‘Be careful’: Great’s warning to Hawks after $4m Merrett offer
Kane Cornes has warned Hawthorn to be cautious with their list movements when signing Zach Merrett amid reports the club has offered him a lucrative $4m deal.
Merrett’s quest to move to Hawthorn has reignited just 12 months after his hopes were dashed to join the club on the final day of the last trade window.
Zach Merrett in action for the Bombers. Getty Images
Hawthorn and Essendon failed to come to an agreement on terms for the 30-year-old to switch teams this season – and a similar situation could unfold again next month.
Hawthorn has reportedly offered a four-year deal worth $1m per season to Merrett, but that contract will also rely on the Bombers receiving compensation given their midfielder is still contracted until the end of next year.
New Bombers coach Mark McVeigh has made clear in the past that he wants Merrett to stay at the club, but he also will “listen to him and respect” his ambitions.
That statement came shortly after James Hird declared he was confident Merrett would have stayed at Essendon had he been appointed head coach.
But Cornes feels Hawthorn should be more cautious if they are to give up significant talent to create space for Merrett’s arrival in their midfield.
“I just don’t think Hawthorn need him,” he said on SEN’s Locked In.
“I’d like to see how the next two weeks play out and the role of Josh Ward and Cam Mackenzie in that. They’ve got some good, young midfielders.
“I just hope the Merrett minutes doesn’t take away or come at the expense of these low 20s midfielders that are coming through and progressing really nicely.”
Corns added that he didn’t feel the offer was “outrageous” in comparison to Zak Butters’ reported $18m offer by the Bulldogs or Mac Andrew’s $12m deal in 2024.
He did not deny that Merrett could arguably be better than all of Hawthorn’s current midfielders, but that argument “depends on what you want” from them.
“If he’s going to take Karl Amon’s spot, play a bit of half-back, a bit of wing ... he’s not an inside mid for me,” he explained.
“Zach Merrett doesn’t want contact anymore, he is not a clearance player, and he is not going to knock out Will Day, Jai Newcombe, Cam Mackenzie or Josh Ward as a genuine, combative midfielder. It’s not the role that he plays.
“If you’re thinking that he is going to come in to be a needle-mover in the midfield and win you a big clearance at a critical stage in a prelim final… he’s not that player anymore. He gets walked through in tackles.
“Just be careful what you think you’re getting with Zach, in my view.”
The AFL trade period will open on Monday, October 5 and close on Wednesday, October 14.
