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No Surprises as Zach Merrett Is No Longer Essendon Captain
Zach Merrett stepped down as captain to allow a younger leader during Essendon's rebuild, with vice-captain Andy McGrath a leading candidate for 2026.
- On Wednesday, Zach Merrett informed teammates and the club he would step down as captain ahead of the 2026 AFL Season after returning to pre-season training.
- After a failed trade last month, Merrett's position at Essendon became untenable as he pushed for a move to Hawthorn but Essendon Football Club refused every offer.
- Merrett reached the decision after meeting club leaders in recent days with Andrew Welsh, Craig Vozzo and Brad Scott; he said he had `come to the decision that I'm not the right person` to lead.
- Current vice-captain Andrew McGrath is the early favourite to replace Merrett, with Mason Redman also in the mix as Kyle Langford and Nic Martin are judged not ready for 2026 captaincy.
- Framing the change as part of a rebuild, the club says it will empower younger leaders and support long-term goals by allowing the next wave of leaders to grow with new draftees and a high-performance team.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
‘Not the right person’: Zach Merrett steps down as Essendon captain
Zach Merrett has stepped down as the caption of the Essendon Bombers, after his failed attempt to be traded to rivals Hawthorn Hawks in the 2025 AFL trade period. He announced his decision to his teammates on Wednesday.
·Northbridge, Australia
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No surprises as Zach Merrett is no longer Essendon captain
·North Carolina, United States
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‘Not the right person’: Zach Merrett steps down as Essendon captain
Zach Merrett has stepped down as the caption of the Essendon Bombers, after his failed attempt to be traded to rivals Hawthorn Hawks in the 2025 AFL trade period. He announced his decision to his teammates on Wednesday.
·Australia
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Essendon avoid a summer of discontent with Merrett’s captaincy call
Zach Merrett has stepped down as the caption of the Essendon Bombers, after his failed attempt to be traded to rivals Hawthorn Hawks in the 2025 AFL trade period. He announced his decision to his teammates on Wednesday.
·Sydney, Australia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 33%
R 17%
Factuality
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