Essendon vice-captain Andrew McGrath believes that Jordan Ridley will be at the club next year despite wanting to head north to Brisbane, while he hopes that Zach Merrett attends the best and fairest evening.
Both Merrett and Ridley have yet to declare their intentions publicly, but it is believed that the Merrett wants to head to Hawthorn due to the team's lack of success.
McGrath expressed the emotions felt by his teammates, which followed on from Mason Redman and Nic Martin last week, saying it's "disappointing".
"There's mixed emotions. There's disappointment, there's a little bit of anger, there's sadness," McGrath told Channel 7.
"He's obviously a superstar player for us, so to hear there's a bit of instability around his future and the footy club is always disheartening.
"I've spoken to both of them (Merrett and Ridley) this morning (Sunday). Zach and I will catch up (on Monday), so we'll talk about everything and understand a bit about the situation and what's going on.
Emotions have continued to swirl among teammates of Essendon captain Zach Merrett following his meeting with Sam Mitchell. https://t.co/5zYfOfGqUb @XanderMcGuire7 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/uEsSwEjc5Z
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) September 14, 2025
"Our conversation this morning, he wanted to give me a little bit of space while I was away (overseas on holiday), and I really respected that."
There are fears that Merrett won't attend the Bombers' best and fairest event despite being the "clear favourite" to claim his sixth Crichton medal, and third in a row.
"We hope Zach attends. I think he's a clear favourite to win the night; he's had a fantastic year, and we have a lot to celebrate," McGrath continued.
As for Ridley, who was McGrath's former housemate and business partner, the vice-skipper believes he won't be anywhere else next year, but did note that he understood that he wants to get his "body right".
The intercept defender has played 19 games in the past two seasons, and has only played one full year (2021) amid a raft of injuries.
"‘Rids' has had a tough few years; everyone's heard about it, everyone's spoken about it. But I think he just wants to get his body right," McGrath said.
"I think (he'll) be with us. I guess you guys will hold me to that, but I'm a firm believer that he'll be in the red and black next year."
