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Essendon captain Zac Merrett became only the third player in club history to win the Crichton Medal seven times, matching Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutchison. The 30-year-old also secured a fourth consecutive McCracken Medal and remains likely to join Hawthorn during the upcoming trade period. Essendon also welcomed Sydney premiership coach John Longmire as head of performance and began its off-field rebuild after a difficult season.
The former captain joined fellow Essendon greats Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutchison as the only seven-time winners of the AFL club’s Crichton Medal at Thursday night’s club awards function.
Trade period starts next Monday and Hawthorn will again try to recruit Merrett, a year after Essendon stood firm following the stunning revelation that he wanted to join their bitter rivals in his quest to win a premiership. The 30-year-old polled 117 votes, while Sam Durham was runner-up on 106 and Archie Roberts third with 77.
Merrett did not address his playing future when he accepted the award, however, it would be a major surprise if he is not at Hawthorn next year.
“To see my name on an honour roll, the same number of times as those guys, is a real pinch-me moment,” Merrett said of Reynolds and Hutchison. Reynolds’ daughter Suzie and Hutchison’s son Ray joined Merrett on stage to mark the moment of Bombers history. Merrett has won five of Essendon’s last seven best-and-fairest awards. He also took out the player-voted McCracken Medal for the fourth-straight season.
He finished his speech by reflecting on his career, and urging his young teammates to keep working hard. The awards night came three days after Essendon announced a massive off-field recruiting coup, landing Sydney premiership coach John Longmire as their head of performance. New Bombers coach Mark McVeigh, who worked with Longmire at the Swans, officially welcomed Longmire in his speech at the awards dinner. President Andrew Welsh also thanked sacked coach Brad Scott and his interim replacement Dean Solomon.
Essendon finished bottom with the worst win-loss in club history . Welsh said while it was a tough season, there were signs of life.
“I’m not disappointed with the year we had in terms of the growth we’ve had within our playing group,” he said. Credit: @Essendonfc.com.au“We are not a club that is simply here to exist, on or off the field.
“We’re here to be relevant, we’re here to compete and, ultimately, we’re here to win, week after week. Welsh and McVeigh warned that unpopular decisions were ahead as the Bombers try to return to the top of the ladder.
“Building a club the right way in the modern era takes hard decisions ... look at Brisbane and Freo,” Welsh said. “They did it the hard way, they went through lean years, they built patiently, they stuck together and now they’ve been rewarded with sustained success.
Zac Merrett Essendon Football Club Crichton Medal Hawthorn AFL Trade Period
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