Cobden export Zach Merrett named Essendon's 2023 captain

Zach Merrett charts his rise to Essendon's captaincy back to his early playing days at Cobden.

Merrett, who was unveiled as the AFL powerhouse's new leader on Tuesday, told The Standard his home club - also known as the Bombers - still played an important part in his life.

He makes an effort to return to the Hampden league club which developed four current elite level players - Merrett, Geelong premiership forward Gary Rohan, inspirational North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington and Fremantle best-and-fairest Sean Darcy - when he visits the south-west town of less than 2000 people.

"I still have to pinch myself - I had aspirations and dreams growing up in Cobden, a small country town, but I think it (the captaincy) reflects the support and people I had around me growing up from family, friends, schoolteachers, footy coaches, teammates," he said.

"All those people had an influence and have been a massive help for me growing up."

Merrett, 27, said his immediate family - parents Greg and Cathy and older brother Jackson - had been major contributors to his success as had "my four grandparents and uncle Shane".

"Being the youngest, you're watching the whole time observing, taking it in and forming your own beliefs of what leadership role models are and that was obviously around hard work and humility," he said.

"They were the two things which have carried through strongly for me."

Merrett played alongside Jackson, who made 54 appearances for Essendon, early in his career.

His brother now coaches Ballarat league club East Point and remains a pillar of support.

"He was my biggest role model growing up and I think I annoyed him a lot as most younger brothers do," Merrett said.

"Whether it be playing footy, cricket, basketball or little athletics, given he was two-and-a-half years older, I just took my boots, runners or cricket bat along and was lucky enough to fill in so I probably got the exposure of playing against older kids at a young age purely based off of him and what he wanted to do.

"I am very grateful that he was very selfless - it never felt like I was stepping on his toes and if it did he never showed it."

Leader was a title which sat comfortably with Merrett from a young age.

He was vice captain of junior cricket and football teams growing up.

He captained Essendon for the first time in late 2016 - aged 20 - during a tumultuous time for the club as it grappled with the fallout of its drug scandal pre-dating Merrett's arrival at the Hangar.

But Merrett - a three-time Crichton Medal winner and two-time All-Australian - missed the club's leadership group in 2020.

"It allowed me to connect and have many more informal conversations and discussions with teammates," he said.

"I was in the leadership since I was 20 so I was constantly in different meetings and pulled away from the main group and I think that year allowed me - and aided by a (COVID-19) hub as well and being in each other's pockets - to get to know my teammates a lot better.

"Looking back now, it was a great learning curve."

A season later he was reinstated.

The 184-game veteran said he felt like a more-rounded leader now, eager to lift Essendon, under new coach Brad Scott, into the top-eight and record its first finals win since 2004.

"I was always a sponge and curious to learn and was always watching those older guys or watching how people operate or respond to different modes of feedback, leadership and influence," he said.

Merrett, who has been with partner Alexandra for eight years, also hopes his assent to Essendon skipper inspires the next generation at Cobden to aim high.

"I was fortunate enough to see Ben Cunnington and Gary Rohan before me and my brother get drafted, so those three guys paved the way for me to make it seem like a possibility to make it to the AFL," he said.

"It made me believe more than I would've before. I think now having a captain come (from the town) hopefully it inspires the future boys and girls who are playing at Cobden to aspire for great things, whether it be in footy or other fields.

"I think it shows we have a good, tight-knit community there which fosters and celebrates their own people so hopefully I am just a good role model for all those kids coming through."

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