For Essendon captain Zach Merrett, the past 11 years in the red and black have been far from perfect or easy.
However, as the Bombers sit third on the ladder with an 8-4-1 record after 13 rounds, the star midfielder is finally starting to see a light at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel.
In just his third season at Essendon, Merrett’s career was disrupted when 34 senior players were found guilty of taking the banned substance Thymosin Beta 4.
At the time, the league handed those players and senior coach James Hird a 12-month suspension that would last the entire 2016 season, alongside a $2 million fine.
In what was arguably the darkest period in the Bombers’ history, it gave a young Merrett, alongside midfielder Darcy Parish and defender Mason Redman, opportunities to shine.
Flash forward, and for many Bombers fans, the pain is yet to be forgotten.
Merrett says a new dawn for the football club has made the past more bearable.
“I’ve been through an interesting 11 years. With the ASADA thing, post that, without finals success, clearly,” Merrett told Wide World of Sports. “I’ve just been overwhelmed with the support we’ve always had.”
“I don’t know how, to be honest, how the fans have done it. I see other big clubs who have been in and out of success, their attendances have wavered. But I think Essendon, Collingwood, and probably Carlton to that extent, are always so consistent with their support base.”
The time is now, Merrett believes, to “repay the faith” with strong football that the competition should no longer ignore.
“We just want to repay the faith with them. We want to be on the journey with them,” Merrett said. “Last year we were playing some pretty good footy, we probably dropped away when we had a few injuries. Not an excuse, but I didn’t think we had the depth we do now, bringing in four mature-aged recruits.”
“(Sam) Durham and (Jye) Caldwell) are a year older as well, with 20 more games under their belt. They’re stepping up and driving the group forward as much as anyone.”
After their loss to the Blues in round 13, before their bye, Merrett admits that the club isn’t focused on finals just yet.
“We also respect that the competition is so even at the moment. I think everyone is probably sick of people internally saying that, but you only have to watch a round of footy, with the upsets that are occurring,” he said. “We know that every game is a genuine 50-50. We don’t really feel we’re playing that well yet, which is probably a bit silly, getting wins.”
The pressure is rising with the league so close, with sides all the way down to 13th barely a game or two outside of the top eight. Merrett knows that after the bye, every game means that much more.
“We’ve probably got some really clear areas we’ve got to work on and connect with better to really compete later in the year,” he said. “If you were in our club, in our four walls, you wouldn’t know we are third on the ladder.”
But football can still be fun at Bomberland, with coach Brad Scott taking a back step in 2024, letting the players drive their own expectations instead. For Bombers defender Jayden Laverde, Scott’s trust in the playing group has allowed them to shine.
“It’s more of just us buying in a lot more. He’s set the rules and set the precedent that he wants as a coach,” Laverde said. “I think we’ve got a lot more guys living the lives of an AFL footballer how it should be. Brad’s doing a great job of holding us accountable to that.”
