Essendon captain Zach Merrett has won a sixth and likely final club best and fairest and all but farewelled the Bombers as he seeks to leave the embattled AFL club.

The Bombers were blindsided when news broke that Merrett had met with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell three weeks ago.

Essendon had been adamant they won't let their captain, who is contracted until the end of 2027, leave the club.

Merrett claimed Thursday night's Crichton Medal, moving to outright third in club history, on 217 votes ahead of young gun Archie Roberts (186) and fellow midfielder Sam Durham (175).

In his speech, he said his dialogue with Essendon's hierarchy had been "extremely open and very clear both ways" regarding his future.

Merrett, who has yet to win a final in 12 years at Essendon, also stressed team suc

See Full Page