Simply hours from the AFL Commerce Interval deadline, Essendon have rejected Hawthorn’s commerce proposal for Zach Merrett, as essentially the most dramatic participant transfer of the low season drags on.
The Bombers, all the best way as much as new President Andrew Welsh, have remained adamant Merrett wouldn’t be traded since a bombshell dinner with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell set into movement greater than a month of rumours, public disputes and personal leaking that has left all events at loggerheads.
A Tuesday provide from the Hawks to surrender decide 9, a 2026 first-round decide, a second-rounder both this yr or subsequent, and fringe midfielder Henry Hustwaite, given with a 7pm cut-off on Tuesday night time to simply accept the provide, was ultimately spurned by the Bombers, who based on SEN reporter Sam Edmund, initially gave the Hawks the ‘silent therapy’.
The information comes as Edmund and Channel 7 journalist Mitch Cleary report the captain and six-time finest and fairest winner knowledgeable Bombers powerbrokers, together with coach Brad Scott and Welsh, of his need to be traded, together with his supervisor Tom Petroro threatening that they’ll once more try to drive a transfer in 12 months’ time, at which level his worth might be considerably much less.
“Essendon, although – the silent therapy: not answering calls, not returning calls,” Edmund mentioned on Seven’s The Agenda Setters.
“There’s a college of thought as properly from Hawthorn that possibly the incoming President Andrew Welsh is placing his personal private stance – and he’s been as robust as anybody, guaranteeing that Zach Merrett might be at Essendon subsequent yr – above that of the membership.
“They mentioned it’s borderline infantile. That is a suggestion they’ve put ahead, there gained’t be a greater one. Take it or go away it.”
Additional complicating the deal, the Hawks have recommended they are going to be open to buying and selling the decide 9 provided to Essendon as a part of the Merrett deal to different golf equipment in alternate for future first-round picks.
Based on Cleary, the Bombers’ view of the deal is ‘that it’s Choose 14, Choose 18 and a VFL participant, primarily, and throw in a second-rounder’.
“They assume this has not moved the needle in any respect for Zach Merrett,” he mentioned.
Talking on AFL Commerce Radio, former Bombers nice James Hird mentioned it was incumbent on Hawthorn to stump up a greater provide.
“It’s on Hawthorn to provide greater than what they’d usually give,” he mentioned.
“He’s a six-time finest and fairest and he’ll make your membership a premiership favorite.
“If Hawthorn need him, they should go greater.”
It has been reported that Hawks midfielder Cam Mackenzie is a participant the Bombers are keen to think about buying and selling Merrett as a part of a deal for; nevertheless, the Hawks have up to now solely provided Hustwaite from their taking part in shares.
A Hawks commerce with Carlton, through which they obtained decide 22 from the Blues, provides them an additional draft decide to supply Essendon.
Petroro, in the meantime, has spoken publicly in regards to the scenario on AFL Commerce Radio, questioning Essendon’s unwillingness to half with Merrett in alternate for draft picks to assist their long-term rebuild.
“Zach actually needs to be a Hawthorn footballer – he’s all in on this,” Petroro mentioned.
“His instruction to me is to get him to Hawthorn this afternoon … he looks like he’s given his all to Essendon. He wants a recent begin and he needs to chase success at Hawthorn.
“The truth is, I’ve by no means seen a deal like this for a 30-year-old. Two first spherical picks, that’s huge collateral.
“For a membership specializing in youth, I might have thought the picks could be higher than a 30-year-old.”
‘Waaah, I’m out’: Fevola slams ‘woke’ Curnow over commerce request
Former Carlton nice Brendan Fevola has hit out at Charlie Curnow over his try to be traded away from the Blues, with a transfer to Sydney quick working out of time.
Curnow now seems to be set to both be a Swan or a Blue in 2026, with Geelong’s provide of three late first-rounders for the twin Coleman Medallist emphatically rejected.
The Blues have additionally spurned the Swans’ preliminary provide of contracted pair Ollie Florent and Will Hayward, plus decide 9 and a future first-rounder, with Sydney additionally requesting the Blues’ decide 22 again.
Nonetheless, with negotiations ongoing because the AFL commerce interval enters Deadline Day, a deal is anticipated to be sorted earlier than the 7:30pm cut-off time on Wednesday night.
It gained’t embody Florent, although, who was traded to the Blues as a part of a separate deal in alternate for a future third-round draft decide.
Talking on Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev and Nick, Fevola mentioned he’s ‘glad he’s [Curnow] getting traded’, describing the brand new phenomenon of gamers requesting strikes whereas underneath contract as ‘the brand new woke’.
“I feel Charlie had a little bit of a disagreement with the coach [Michael Voss,” Fevola mentioned.
“Vossy’s onerous, and I feel he gave him a talking-to, and he didn’t prefer it, so he goes ‘waaaah, I’m out’.”
Fevola was famously traded from Carlton to Brisbane with two years remaining on his contract on the finish of 2009, after repeated off-field points culminating with a drunken TV look on Brownlow Medal night time.
He was coached by Voss by way of the 2010 season, earlier than having his new deal terminated after extra off-field woes in early 2011.
