Moved Thread Adrian Dodoro - Lodged a dispute with FairWork. Paid out. Gone. #putoutyourjackets

Remove this Banner Ad

Since I posted, my messages have been blowing up.

This guy CotchIsKing told me:
  • He had a corporate package to a bombers game at Dockland including a carpark under the stadium
  • Adrian pulled up not far from him and jumped out just wearing a club polo, which CotchIsKing clocked because it was a cold June night
  • Oddest thing, Adrian had bunch of coat hangers hanging up in the rear seat hand holds
  • By coincidence, they also left at the same time and he was confused (up until he saw my post) as to why Adrian took off 3 jackets (that he didn’t arrive with) and hung them on the coat hangers. Then he drive off with that shit eater grin of his
 
In my view, we should have ripped the band aid off back in 2007. By that time, he'd had a decade in the role and we were on a very clear downward trajectory after being a powerhouse.

Not to re-litigate stuff that has been talked about for a decade but Ant has always presented a good case that once Keane came in during that 2006-2007 period, things improved on the recruiting front. In hindsight, we would not have lost much if Dodoro got the axe then and there, but taking a contemporary point of view from 2007ish, I don't have much of a problem with a view that now that we were properly resourcing that area, it was fair enough to keep Dorodo to see what happens. For me, the band-aid should have been ripped off when the players got the doping bans, as that should have led to a whole new list strategy. of course, as we know, the club decided to re-stock and try to go deep into September, and it's not like they were too many fans at the time saying "hey let's trade most of the returning players for picks and do a proper re-build". But Dodoro should have gone then. And the club should have embraced a re-build at that point.

I suppose the events of the last two of years bring into question how feasible it may have been to move on Dodoro on either of those dates anyway. Our new guys moved Dodoro on when his reputation was basically at rock bottom and it still took over a year to actually get him out of the place. God knows how Knights and co would have gone if they tried in 2008! (and that's obviously an indictment on the whole club over the past 20 years or so.) I dare say the only coach/CEO we've had since 2007 who maybe could have moved on him was James Hird and as we know, Hird decided to focus on other areas of the football club. And it's not impossible to imagine that even Hird might have struggled to get Dodoro out.

As for taking us to FairWork and getting a massive pay-out. I'm reminded of an incident involving my hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks. Just over 25 years ago, we signed one of the most famous and respected players of all time, Mark Messier. For various reasons, it was a disaster and he is, to this day, the most hated player in Canucks history. Meanwhile he maintains massive respect from the hockey world in general, including having a leadership award named after him. About 10 years ago, it turned out that Messier had a clause in his contract that meant that because the value of the team had risen in the years after his horrific tenure there, he was entitled to a multi-million dollar pay out. This was just more salt in the wound, but as one of our bloggers noted, a deal's a deal. If he was entitled to the money, then so be it.

And so obviously that's how I feel here - if Dodoro was entitled to a "substantially higher amount" than the 6 figure pay-out we've offered then so be it. Take your money and piss off. It's honestly just another thing the club has to answer for, how someone who pretty clearly wasn't near the top of his field could be on a contract (or whatever the arrangement was) worth what appears to be a very large figure is disappointing to say the least. I don't think Dodoro going to FairWork is something we should strip life membership over, I'd prefer for that to be for serious crimes and misconduct, but this is a very good reason why someone still working for the club shouldn't be given life membership!
 

Log in to remove this ad.

This has to be a piss take and is why governments then make it harder for people that have suffered real injustice.

Adrian has had a great run, over 20 years with no finals wins, and he thinks his been unfairly dismissed when he is lucky he wasn't shown the door years ago.
 
Last edited:
I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here but the reality is that if he was made redundant without due process then he was within his rights to go the club. That said, it would have been nice if the so called "essendon man" had gone quietly. I'm now running hypothetical payout scenarios relating the membership increases and how much extra each member is paying next year thank to this shitshow. If he was paid $170k that is $2 a member...? Hopefully he gets a friendly welcome if anyone sees him in the outer...
it was a general protections claim, though, rather than unfair dismissal. I would think that would imply it likely wasn't a due process issue. However, if it wasn't successfully argued by EFC then there was probably something to it, as well
 
it was a general protections claim, though, rather than unfair dismissal. I would think that would imply it likely wasn't a due process issue. However, if it wasn't successfully argued by EFC then there was probably something to it, as well
If they've reached a settlement through Fair Work (or to avoid a Fair Work ruling) then it's safe to assume he had a legal entitlement. I think it just rubs salt into the wounds of fans who (myself included) feel like he has extracted a huge amount from the club over an outrageous period of time while being underwhelming (at best) at his job, and maintaining a such a political choke-hold on the club that multiple administrations failed in their attempts to get rid of him.
 
All that matters now is that he is gone. Let that soak in.
Cbs Love GIF by LoveIslandUSA
 
If they've reached a settlement through Fair Work (or to avoid a Fair Work ruling) then it's safe to assume he had a legal entitlement. I think it just rubs salt into the wounds of fans who (myself included) feel like he has extracted a huge amount from the club over an outrageous period of time while being underwhelming (at best) at his job, and maintaining a such a political choke-hold on the club that multiple administrations failed in their attempts to get rid of him.
Still the clubs **** up. He was obviously contracted. We could have moved him out when Dan Richardson took over the footy department but no we let the "Essendon" people have their say. Lets face it until Vozzo came to town we always had someone pumping up his tyres. Even Barham did. I do not blame Dodoro for claiming whatever was owed to him. This whole situation is just shows why we have been shit for so long. Poor decisions at board level and too many outside the board with too much control.
 
Still the clubs **** up. He was obviously contracted. We could have moved him out when Dan Richardson took over the footy department but no we let the "Essendon" people have their say. Lets face it until Vozzo came to town we always had someone pumping up his tyres. Even Barham did. I do not blame Dodoro for claiming whatever was owed to him. This whole situation is just shows why we have been shit for so long. Poor decisions at board level and too many outside the board with too much control.
Always though Bombers comments a few years ago were interesting. People go to the club trying to help the club consumes them into the Essendon way before too long
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Even Barham did.

I don't agree with this. He was talking about it in ways to not be blunt but in the interviews you could see in politic-speak that the gears of moving Dodoro out were in motion. The fact that Barham directly addressed questions regarding the shaping of Dodo's future rather than just ignoring it entirely is something that was pretty unprecedented.

A lot of the things we've seen, including the arrival of Vozzo and the subsequent "succession" of Rosa were of Barham's doing, he was just smart enough that he knew he needed to do it carefully, but surely.
 
I think a petition to EFC to cancel his life membership is the way to go.
His only saving grace all these years was his supposed love of the footy club.
I know for a fact that he has become a wealthy man due to connections through the footy club.
His actions absolutely stink.
Ingrate is the only word that works for Kevin Sheedy’s greengrocers son.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Moved Thread Adrian Dodoro - Lodged a dispute with FairWork. Paid out. Gone. #putoutyourjackets

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top