Zach Merrett cut a lonely figure as he ran around the Bombers training ground. 

It was a cold, wet, September day.

A week earlier Merrett had stood before 1,000 Essendon fans to collect his first Crichton Medal.

The season was over, but the dedication continued.

“I’ve got so far with my fitness, I don’t want to drop off,” Merrett told SEN.

“It wasn’t so much of a hard session, it was more just ticking off a few things and just making sure I don’t drop off like a lot of other people in the AFL when celebration time comes.”

Merrett hadn’t forgotten about how difficult he’d found his first pre-season and he wanted to ensure he was in top condition for when the players return in November.

“Coming in I was very unfit and probably behind the eight ball in terms of the younger players in the AFL system,” he said.

“I guess I felt like I really had to work hard and do the extra things that would allow me to catch up as quickly as possible. 

“As soon as I caught up to the younger boys, it was about catching up to the next tier – Zaharakis, Heppell and Watson and those sort of guys.

“It’s trying to get as much knowledge as possible from everyone within the Club and outside the AFL system and just improve as much as I can.”

Merrett turned to premiership players Chris Judd and Joel Selwood at times throughout the season as he sought to improve his game. 

Going the extra step isn’t uncommon for Merrett, but finding the right balance has taken some time.

“In my first two years I did way too much – I was at the Club for probably two or three hours longer than everyone else and really burned out pretty quickly,” he said.

“Talking to Chris (Judd), he’s really big on that balance and quality over quantity.

“I’ve sort of pulled back this year and I think my footy has improved due to the fact I’m not as tired when the weekend comes.”

Merrett is part of an emerging crop of young talent the Bombers hope will lead the Club back to the finals.

The 20 year old can see the cause for the enthusiasm, but knows there is much hard work to be done. 

“We’re definitely cautious not to get ahead of ourselves but we obviously are very excited and it is a time for the fans and the Club to get excited,” he said. 

“There is probably ten or 15 guys who played a lot this year who otherwise wouldn’t have got that opportunity. 

“Not only did they play, they really grasped their opportunity.

“Orazio Fantasia was fantastic up forward – Darcy Parish, Aaron Francis and the VFL going strong, who were very undermanned, was fantastic as well. 

“It’s very exciting but we know there is a lot of hard work to go.

“We’re definitely going to put our heads down and work hard over the pre-season.”