In a startling revelation that lays bare the messy behind-the-scenes chaos of top-tier Australian rules football, Essendon’s star veteran Zach Merrett has shared that news of head coach Brad Scott’s dismissal reached him via an unexpected source: a random stranger at a neighborhood coffee shop, before the club officially notified its playing group.
Merrett was quietly drafting training notes over a morning brew at a cafe near Essendon’s headquarters this Tuesday when the unknown patron approached him with the bombshell announcement. While club executives formally confirmed Scott’s termination soon after Merrett arrived at the facility, the six-time best and fairest winner says the unorthodox reveal left him stunned.
Scott’s departure from the Bombers came after a dismal 12-month stretch that has left the club languishing at the bottom of the AFL ladder. The coach was let go Monday night, following a run that saw Essendon secure just one victory from 24 matches dating back to the middle of the 2025 season. The 2026 campaign has been equally underwhelming, with the side holding a 1-10 win-loss record halfway through the regular season.
For Merrett, who served as captain for three of Scott’s four years at the helm, the coaching exit is a somber turning point for the club. “It’s always really difficult when you spend four years with someone, anyone, but particularly the head coach,” Merrett explained during an appearance at Sapporo Premium Beer’s 150th birthday celebration at Melbourne’s Rising Festival. “You spend a lot of time together… so it’s a sad moment and I’m more so thinking of him and his family. It’s a pretty stressful role for anyone in that position around the competition, so I hope he’s holding up all right.”
Merrett’s own future at Essendon has been the subject of intense speculation since the end of the 2025 season, when he stepped down from the captaincy after a failed attempt to engineer a trade to Hawthorn. The club blocked the move, holding Merrett to his existing contract, which keeps him tied to Essendon until the end of the 2027 season. When asked whether Scott’s departure would change his plans long-term, Merrett said it was too early in the process to make any definitive calls.
“Yeah, it’s probably all so raw right now, I’ll have a bit of time and space to reflect and think through that in the not-so-distant future,” he said. “But for now, to be honest, it’s about getting through the day… gather your thoughts and then make sure the young boys are focused on the game. There’s a game in five days’ time we want to perform in, I want to perform in, so making sure there’s no distractions. That (decision) will happen in time, for now I just feel like I need to hold my end of the bargain, make sure I am trying to lead these young boys through this weird phase.”
As a seasoned player who has now experienced five separate coaching changes throughout his tenure at Essendon, Merrett is leaning on that experience to steady the young playing group through the transition. He emphasized that players bear responsibility for their own on-field performance regardless of off-field front office decisions.
“Unfortunately I’ve been through this maybe five times now,” he said. “Not to make excuses, we’re paid to perform as players, we’re not on the board, we’re not there to make those decisions. We need to look after our own backyard so to speak, and perform and play our role. For me, it’s not getting distracted, still training extremely hard, locking in for what you need to do to prepare for a big game on Sunday night. And seeing it as an opportunity to respond and play in a way the fans can hopefully be proud of in the back-end of the year.”