Updated July 15, 2026 — 2:43pm,first published 12:27pmIn today’s AFL briefing:Essendon caretaker coach Dean Solomon insists Zach Merrett has not mentally checked out of the Bombers.Adelaide defender Josh Worrell is set to face court over a car accident last Friday.‘He is heavily invested’: Solomon insists Merrett is focused on BombersJon PierikEssendon caretaker coach Dean Solomon has rejected suggestions Zach Merrett has mentally checked out of the club, as the star midfielder weighs up his future.The bottom-placed Bombers left Tullamarine and returned to a refurbished Windy Hill for one-off, light training session on Wednesday, reconnecting with their home base of more than 90 years which reaped 16 VFL/AFL premierships.Solomon, a 2000 premiership player with the Bombers, was in an upbeat mood when discussing what Windy Hill meant to him and the club. But just how many more visits to Windy Hill Merrett has in him remains a point of conjecture, particularly after his failed trade to Hawthorn last year, and following a Seven report on Monday night that Geelong coach Chris Scott had contacted the former captain.Merrett last month confirmed he would not make a call on his future until the end of the season.Zach Merrett’s future at Essendon is uncertain.Getty ImagesThe six-time best and fairest winner had only 11 disposals in a heavy loss to the Brisbane Lions last weekend, and hasn’t recently had the influence he – and the club – would have liked.However, Solomon said Merrett’s focus remained razor sharp on returning to top form and helping the Bombers deal with a season of despair.“There’s not one part of Zach internally that suggests that he has checked out at all. He is heavily invested,” Solomon said.“This morning’s meeting – he was commenting five or six times about his current form, the team’s form, what we can do, and providing solutions.“I know there’s a narrative around it all, and people have their thoughts and views on Zach. If no one believes me, that’s OK. But internally, he is driving as hard as he can to make himself get back into great form, but also to making us competitive again.”Solomon said he had “no idea” whether Merrett would be at the club next season.“I hope so. I honestly have no information or insight to what the future holds for Zach – what he wants to do,” Solomon said.Merrett’s manager Nick Gieschen was contacted for comment. Merrett is contracted until the end of 2027 and is considered likely to seek a trade at season’s end. Hawthorn are considered frontrunners to sign him, but Geelong have also approached him, according to Seven.As the Bombers ramp up their hunt for a new coach, including meeting with club great and former coach James Hird, Solomon said he had yet to decide whether he was interested in taking on the top role permanently.He said he expected club chief executive Tim Roberts to seek an answer from him soon.The Bombers have lost their six games by an average margin of 41.8 points since Solomon replaced Brad Scott, but industry sources insist the former bruising backman has internally completed a mountain of work to keep the club aligned during one of its darkest chapters.Solomon said Jordan Ridley (managed last weekend) and Kyle Langford were pressing for a return against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.Crows defender to face court over car crash involving pedestrianAndrew WuAdelaide defender Josh Worrell is set to face court over a car crash last Friday.As the Crows defended any perceived conflict of interest in their handling of the case, Worrell, whose car struck a pedestrian, has been reported for aggravated driving without due care and failing to present to police within 90 minutes of an accident causing injury.Worrell took the 29-year-old pedestrian to hospital and missed training but played in the Crows’ thumping 79-point win over Gold Coast the following evening. He and the pedestrian both reported the matter to police on Friday afternoon.Josh Worrell was involved in a traffic accident last week.AFL Photos“Following investigations, the 25-year-old driver was reported for aggravated driving without due care and failing to present to police within 90 minutes after a collision which resulted in injury,” SA Police said.“He will be summonsed to appear in court at a later date.”The Crows have been contacted for comment and released a statement on Wednesday.“The Adelaide Football Club is aware of one of its players being reported by South Australia Police for aggravated driving without due care and failing to present to police within 90 minutes after a collision which resulted in injury,” the statement said.“It follows the player being involved in a traffic accident last Friday morning. Given the matter is now subject to legal proceedings, the club is not in a position to provide any further detail.”In a separate statement, the Crows said board member Grant Stevens, the SA Police Commissioner, was not involved in the club’s handling of the matter.“The club adheres to clear and strict governance procedures to manage conflicts or perceived conflicts of interest” Crows chair John Olsen said. “Any person with a conflict absents themselves or is eliminated from all discussions, communications and decisions relating to the matter in question.”Crows coach Matthew Nicks spoke about the incident on Tuesday.“It’s been a pretty challenging few days for Josh, he’s working through after his accident,” Nicks said.“But we’re just doing whatever we can to support him through that.”Worrell, the No.28 pick in the 2019 draft, has become an integral part of the Crows defence. His improvement since last year was one of the driving factors behind the club’s rise to a finals team.The defender is in line for the job of minding Coleman Medal leader Charlie Curnow in the Crows’ important game against Sydney on Friday night.Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners