So, just what is the anatomy of a modern-day leader?
While he appeared the obvious choice to replace Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett’s appointment as Essendon’s 41st captain has still made for plenty of discussion.
‘He’s not Joel Selwood,’ some have argued. And that’s true.
But under new coach Brad Scott the leadership mantra is about playing to your strengths and avoiding trying to be someone you’re not.
“We want authentic leadership, we want players leading in areas that’s to their inclination and that’s what they gravitate to,” Scott declared.
That was borne out in how the Bombers conducted their captaincy survey, in turn replacing a larger leadership group with the somewhat ‘old-school’ model of a sole captain (Merrett) and vice-captain (Andy McGrath).
At some clubs the players’ vote might be as simple as 3-2-1 in order of their preferred choice as skipper. That is often complemented by contributions from coaches and other staff in the football department.
But the Bombers wanted to dig a little deeper.
The players voted, anonymously, on four separate leadership categories - providing Scott and his team with a greater understanding of the different influences at the club.
A top-10 for each category was included in the presentation announcing Merrett as captain.
Naturally, after six years at the helm, Dyson Heppell scored highly in every category, proving his influence certainly hasn’t diminished, even after stepping down.
Merrett, too, was at the pointy end of each survey, pipped only by Dylan Shiel in one category, and Heppell in another.
“We could pick an arbitrary number for our leadership group and have six or eight in there but then we’re excluding four guys who are really important to us,” Scott says.
“There are guys who have got significant influence on our group who are really good in one part of leadership but need a lot of work in others.
“Shared leadership, for us, is the model that will enable Zach to lead to his strengths and play to his sweet spot while getting players who aren’t the captain or vice-captain to pick up the slack in other areas he mightn’t be so strong.”
Merrett, for his part, had notes at the ready after being told he’d be the new captain 48 hours earlier than his unveiling. He paid tribute to his family, his team-mates and, among other, list boss Adrian Dodoro, for taking a punt on a “chubby cricketer” with pick 26 back in 2013.
It capped quite the turn around after being dumped from the leadership group in 2020.
“As much as it stung at the time, it was pretty clear what the club wanted to do so I stayed committed,” Merrett reflects.
“Now the word I come back to is ‘inspire’. I want to inspire my team-mates… and our fans.”
His appointment adds to the sweeping changes made at The NEC Hangar in recent months, the most high-profile, of course, being Scott replacing Ben Rutten as coach.
David Barham became the new President after the resignation of Paul Brasher, while highly respected administrator Craig Vozzo made the move from West Coast to replace long-time CEO Xavier Campbell.
Vozzo has only been in the job a month but has a clear focus after a review of the club cited - among many recommendations - the need for a more unified culture.
“It’s been a great opportunity to reset,” Vozzo says.
“It probably starts from the board and the executive and then filters down to the different layers of the club, including the football department. From our perspective, it’s about being really clear in our direction and having some stability and continuity in how we want to do things.
“Each club is different, but the program itself and what it takes to grow and get to where you want to go is quite similar.”
General Manager of Football, Josh Mahoney, who joined Essendon at the end of 2020, played a big role in implementing the football program following the review.
Already he can see considerable change including bolstering the coaching panel.
“Alignment among the coaches is crucial. The worst thing that can happen for a player is mixed messages,” Mahoney says.
“You can’t buy experience… the biggest difference is [Brad] knows what needs attention and what can wait. He’s been able to plan his pre-season based on that.
All of that is done with the intent of making it easier for the club to deliver the club’s first finals win since 2004 and first premiership since that all-conquering team of 2000.
It’s a drought the Bomber faithful are reminded of all too often.
But while Essendon made finals under Rutten just two years ago – their season ended by the Western Bulldogs in an elimination final in Launceston – Scott has been keen to manage expectations.
As Mahoney alluded to, the focus is on development.
Archie Perkins, Ben Hobbs, Nic Martin and soon Elijah Tsatas should all get significant midfield minutes.
The Davey brothers, Alwyn Jnr and Jayden (albeit injured), as well as mid-season draftee Jye Menzie have been earmarked for small forward roles, while Zach Reid and Lewis Hayes, pick 25 from last year’s draft, are key long-term prospects in defence.
The Bombers also have high hopes for Nik Cox despite his more recent struggles with injury and form.
So just what is realistic in 2023?
“It’s a good question,“ Scott smiles.
“We’ll get some rude surprises. The facts are we’re a young and inexperienced team. The subjective part of it will be people will say ‘we’ve got some talent’. Talent doesn’t mean anything, it’s about what you produce on field, so internally we know it’s going to take some time. But our attitude with our players is they don’t have any time - every contest is important, every game is important.”
Again, it comes back to ensuring everyone is on the same page.
“We spend a lot more time together as a coaching group making sure we’re aligned. The coaches will clarify things with me, so they can be confident that what they’re coaching the players is in-step with what we want philosophically,” he says.
“Even our leadership process, this is not gut feel. It’s got to be really rigorous underneath, give the players the evidence, and if they need to be straightened up on something, my experience is they enjoy that if they’re shown the evidence.”
