Like Merrett, I tried to leave my club. This is why I’m proud of it, and he should be too

March 26, 2026 — 11:59am

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It is said that Barack Obama, when was asked what his job entailed as President of the United States, answered: “I make decisions on 51/49s. I turn them into 60/40s in my head, and sell them as 80/20s.” Cool quote, if it’s true.

By my reckoning Essendon’s decision on whether to trade Zach Merrett at the end of last season was one of those 51/49s. There was no clear answer and when new club president Andrew Welsh said Merrett wouldn’t be traded, he sold it as a 90/10 decision. The strength was to be admired, and two factors in the deal allowed us to empathise with Essendon’s view.

One was the picks Hawthorn offered. People talk of first-round selections, but they shouldn’t. There are top 10 picks and there are late first-round picks; they are vastly different.

Had the offer been three picks inside the top 10, I wonder whether Essendon’s position would have changed.

The second factor was the other party involved. The Hawks are bitter rivals, and making a bitter rival immediately better, giving them a far greater chance of winning a premiership, is difficult to swallow.

Hawthorn’s win from the trade would be immediate; Essendon’s would be four to five years down the track. That decision requires enormous courage and political capital.

If pushed, I think my decision would have been to trade Zach. The reason? The Bombers finished 15th last season with him in the team and the next few years........

© The Sydney Morning Herald