Zach Merrett’s selfless final act revealed as Essendon coaching call impacts AFL future

Zach Merrett’s selfless final act as an Essendon player has been revealed after the former skipper played through two injuries to almost secure a farewell victory on Sunday.

The midfielder kicked the Bombers ahead of Port Adelaide with two minutes remaining before the visitors struck back to claim a 10-point win.

Merrett was pumped up and mobbed by teammates after his set shot — but within hours his exit, possibly still to Hawthorn, became even more likely.

There was a chance Merrett would have seen out his contract next year had James Hird won the race to return as Essendon’s senior coach, Channel 7’s Tom Morris reported on Monday.

Instead Mark McVeigh will be appointed this week and Merrett will “look for a way to Hawthorn again”, Morris added.

Despite that, Merrett’s commitment to Sunday’s clash with Port Adelaide could not be questioned.

The 30-year-old copped a shiner last week against Sydney, which Morris has now revealed resulted in a broken eye socket.

Merrett also took the field with bulging discs in his back yet still tallied a game-high 32 disposals.

With Hawthorn focused on the finals, and the AFL trade period not officially underway till October, it is unclear when there might be clarity on Merrett’s future.

But McVeigh is sure to be asked the question when he is unveiled later this week.

Interim coach Dean Solomon, in his final post-match press conference, said he still hoped Merrett would stick around.

“Ultimately that will be his decision and a lot of that will play out over the coming month,” Solomon said.

“From a personal point of view I hope he’s going to stay and he gets what he deserves at the end of his career.”

Solomon will hand over the reins hopeful that the likes of Nate Caddy, who kicked a career-best six goals against Port, can turn the tide for the Bombers.