Zach Merrett won the Crichton Medal at Essendon's gala dinner on Thursday night at Melbourne's Centrepiece, finishing ahead of runner-up Sam Durham and Archie Roberts in third. The former captain now sits alongside Bomber greats Bill Hutchison and Dick Reynolds as the only players with seven best-and-fairest honours in the club’s 154-year history.
Merrett said the achievement made him feel “overwhelmed” and “a little bit uncomfortable”. “It’s pretty hard to put into words, what it means to me,” he said after receiving the award.
In a brief speech, he thanked his teammates, coaches and staff, with a special mention to his wife Alexandra for “putting up with me”. Describing his 2026 season as “having lots of challenges”, he highlighted the depth of emerging young talent at the club. Addressing fans, he said: “I know it’s been a tough couple of decades, tough few years, but you always show up … All the players in this period of time are working their backs off to improve and make you guys proud.”
Merrett also secured his fourth consecutive McCracken Medal, a peer-voted award recognising the player who best represents the club’s on-field values.
The celebrations came against a backdrop of trade tensions. News broke earlier that Hawthorn’s opening offer to prise Merrett away had been rebuffed by Essendon, with both clubs now in a stand-off over his trade value.