Hawthorn star Jarman Impey has claimed that talk about Zach Merrett being traded to the club isn't a distraction to the Hawks as they continue their run in finals.
The Hawks won by 34 points against Adelaide in the semi-final on the weekend and will take on Geelong in a preliminary final on Friday night.
Zach Merrett has been linked with a move to Hawthorn since meeting with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, with the Essendon captain reportedly unhappy with the Bombers.
Impey explained that talks about Merrett joining the club haven't affected the Hawks' playing group, who have won both finals games they've played.
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“I feel like it didn’t get to the group whatsoever,” Impey said on SEN’s Fireball.
“We’ve got a job to do, and clearly there’s people amongst the football club that have jobs to do, and some of that is to recruit.
“I’m sure there’s been a lot of recruiting behind the scenes, and this one has got out. I definitely think it’s unfortunate the way that it has got out and the news articles that has happened with it."
Impey said it was a 'touchy' subject to talk about another player joining a club, particularly the captain of another club.
“It’s a touchy one to mention anything, especially as a player, so I might leave that," he said.
“What I will say is that Zach is a quality player, a quality leader, and we would like to have him at the Hawks because he is quality.”
Essendon has been adamant that they won't be trading Merrett, who has two years left in his contract, with coach Brad Scott and CEO Craig Vozzo saying he will be at the club next year.