Essendon defender Andrew McGrath has opened up on his captain's potential trade, believing the situation is "not ideal" for the club.
While speaking on Triple M's The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, McGrath did not apply as harsh of a stance as some of his teammates and other key figures at Tullamarine have regarding Zach Merrett's ugly split with the club, however.
The 27-year-old star opted to display support for Merrett's decision-making process in what he called a "tough period" for the likely soon-to-be six-time best-and-fairest.
"Zach is holding up; he's going through a tough period. He's got a tough decision to make but he's still our captain, a contracted player, and our best player, in my opinion," McGrath said on Wednesday.
"We'll see how that unfolds. As teammates, we're just wrapping our arms around him and supporting him through this. It's not ideal. We'll do the best we can in trying circumstances.”
McGrath and Merrett have played together since 2017, with McGrath named as Merrett's vice-captain for the past three seasons.
"I was in Canada for a week when it happened, and we caught up on the Monday for a coffee, which was good. He hasn't left the house too much and has been getting bombarded everywhere which is the hard side of all of this," McGrath said.
"It was good to connect with him as a mate. We've played a lot of footy together, so I have a lot of empathy for him and his family, but at the end of the day, we're still teammates at this point in time."
McGrath has been tipped to be in line to become Essendon's next captain should Merrett's trade eventuate. He averaged 22.7 disposals per game in 2025, being one of just four Bombers to play all 23 games this year.
