With Jonathan Brown likely to miss the rest of the season with a plantar fascia injury – and his immediate future still in the air – the Lions have been hit with the stark reality of playing without their champion leader.
Regular full-back Merrett has been thrust forward in the past few weeks as coach Michael Voss searches for the right combination for both the present and future.
With Aaron Cornelius, Jordan Lisle and Stefan Martin (largely injured but available now) all unable to command regular spots, Merrett, 28, had paired with Brown, 31, and Brent Staker, 29, before Brown's injury at the weekend.
Merrett says he is likely to play more forward in the latter part of his career and believes the Lions should look within to find their next target man.
"What our forward line is going to look like when the day comes and Jon Brown's not around … you've just got to get a young guy in there, give him lots of games and let him grow," Merrett said.
"It'd be pretty hard to get a key position forward from another club; it'd cost a fair bit because they don’t grow on trees, so I reckon that's the way to go."
The Lions drafted West Australian Marco Paparone and Victorian Michael Close last year in the hope they can develop as forwards.
In recent years they have pursued Kurt Tippett and Chris Dawes, chased the rights to draft Jesse Hogan, and have even expressed interest in Lance Franklin.
Merrett said for the time being it was up to him and Staker and one of the younger players to hold the fort.
"We've got options down there and it's good we're able to share the load a bit and not be so predictable," he said.
"I don't mind at all. I'm enjoying it up there. It's taken me a few weeks to get going and get used to leading patterns and get used to the kickers."
Merrett said Saturday's match against Richmond at the MCG – the 150th of his career - was the perfect benchmark for the Lions, who have beaten the Tigers just once in their past 10 encounters.
"In the last few years they've been just those few spots ahead of us on the ladder. It's a massive test for us to see if we can make that step up next year to that next group."
Michael Whiting is a reporter for AFL Media. You can follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
