions are usually made between January and February."

Vozzo was rightly prickly on Hawthorn meeting with their contracted skipper.

"I know (Sam Mitchell) well. It doesn't surprise me, but… a club captain, under contract for two more years? Yeah, I didn't like that. But that's life," he said.

"As Brad mentioned last night, the board's position is strong. Zach is contracted for the next two years, and he's an important part of where we're heading. He'll be at our club."