“This is a privilege which I am very grateful for, and am very much looking forward to. There’s great energy around the group. With Andy [McGrath] and I as captains, supported by a group of emerging leaders, we are all united and aligned in our vision to take us back to being a successful football club.
“I also thank Dyson Heppell, who is a great mate, and who has led the Bombers with such distinction over six seasons. He has worked hard behind the scenes to get us to where we are today, and I hope we can reward his commitment with some great wins in 2023.”
Merrett picks up the highly regarded honour at close to the zenith of this career, with 184 matches under his belt and about to embark on his 10th AFL season.
Dyson Heppell and Zach Merrett.Credit:Getty Images
Essendon undertook a leadership selection process under new coach Scott that provided players the opportunity to identify the key values and qualities they want in their leaders. The squad and football staff voted on the candidates before a recommendation was presented by the football department to be ratified by the board.
Bombers coach Scott said Merrett was the perfect leader to guide the club’s list - the AFL’s third most inexperienced in terms of average age, and fourth most inexperienced when it comes to games played heading into the 2023 campaign.
“Being appointed the captain of an AFL club is a great achievement for an individual player,” Scott said. “It’s an enormous endorsement from your playing group and coaching staff, judged over time based on the actions you demonstrate.
“Zach is a highly driven and motivated player who leads by example on and off the field with his relentless pursuit for success. He demonstrates all the values we want in our captain and his appointment highlights the confidence we have in him to take us forward.”
The new AFL captains for 2023 include Darcy Moore (Collingwood), James Sicily (Hawthorn), Jordan Dawson (Adelaide), Toby Greene (Greater Western Sydney), and now Merrett at Essendon.
There are co-captains in place at the Sydney Swans, Richmond and North Melbourne.