Essendon champion David Zaharakis ‘disappointed and shattered’ with former club

Essendon champion David Zaharakis has ripped into his old club, calling it a “rabble” and saying it is “going backwards”.

It is a massive whack from Zaharakis who played 226 games for the Bombers between 2009 and 2021, and was at the club when it went through hell during the tumultuous supplements saga.

In the aftermath of that era, 34 players were banned for an entire season, but Zaharakis was not one of them because he refused to be injected by a needle.

He then played through the 2016 season where the team was made up of top-up players and they finshed on the bottom of the ladder.

“We’re a rabble at the moment. I don’t know what’s going on. You hear stories every single week,” he said on Triple M’s Rush Hour with JB & Billy.

“I honestly thought my period at Essendon was a pretty rough period – especially 2015/2016. Everyone thought we had hit rock bottom, but I honestly believe we are very close, if not further, to rock bottom than what we were then.

“The stories that have come out this year about players wanting to leave and the locker room divide, and stuff with even with the CEO (Craig Vozzo) and the players are disgruntled … there’s too many stories happening at the moment at Essendon.

“As a past player, you’re pretty disappointed and shattered with where the club is at. It seems like we’ve gone backwards, rather than forwards.”

The Vozzo story emerged during the week. A group of Essendon players were unhappy with Vozzo when the CEO was discussing the use of illicit drugs.

The players felt that the CEO was hinting that there was a drug problem within the team, and also thought they there may have been a potential breach of player confidentiality.

Zaharakis, an Essendon best-and-fairest winner, also said his club was “leaking like a sieve” and “divided”.

“(A leak) is the worst thing. Especially when you never hear bad stories about the top-eight clubs in the league,” he said.

“It’s always the bottom 6 or 7 clubs that have leaks. Essendon is leaking like a sieve. As a playing group, to have controversy almost every day and week … walking into that locker room, I don’t know how you wouldn’t be divided.

He was also critical of wantaway captain Zach Merrett who is seeking a move to Hawthorn.

“There’d be certain and different opinions of what’s going on with Zach leaving, ‘Do we want him back?’ Do we want him captain?’ ‘Do we to play with him next year?’” he said.

“In my time as a player, I never had a captain wanting to leave. Jobe (Watson) and Dys (Dyson Heppell) … you’d never even think about them entertaining something like this,” he said.

“So, with Zach there and potentially entertaining that (trade), I wouldn’t think you’d want him to be a captain next year.

“I love Zach as a person, and he was a great teammate of mine, but it would be hard to look that person in the eye and say, ‘Are you fully committed to this footy club?’ Essendon are adamant that he’s staying and they’re not trading him.

“I personally don’t see it happening.”

The Bombers have been steadfast that they won’t trade Merrett, who has two years left on his contract.

The club also insists it has not offered the unhappy star a contract “top-up” as they maintain their hardline stance on trading their captain.

Reports have said Essendon could sweeten the 30-year-old’s deal with either more money or years, but the club’s list boss Matt Rosa rejected that notion on Tuesday.

“No, there’s been no offer of a top-up payment from the football club and Zach hasn’t asked for a top-up payment. That was incorrect,” Rosa told AFL Trade Radio.

“We were in discussions later in the season about a potential extension, but obviously there’s been a little bit to work through over the last month.

“But no, there was certainly no offer of a top-up payment.”

Merrett is yet to officially request a trade but remains set on a move as he chases the success that has eluded him in his 12-year career at Essendon.

At Monday’s launch of the trade period, Rosa made it clear Essendon had no intention of trading Merrett, or even listening to offers.

“Nothing’s changed in that space,” Rosa said 24 hours on.

“We’ve been really clear how important Zach is to us.

“We are aware that Zach’s in a hurry. He’s the ultimate competitor. He wants to win and he wants to win now.

“Zach’s been very clear and his management have been very clear that he believes in the direction of the club, he really believes in the young talent that we’ve got coming through.

“But as we know he is the ultimate competitor, he wants to win now.

“We see Zach as an Essendon player moving forward.”

Essendon’s last premiership was in 2000 and the last time it won a final was in 2004.

- With AAP