With recent reports linking Essendon’s Zach Merrett with Port Adelaide, the talk has now shifted to how the Power could get a deal done.
At this early stage, Merrett has shown no desire to up and leave the Bombers but the report in The Age indicates the Power’s interest is well and truly alive.
On SEN SA Breakfast, Kane Cornes raised a number of questions the club must consider when in the process of attempting to lure a player of Merrett’s calibre interstate.
Cornes asked: “How do you add to your group? How do you get something that you don’t have?
“There’s some significant attractions with Merrett. Firstly, he’s a free agent. You do not have to give up anything to get him. That is the case at the moment, of course Essendon can match the deal and then you’re forced into a trade.
“The attraction is that you can get a quality player and vice-captain of a club for free in terms of the market value and not having to give up a draft pick.
“I think he’s playing remarkable football. He’s certainly in Brownlow Medal contention. Can you add a Brownlow Medal-calibre player to a side that has been on top of the ladder or second for 20 weeks in a row and have the room and ability to do that?
“Then you get a great character. Hard worker, great trainer, good leader. So there’s three significant boxes that he ticks.
“The question is how much would you pay him? He would come across as Port Adelaide’s highest paid player. How would that sit amongst the rest of the group?
“How long are you prepared to commit to him? Are you willing to commit $5-6 million in a player like that?”
Cornes cited the presence of former Bomber Orazio Fantasia as perhaps one key drawcard to help entice Merrett across to South Australia.
“Perfect example is the connection Orazio has got there and him being able to sell the club,” he added.
“I’m not sure what other connections there are to Merrett. I guess the biggest barrier is getting him to come and live in Adelaide, but it hasn’t stopped Port Adelaide attracting players in the past.”
There is no doubt in Cornes’ eyes that the Port leadership group will have a say in whether or not the club seriously goes after Merrett who has won two Crichton Medals with the Bombers.
The Power’s games record holder referenced the club’s pursuit of Adelaide’s Graham Johncock in the mid-2000s.
“We had a situation in the 2004-ish era where Mark Williams got the leadership group in an unscheduled meeting,” Cornes said further.
“He said, ‘We’re going hard for Graham Johncock. This is what we’re going to need to pay him and it’s a significant number. Are you all comfortable with it and do you support us going after Graham Johncock?’
“We said, ‘Yeah, he’d be great for us, perfect’. It didn’t eventuate, but the leadership group will be consulted I would think.
“The history of (list manager) Jason Cripps and (recruiting manager) Geoff Parker are now putting behind them is they haven’t missed too badly.
“They missed on Jack Watts, you could argue Steven Motlop and Tom Rockliff and how they went with that. Charlie Dixon is probably a tick, Paddy Ryder was a tick for what he did, they’ve got a reasonable record of getting the right players in.”
It is understood that both Carlton and Melbourne are also showing interest in 25-year-old Merrett who comes out of contract with the Dons this year.