Essendon Captain Zach Merrett has always prided himself on doing things his own way.

Although he’d be the first to admit he doesn’t fit the stereotype of a traditional AFL skipper, Merrett has been a shining light for the Dons in his first year at the helm, setting the tone for his young midfield brigade and averaging 29 disposals per game.

On this week’s episode of One on One, Merrett told his vice-skipper Andrew McGrath that he’s enjoying the process of challenging conventions on leadership by just being himself.

“Growing up, I think I viewed leadership as being the extroverted kid who was a good speaker, whereas I was always introverted and just tried to be the hardest working player in any sport,” Merrett said.

“I feel like I’m challenging the norms of people’s beliefs at times, which is exciting. We’re seeing a number of players lead in different ways that have gone away from the traditional ‘male footy leader’.”

Merrett, often one to shy away from the spotlight, has taken a more internal approach to guiding his teammates from the captaincy position.

In his teachings, Merrett looks to set high standards, but not at the expense of each player’s individual flair.

“I have a lot of small moments with individuals behind closed doors, I don’t like to be out the front or to embarrass teammates. I try to lead by example in doing the right things and not asking people to do things I’m not willing to,” Merrett said.

“I give (my teammates) every bit of freedom to explore and play to their strengths, I’m not here to tell them how to do it or keep them in a square box.

“I try to create an environment where they can bounce into the club excited to be themselves, but also to win and have success.”

After first captaining the club in a game during round 21 of the 2016 season and establishing himself as a young leader in the seasons to follow, changes to the internal voting process saw Merrett excluded from Essendon’s leadership group for the 2020 season, which was highly publicised.

Reflecting on the learnings of his year away from a formal role, Merrett’s initial frustrations were again superseded by his desire to get better.

“You have the toys out of the cot for a 24-hour period where you feel like the world’s against you, but you have a couple of sleeps and realise you’ve just got to get on with it and get forward,” Merrett said.

“You’re trying to give those guys in the leadership group every opportunity to succeed and you don’t want to be that person going behind their back or changing the process.”

Merrett never looked back after re-joining the leadership group in 2021, beginning a career-best run of form and leading many to tip him as the likely successor to Dyson Heppell for the Dons’ captaincy.

After an off-season of speculation, Merrett recalled the ‘passing of the torch’ moment that kicked off his 2023 campaign.

“I don’t think I’ve told too many people, but I got a call from Dyson on a day off back in February asking to catch up for a coffee, which isn’t overly uncommon, but it had a bit of a different feel to it,” Merrett said.

“We spent an hour and a half chatting about his journey and where he’d gotten to, and that he’d love to help and guide me through the next phase of our group’s career (with me as Captain).

“It was a really exciting two weeks to know it was going to happen, but to be patient it was like going to bed waiting for Christmas every day. I’m fortunate to be in such an historic club, and to be alongside (so many amazing names) still doesn’t feel real.”

The patience paid off for Merrett, whose experiences had readily prepared him to undertake the rigours of leading an AFL side.

Two key takeaways were most apparent for Merrett in developing his leadership style, doubling down on his strengths and taking an outward approach in looking out for his teammates.

“The number one thing was I actually dug my heels in to be myself more. I think people appreciated that I was authentic, so I went harder at standards and pushed myself to be a better player, and I think people respected that,” Merrett said.

“The second one was just giving people the time. In the past, I expected everyone to be working as hard as I was, but I had a much better appreciation for different personality types and people’s ability to still work hard in their own ways.

“I was myself, but I also allowed them to be themselves.”

Merrett’s approach as a leader stems from the way he’s treated his individual game, constantly honing his craft throughout the years.

His elite technical ability and mental edge have allowed Merrett to stand among the game’s elite, identifying ways to maximise his output early in his career.

“I’m not overly fast, I’m not a tall midfielder, I’m not strong. There’s a lot of capabilities I don’t have, and I worked out quickly that my asset was going to be my decision making and how quick I could make up my mind on the field compared to other players,” Merrett said.

“I knew there wouldn’t be this big moment where it all clicked, but it was going to be gradual improvements. I had to find avenues to compete in a different way, and for me it all came back to being the most consistent player that I could be.”

Despite a strong personal start to his tenure as skipper, Merrett remains steadfast that his best is yet to come.

“My job hasn’t been easy, but it’s certainly been an enjoyable first five months in the role,” Merrett said.

“I still feel I’m very much in the infancy of where I can get to, and it’s all about helping these next guys become really strong leaders.”