Overview

• Speaking on the Brownlow red carpet, the Essendon captain said he has not asked for a trade and has not settled his preference, adding that decisions should be clearer in the coming weeks.
• Merrett said he has had "great dialogue" with coach Brad Scott, CEO Craig Vozzo and board member Andrew Welsh, describing their stance as supportive.
• Media reports say Merrett met Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell about a fortnight ago, a development that caught Essendon off guard.
• 7NEWS reported club leaders maintain they will not trade the contracted midfielder and described the situation as increasingly toxic based on unnamed sources.
• Event organisers replaced Merrett at a scheduled Doncaster appearance with Dyson Heppell, though he says he will attend the Bombers’ best-and-fairest next month, where he is widely tipped for a sixth Crichton Medal.