Merrin confirmed the worst for Dragons fans on Monday when he announced that he will leave at season’s end to take up a three-year deal with the Panthers. 

It comes just months after another South Coast son, Brett Morris, left the club to join the Bulldogs. 

Unlike Morris, Merrin will see out the final year of his contract with the Dragons and has promised the Red V faithful to give his all in his final dig for his junior club.

‘‘There’s definitely going to be some angry fans but at the end of the day I had to put everything aside and make the decision based on myself and what was best for me,’’ Merrin said.

‘‘That’s why the process took so long because I wanted to make the right decision and at the end of the day I know I have but there’s no doubt that every time I put that [Dragons] jersey on I give 100 per cent. I’ve been doing that since I debuted and that’s not going to stop. 

‘‘This year’s going to be very special for me because I want to finish up with a bang and get the club back where it should be.’’

The Panthers deal – worth a reported $2 million dollars – will make Merrin one of the highest paid forwards in the game next year. 

It also means that his week-to-week performances for the Dragons will come under heavy scrutiny from the Red V faithful. Merrin accepts that comes with the hefty price tag.

‘‘It’s something you’ve got to cop that on the chin,’’ he said.

‘‘That why we’re in the position we are. It’s not all glitz and glamour and at the end of the day you will be confronted with some really hard decisions. 

‘‘It’s part of the game and part of the business. At the end of the day the Dragons are a business and we tried our best to make both parties happy but it just wasn’t meant to be. We’ve moved on from that and we know there’s a bigger job ahead and that’s to get the boys back into the finals.’’

Merrin’s departure was realistically confirmed in December when he rejected the Dragons offer of a contract upgrade - described by manager Wayne Beavis as considerably lower than that originally promised - but it didn’t make informing teammates any easier.

‘‘The toughest part of it all was to face the boys and tell them I’d be joining a new club next year,’’ he said.

‘‘I got a bit jittery and the emotions took over. It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it shows the calibre of people we have in the club that there was hugs and congratulations at the end of it.  

Merrin laughed when asked how girlfriend - and noted Dragons tragic – Sally Fitzgibbons took the news.

‘‘She supports me 100 per cent no matter what but she’ll always be a Dragon deep down,’’ he said.

‘‘She’s talking about getting one of those split jerseys but she’s stoked for me she knows I’m happy.’’