Roger Merrett

Roger Merrett was an Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football Club in the mid-1980s before moving to the fledging Brisbane Bears, later captaining the new club for seven seasons. Well known for his fierce, hard attack on the ball and his dashing moustache, he struck fear into the hearts of opposition players over a long career.

Related Topics:
Australian rules - Victorian Football League - Essendon Football Club - 1980s - Brisbane Bears

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He held coaching ambitions for much of his career, and on his retirement at the end of the 1996 season he was immediately recruited by his coach John Northey to fill an assistant coaching role at the Brisbane Lions (formed in 1996 from a merger between the Bears and the Fitzroy Football Club). However relations between the two men were cool, and in 1998, when the Lions found themselves at the bottom of the ladder, Merrett was involved in moves to oust Northey. Halfway through the year Northey was sacked as coach and Merrett was asked to be caretaker coach. At the end of the season, Merrett was passed over for the coaching position in favour of Australian football legend Leigh Matthews. Merrett has not been closely involved in football since, outside of occasional club functions at Brisbane and Essendon.

Related Topics:
1996 - John Northey - Brisbane Lions - Fitzroy Football Club - 1998 - Leigh Matthews

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Merrett now lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, where he operates a post office. He also provides special comments for ABC Radio broadcasts of Brisbane Lions home matches.

Related Topics:
Gold Coast, Queensland - ABC Radio - Brisbane Lions

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The Brisbane Lions' award for their best-and-fairest player over a season, the Merrett-Murray Medal, is part-named after him, and he is regarded as a potential future inclusion for the AFL Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
Merrett-Murray Medal - AFL Hall of Fame

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