He ended his career as the games record holder for the Brisbane Bears,[1] in addition to being the last VFL/AFL player from the 1970s to retire from professional football.
After John Hutton's inconsistent form at full-forward reached an end, Merrett's tired legs were moved permanently to the position where he was able to use his height and kicking abilities to spearhead the club as their leading goalkicker for many seasons before Alastair Lynch proved a suitable replacement.
[4][5] Merrett then led Brisbane Lions to three wins, one draw and seven losses of the remaining eleven games in the 1998 season to still finish in last place on the ladder, which was the sixteenth position for the wooden spoon.
[4] At the end of the 1998 season, Merrett was however not retained as Brisbane Lions senior coach and was replaced by Australian football legend Leigh Matthews.
[8] In 2016, he joined the Bond University Bullsharks in a volunteer capacity and to assist his son Ben who took on the reserves coaching job.