It’s a boy! Essendon captain Zach Merrett and wife Alexandra welcome son and reveal his adorable name

AFL star Zach Merrett has welcomed his first child into the world.

The Essendon captain’s wife Alexandra took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the arrival of their baby boy while revealing his sweet name.

Alexandra shared a black and white photo that showed her hands gently cradling the newborn, whose face was slightly out of frame.

Augmenting the post with a white love heart emoji, the AFL WAG revealed their son’s name.

‘Jude Merrett,’ she simply captioned the image.

She also shared a short black and white clip to her Instagram story that showed her cuddling up to the adorable newborn.

AFL star Zach Merrett and wife Alexandra have welcomed their first child into the world

Alexandra’s post was met with a flurry of congratulations from friends, fans, and followers.

Kate Turner-Heppell, the wife of Essendon great Dyson Heppell, offered her best with: ‘Congratulations guys all our love,’ adding love heart emojis to the sweet sentiment.

Grace Parish, the wife of Zach’s teammate Darcy Parish, also offered her congratulations.  

‘So happy for you guys, she wrote. ‘Welcome to the world.’

Speaking with the Herald Sun at the Brownlow Medal in September, Alexandra revealed the couple were unaware of the sex of their bub.

However, she said that her pink Sonia Cappellazzo gown may’ve been a clue.

‘It might be a sign, but we don’t know what we’re having,’ she told the publication.

She added that preparing for an ‘off-season’ baby had been a ‘joy’. 

Alexandra shared a black and white photo that showed her hands gently cradling the newborn, whose face was slightly out of frame

She also shared a short, black and white clip to her Instagram story that showed her cuddling up to the gorgeous newborn

‘We’ve been pretty relaxed and it’s nice Zach has been able to enjoy it a bit more,’ she said.

Alexandra recently hit back at cruel trolls who made fun of AFL WAGs walking the red carpet at the Brownlow Medal ceremony.

The then pregnant Alexandra took to TikTok in August, ahead of the glittering event, to explain the process behind putting together a look for football’s night of nights. 

‘For those who don’t know, every single year, I think five or six players get invited,’ she said.

‘Unless you are the captain or you have previously won a Brownlow, you do not find out that you are going until the home and away season has ended,’ the WAG clarified.

She continued by calling out those who criticise the women who walk the Brownlow red carpet.

‘This is why I find it so interesting when people are so cruel about the way everyone looks on the night because some of these women have two weeks to pull together an entire outfit.’

The video came just two weeks after Zach and Alexandra announced they were pregnant with their first child.

Augmenting the post with a white love heart emoji, the AFL WAG revealed their son’s name. ‘Jude Merrett,’ she simply captioned the image.

Zach and Alexandra revealed they were expecting in August last year

In a joint Instagram post, the husband and wife shared several black and white images with Alexandra showing off her baby bump.

Zach wore a black T-shirt and white pants, while his wife wore jeans and a midriff top revealing her growing tummy.

In another photo, the WAG posed in a sheer lace gown that revealed her changing figure.

The couple were all smiles as they made the announcement, writing in the caption: ‘Baby Merrett, we’ve been waiting for you.’