Essendon captain Dyson Heppell has backed Zach Merrett to remain with the club.
The dual Crichton Medallist is reportedly attracting interest from several clubs as he prepares to come out of contract.
Among the interested clubs are Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne and Port Adelaide, but Heppell is adamant the 25-year-old midfielder will don the red and black in 2022 and beyond.
Asked on Sportsday if he were hopeful of Merrett remaining with the club, Heppell said: “Personally, I certainly am.”
“I think if we can keep growing and improving each week, who knows where we’ll be by the back-end of year.
“If we can keep embedding a really strong culture, and he’s been a super part in creating the culture we want and growing as a leader himself as well.
“To be honest I’d absolutely love for him to stay, obviously. I can’t see him leaving.
“That will sort itself out I suppose.”
Sam McClure asked Heppell about the recent Herald Sun interview featuring Merrett where he indicated he wants to ensure he and the club are aligned.
Does Heppell feel like he needs to sell the club to the All-Australian?
“I didn’t see the article,” Heppell replied.
“He’s just a super driven competitor. I feel like he’s extremely hungry for success and I feel he wants the values of the club, and the playing group particularly, to be on the same boat that he’s on.
“Hopefully that’s what he’s seeing and continue to see.”
Merrett has been the subject of close attention from opposition teams in recent weeks, resulting in some head-high hits, prompting a response from his skipper who lauded him for his focus.
“We don’t go into games with any targets at all, we just play our systems and our roles,” he said.
“Zach has been unbelievable. He cops it week in, week out whether it’s blatantly obvious or not, but he certainly cops a lot of attention.
“His discipline to stick to his role and not fire back too often has been awesome. We try and support him as much as we can without pulling structures apart as well.
“It’s a tough one to balance.”
Merrett is enjoying his most prolific season, averaging 30 disposals, more than six inside 50s and almost five tackles.
The 3-6 Dons will look to improve their record when they take on the bottom-placed North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday evening.