FORMER Essendon skipper Zach Merrett had dinner with teammates Mason Redman and Nic Martin to clear the air before returning to the club.

Both senior Bombers had publicly expressed their disappointment and anger with interviews in the media, including AFL.com.au, at the contracted Merrett's request to move to Hawthorn last Trade Period.

The deal fell through in the dramatic final minutes of deadline day, and Merrett is contracted at the Bombers for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, returning to the club and giving up the captaincy.

"I wouldn't say [relationships] were strained. I think they, in a weird way, were really keen to keep me and wanted to play with me. So I wouldn't say there was strained relationships," Merrett told reporters in Perth on Thursday.

"I think, no doubt was a bit of awkwardness, just to start with, given that we went through those three months. But to Mason and Nic's credit, we had dinner before we went back to make sure that we're on the same page, and I could be clear with what I went through and what they went through so from day one we were all back on the same page and ready to get cracking in the preseason. 

"Think it's an ever-evolving space, the Trade Period and the way the game is going, it's going to evolve more and more moving forward. So hopefully, when that does happen for other players moving forward, we aren't as critical of that player."

Merrett said the acquisition of new high-performance boss Mat Inness had provided him with some reassurances about the club's future direction, given Essendon's lengthy injury woes over the last few years.

He also confirmed AFL.com.au's report from earlier this month that he was open to discussions on a contract extension at the Bombers

"I wouldn't say I was considering [extending his contract straight away], but I mean, there's some openness to listen, as there always is when you're on the back nine of your career, so to speak, you're always open with what that could look like. But nothing has progressed outside of a very preliminary chat," he said.

"Excluding that, I think the things that have shifted. I think the fitness department's really beefed up, and the club's invested heavily resourcing that to make sure that players get the best opportunity to be fit, healthy and on the park for longer periods of time.

"So that we can hopefully have more talent on the weekend to string together some more wins."

Merrett said despite the upheaval of the Trade Period, he wasn’t uncomfortable returning to the club for the start of pre-season.

"It's not weird you've played 250 games there, captained the club, won six best and fairests, I feel pretty comfortable walking back into the club. I get the outside noise, and I get the people having opinions what I should do with my life," he said.

"But no, I knew that was a really live possibility and probably a high percentage chance I was going to be going back. So that was always very front of mind that moment and walking back into my locker and putting my boots on and getting back to work."

The Victorian AAMI AFL Origin team took to the training track on Thursday morning at Mineral Resources Park, their first hit-out together as a full squad.

"It's pretty strange, looking both ends of the ground, looking up and seeing Tom Stewart and Jacob Weitering and guys who are very difficult players to play against, and then looking forward and seeing Sam Darcy and Ben King," Merrett said.

"Then around the midfield, there was probably 14 guys that played against the last five to 10 years that you admire up close and from afar. So it was just cool to mingle with those guys, see how they train, albeit not a massive training session."