Essendon gun Zach Merrett has focused on developing his professionalism over the off-season in a bid to take his game to an even higher level.
Merrett's accolades already include a club best-and-fairest and an All-Australian honour at the age of 22, after averaging 30 touches per game in 2017 and emerging as a star of the competition.
The ball-magnet used the International Rules series against Ireland in November to learn from the established stars of the game, most notably from Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe.
"I spent a lot of time with Nat Fyfe, because he sat next to me most of the time," Merrett told SEN radio this morning.
"To pick his brain and work out how he goes about it was great, but I certainly made sure I sat there and didn't say too much.
"(I learnt) about his professionalism and how dedicated he is inside and outside the club to make sure his body is 100 per cent ready to play every week.
"I listened to the way (Joel) Selwood and Paddy (Dangerfield) went about their work and tried to take in as much as I could."
Merrett also ventured to the United States during the off-season to observe how the Cleveland Browns operate in the NFL in order to gain further insight to a professional sporting environment.
"I was lucky enough through some great contacts to get to the Cleveland Browns, and although they're 0-16, it was great to see how they go about their business and the amount of money that is pumped through those franchises," Merrett said.
"It was a really good experience over there."
Merrett is looking to build on what was a superb season on a personal level last year, stating that a finals victory is the minimum expectations for the highly-touted Bombers in 2018.
