ESSENDON coach Brad Scott says he does not expect the partners of his players to attend matches, joking he will give Alexandra Merrett, the wife of former captain Zach, a voucher to the same up-market Melbourne restaurant she attended during the Bombers game last weekend.
During Essendon's heavy defeat to the Western Bulldogs last Sunday night, Mrs Merrett posted footage online of her dining at Gimlet restaurant with the caption "when your husbands (sic) team is losing by 50 points at half time".
Asked on Thursday if he expected the partners of Essendon players to attend games, Scott replied with a firm "absolutely not".
"We're very fortunate to do what we do, as players and coaches. In a lot of ways, it's harder on the partners than it is on the players," he said.
"We can absorb just about anything, but when your partners have to absorb it, it can be extremely hard.
"I'll pick up Alexandra another gift voucher to Gimlet next week if she wants it."
Merrett is contracted until the end of 2027 but his future at Essendon has been in the spotlight since his unsuccessful attempt to be traded to Hawthorn last year.
AFL.com.au reported in March that the Bombers have tabled a multi-year contract extension to Merrett in the hope of keeping him at the club beyond his current deal.
In February, Scott said he would support the club making an offer to the former skipper, despite the turmoil of last October.
"I'm very keen to have him here. He will go down as one of the all-time great Essendon players. I think if Zach and his management are open to, and they want to talk about, potentially extending Zach's tenure and making him a Bomber for life, then of course as a football club I think that would be something we would definitely entertain," he told AFL.com.au.
"He's contracted for another couple of years so I don't think it's massively urgent, but what is urgent is we show Zach just how much we value him.
"And sometimes talk can be cheap and long-term commitments, that's not talk, that's action. That's certainly something that personally I'd be very keen to see happen."
