Zach Merrett steps down as Essendon captain

Zach Merrett has stepped down as Essendon captain, agreeing that after his attempt to quit the club in the off-season it was best he step away from the leadership.

Merrett reached the decision in the last few days after meetings with president Andrew Welsh, CEO Craig Vozzo and senior coach Brad Scott.

Zach Merrett’s time as Essendon skipper has ended.Credit: Getty Images

He told the players at a meeting at 8am on Wednesday. While Merrett had returned to early training in recent weeks with the first to fourth year players, the entire playing group only returned to training on Monday.

“It has been an absolute honour to be the 41st captain of the Essendon Football Club. Growing up, it was a childhood dream of mine running around the backyard in Cobden, and it has been an opportunity that my family and I are very proud of,” Merrett said.

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“If you told younger me I would get to captain this club for three years, I would have pinched myself. It’s been something I’ve really enjoyed and loved doing. I’ve really enjoyed being captain to lead so many great current and past players.

“It’s been weighing on my mind around who is the best person to lead this club and group moving forward, and I feel like I’ve come to the decision that I’m not the right person. There’s so much optimism, excitement and energy at the club, internally and externally, with the fans, changes with the high-performance team, our new draftees, top-end talent.

“It feels like so much excitement and optimism and newness, and being such a young group, it is a great chance for a young leader to come in and grow with all the group moving forward.

“Thank you to the club, and to Scotty for giving me the opportunity to captain the club.

“We’ll continue to leave no stone unturned to make sure we play in that last Saturday in September,” Merrett said.

More to come

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