""I see a lot of the Lions now that I live in Queensland and they are simply the best side in the competition when it comes to pressuring opposition sides,"" Merrett said on Bombers Club Corner last night. ""They have done it to perfection over the past two weeks and beaten quality sides in Melbourne and Port Adelaide.""
""They put so much physical pressure on the opposition ball carrier that they simply don’t have time to set up the play.
""If Essendon is to have a chance they simply must protect the ball carrier at all times. I’m not saying they need to be overly aggressive in doing that but they must give themselves time and space to deliver the ball to key forwards in (Scott) Lucas and (Matthew) Lloyd.""
Merrett also said the Essendon players need to move the ball as quickly as possible to make it difficult for Brisbane to get players behind the ball.
""The Lions are very good at setting up a zone defence at kick ins and they move that zone continually back and get players behind the ball. If the Essendon players can move the ball quickly they can get the likes of Lucas, Lloyd and even Hille one out and that will give them the best chance of winning.
""It is exactly what the Lions do well but they can be beaten at their own game.""
Merrett, a renowned hard man of football, said he had watched with interest the Essendon v Hawthorn game last week, including the third-quarter brawl and the fallout at the tribunal.
""At the end of the day Hawthorn had their backs to the wall and they wanted to make a stand. It did take my mind back to the 80s when we had a lot of respect for each other and used to test each other out physically,"" Merrett said.
""I don’t believe outsider ‘players’ should be involved,"" Merrett said. ""If that is what happened (at half-time in the Hawthorn rooms) I don’t believe it should have happened. I would hope players didn’t need past players to step in and say anything.
""Players should have their own determination to turn things around. It hurts a proud club like Hawthorn to be in the situation they are but it shouldn’t be up to past players to say anything if in fact they did.""
