The special element of new Hawk’s final Bombers year

New Hawk Zach Merrett is proud of the way his final season at Essendon played out.

The star midfielder finally got his move to Hawthorn quite early in the 2026 trade period following a dramatic deadline day 12 months ago.

The well-documented failed trade of 2025 continued to be a talking point through the course of last season, but things were much smoother this time around.

Merrett has explained how it all came about after constant conversations with former senior coach Brad Scott and list manager Matt Rosa.

“It gets talked up a lot in the media about going back and forward and the tension and all that,” Merrett told SENTrack at the Caulfield races on Saturday.

“To be honest it was a really smooth process all year. I was completely up front and had great conversations with Brad Scott the first six months. Then when he was moved on (list boss) Matty Rosa and I caught up pretty much every three weeks and kept talking about what it looked like, what was best for the footy club, what was best for me, what it would look like moving forward.

“He was really clear on the strategy they were going down with their draft picks and they were keen to keep putting in youth and getting high-end talent in the door which makes complete sense.

“Not that I wasn’t nervous but I felt like everyone was on the same page the whole way through the season. I just wanted to keep playing really good footy to try and help those young guys improve as much as I could throughout the season.”

Given he was more confident it would happen this year, Merrett wanted to focus on one main element of his game - imparting his wisdom on the club's youth.

After winning a seventh Crichton Medal and also claiming the peer-voted McCracken Medal - the players’ player award which embodies club values - Merrett felt it was a successful campaign from an individual viewpoint.

“To win the players’ award was a special one,” he explained.

“That was one of the things when I got back into pre-season (last year) that I wanted to hone in, play well, play the right way, and to win that players’ player award was something that I’ll hold in good stead.

“Looking back it was a pretty tough year at times, but the fact I was able to keep playing that way for the team was something that was a real focus.”

Merrett will now suit up in brown and gold in 2027 and beyond, but which number will he wear?

He donned the No.7 in 12 of his 13 seasons at the Bombers, however, ruckman Ned Reeves is the current 7 at Hawthorn.

Merrett’s 21-month old son Jude was snapped in a No.7 Hawks jersey at a recent club visit, but the player himself is not expecting to step straight into the same digits at his new club.

“The Hawks gave Jude a little long sleeve and chucked No.7 on as a bit of a sales tool, I think,” Merrett added.

“Now the trade has gone through I said to Sam (Mitchell) it’s time to get No.7, and he looked at me and laughed. I think that may have been just a sales tool to get me across the line.

“Big Reevesy is over in Ireland at the moment for Conor Nash’s wedding so we’ll see what happens when he gets back.”

Merrett was at the Caulfield Cup meeting on Saturday to watch a horse he has part ownership of - Over The Bridge - run in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

“The last couple of years I’ve been a bit hesitant to get out in the public so it’s been nice to get back out and watch the races live,” said the former Dons captain.

For the record, Over The Bridge was unable to overcome his wide barrier and finished 11th in the 13-horse field.

Image credit: Hawthorn FC