Footy Dept. Adrian Dodoro - Leaving EFC. #putoutyourjackets

[Lore]

Cliff notes:

• Stepping back from his current senior role following the 2023 AFL Draft
• Transition plan, raised the possibility with Vozzo in April
• Replacement is Matt Rosa, whose thread is here: Welcome to Essendon Matthew Rosa
  Matthew Rosa

  Age

  37

  Ht

  191cm

  Wt

  84kg

  Pos.

  Mid

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  21.1

  5star

  K

  11.0

  4star

  HB

  10.1

  5star

  M

  5.0

  5star

  T

  2.7

  4star

  CL

  1.7

  4star

  No current season stats available

  D

  14.6

  4star

  K

  9.4

  4star

  HB

  5.2

  4star

  M

  4.4

  4star

  T

  1.4

  4star

  – AFL Talent & Operations Manager!

To coincide with this announcement, the Club’s General Manager of List and Recruiting, Adrian Dodoro, has made the decision to take a step back from his current senior role following this year’s NAB AFL National Draft. He will lead the Club through the upcoming 2023 Trade and Draft period in his current position prior to transitioning to and assisting Matt Rosa moving forward.​

​

Dodoro, an Essendon Life Member, has played a significant role at the Bombers over nearly three decades and said the time was right to take a step back.​

​

“I approached Craig back in April to discuss the concept of transition and I feel that now is the right time to make this decision,” Dodoro said.​

​

"I sat on the panel to assist in the selection of Matt, and I believe he will be an outstanding acquisition to the Club for years to come. I look forward to working with Matt moving forward.​

​

“These roles are very taxing on individuals and their families and it just feels like that. After nearly three decades and with stability in key roles at the Club, now is the right time for me to take a step back in to a role which will provide me and my family with a better work life balance.​

​

“More immediately, we have an important few months coming up and I’m looking forward to playing my part to deliver a strong Trade and Draft period for the Club to ensure that the playing list is in a strong position for the future.”​

​

Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo acknowledged the significant impact Dodoro has made at the Club since joining in a full-time role in 1998.​

​

“Adrian is a highly respected Life Member of the Essendon Football Club and has made an enormous contribution to the Club and the wider AFL industry during his time in football, including assisting to navigate the Club through unprecedented and challenging periods,” Vozzo said.​

​

“Throughout his time at the Bombers, Adrian’s commitment and passion to take the Club forward in its list management and recruiting, has been unquestionable. Some of the Champions of Essendon have been identified and selected by Adrian, and we will always be grateful for the important and enduring role he has played.​

​

“On behalf of the entire Club, we would like to acknowledge Adrian’s selfless decision and we look forward to his ongoing contribution to the Club.​

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“Adrian will work with Matt to ensure a smooth hand-over and a successful transition of responsibilities.”​

 

[craffles]

On the off chance that anyone in a senior enough position at the club reads this, please just find a way to make Adrian leave. If you leave him involved it will cost the club members, we have had enough.

 

[Rick Ross]

On the off chance that anyone in a senior enough position at the club reads this, please just find a way to make Adrian leave. If you leave him involved it will cost the club members, we have had enough.

Remember this -

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/western-bulldogs/

how-one-fan-letter-and-a-20-cent-coin-saved-the-western-bulldogs/news-story/cbf3560f317e0974f6886894cdf7e35f

I’ve a shiny $2 coin I’ll mail in.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Albert is furiously tweeting all of Dodoro’s failures… while busts are busts, they happen, this one stood out like dogs balls because it says so much about how he clearly approaches high picks… he gets hard-ons for players assets and qualities while missing the basics around - what are they as a footballer… what are they going to do for us in which position… are they savage competitors.

Francis a “power forward or third defender who will play a bit of midfield”. For Christ’s sake.

 

[Westlo]

Francis a “power forward or third defender who will play a bit of midfield”. For Christ’s sake.

Saw on one of the seven games they mentioned Caddy and midfield eventually, like **** me just let him be a star forward.

 

[ant555]

Albert is furiously tweeting all of Dodoro’s failures… while busts are busts, they happen, this one stood out like dogs balls because it says so much about how he clearly approaches high picks… he gets hard-ons for players assets and qualities while missing the basics around - what are they as a footballer… what are they going to do for us in which position… are they savage competitors.

Francis a “power forward or third defender who will play a bit of midfield”. For Christ’s sake.

He was not actually alone on that.

30 days to the draft: Meet marking machine Aaron Francis

The tough, versatile tall is shaping as a top-10 pick

www.afl.com.au

Francis was a standout throughout South Australia's national carnival, playing in a number of roles and having an impact in each. His best spot is as an intercept-marking defender, who is able to play on various forwards and not only stop them but also set up attack.

Francis' aerial exploits are among the best in the draft. He can read the flight of the ball, has the courage to back into traffic or jump over packs and has the power to hold onto his grabs. He averaged nearly six marks a game in the championships, which saw him named an All Australian.

But Francis also moved into the midfield and was used in the forward line as well for South Australia, where he was dominant. In round two he took 12 marks (11 intercepts), and in round four kicked four goals from 21 touches in a commanding display.

He did play some midfield for SA. There where question marks on his tank and genuine midfield craft for sure. At the end of the day he failed because his endurance never really got going, he is too slow to play as a flanker and not trying to be harsh but he does not have the mental toughness.

My two picks for that draft where him and Curnow so I got him wrong as well so I can not claim any high ground.

 

[quotemokc]

Talls are always hard to draft, just look at Schache and Weideman.

Curnow took 6 years to get to the level he is at now.

 

[Old Campaigner]

He was not actually alone on that.

30 days to the draft: Meet marking machine Aaron Francis

The tough, versatile tall is shaping as a top-10 pick

www.afl.com.au

Francis was a standout throughout South Australia's national carnival, playing in a number of roles and having an impact in each. His best spot is as an intercept-marking defender, who is able to play on various forwards and not only stop them but also set up attack.

Francis' aerial exploits are among the best in the draft. He can read the flight of the ball, has the courage to back into traffic or jump over packs and has the power to hold onto his grabs. He averaged nearly six marks a game in the championships, which saw him named an All Australian.

But Francis also moved into the midfield and was used in the forward line as well for South Australia, where he was dominant. In round two he took 12 marks (11 intercepts), and in round four kicked four goals from 21 touches in a commanding display.

He did play some midfield for SA. There where question marks on his tank and genuine midfield craft for sure. At the end of the day he failed because his endurance never really got going, he is too slow to play as a flanker and not trying to be harsh but he does not have the mental toughness.

My two picks for that draft where him and Curnow so I got him wrong as well so I can not claim any high ground.

He was very much a consensus pick at the time, he looked like he'd be a like for like replacement for Goddard

 

[dnbassador]

Yeah hindsight on draft picks is a rubbish thing to do most the kids picked were the best kids in juniors it’s more the development that’s the real issue is it not?

 

[windyhill]

Yeah hindsight on draft picks is a rubbish thing to do most the kids picked were the best kids in juniors it’s more the development that’s the real issue is it not?

My hindsight is 8000 days without a finals win or whatever the count is and there is one smug holidaying campaigner to blame.

 

[Lore]

My hindsight is 8000 days without a finals win or whatever the count is and there is one smug holidaying campaigner to blame.

I wanna be a smug holidaying campaigner

 

[windyhill]

I wanna be a smug holidaying campaigner

Don’t we all.

 

[Here_we_come]

Yeah hindsight on draft picks is a rubbish thing to do most the kids picked were the best kids in juniors it’s more the development that’s the real issue is it not?

Please answer this: how do you develop a tiny mid into a tall and big bodied one? Answer: you can’t. How do you develop a non-indigenous player into an indigenous player? Answer: you can’t, and our lack of indigenous talent in some Dreamtime games is nothing short of embarrassing. Why do we manage to develop some players like Zach Merrett, yet completely fail with players like his very own brother? Is our development just selectively bad? Answer: it isn’t.

We’ve had a lack of certain types of players and an imbalanced list more generally for years (decades even), and it wasn’t development that caused that.

Development is perhaps the biggest cop out that has allowed our recruitment to avoid accountability for decades now.

 

[ydc55]

He was not actually alone on that.

30 days to the draft: Meet marking machine Aaron Francis

The tough, versatile tall is shaping as a top-10 pick

www.afl.com.au

Francis was a standout throughout South Australia's national carnival, playing in a number of roles and having an impact in each. His best spot is as an intercept-marking defender, who is able to play on various forwards and not only stop them but also set up attack.

Francis' aerial exploits are among the best in the draft. He can read the flight of the ball, has the courage to back into traffic or jump over packs and has the power to hold onto his grabs. He averaged nearly six marks a game in the championships, which saw him named an All Australian.

But Francis also moved into the midfield and was used in the forward line as well for South Australia, where he was dominant. In round two he took 12 marks (11 intercepts), and in round four kicked four goals from 21 touches in a commanding display.

He did play some midfield for SA. There where question marks on his tank and genuine midfield craft for sure. At the end of the day he failed because his endurance never really got going, he is too slow to play as a flanker and not trying to be harsh but he does not have the mental toughness.

My two picks for that draft where him and Curnow so I got him wrong as well so I can not claim any high ground.

I am not sure if you were working in recruiting at the time but some clubs put a line through Aaron because he interviewed so poorly.
Some senior recruiters always felt Adrian did not judge footballers character as well as others and it is well known essendon were one of the last clubs to use psychologists to evaluate players personality traits.

 

[ant555]

I am not sure if you were working in recruiting at the time but some clubs put a line through Aaron because he interviewed so poorly.
Some senior recruiters always felt Adrian did not judge footballers character as well as others and it is well known essendon were one of the last clubs to use psychologists to evaluate players personality traits.

I was at the time but I had been doing a lot less so I did not have access to the psychology stuff.
It was only later on that I heard some of it .
I would agree we did not look at character enough.

 

[Vindicater]

I wanted Francis so bad that year.

Be careful what you wish for I guess.

 

[ydc55]

I was at the time but I had been doing a lot less so I did not have access to the psychology stuff.
It was only later on that I heard some of it .
I would agree we did not look at character enough.

Not using using psychologists until late will haunt the club.
Adrian is a fruiterers son who is a charming guy but he never had to work through adversity so it made a fair bit of sense that he would struggle to identify the right characteristics in others.
He loves the club but simply does not have the skill set to do the job effectively. He has always tried to replicate rather than innovate.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Yeah hindsight on draft picks is a rubbish thing to do most the kids picked were the best kids in juniors it’s more the development that’s the real issue is it not?

Drafting, development, and identifying and addressing list needs all play a critical role imo.

You can draft the best kids but if you aren't able to develop them to their potential it's going to look like shit drafting.

You can have the best player development in the league but if you're drafting spuds and meth heads it won't amount to much.

If all you draft are flankers then it won't matter if they're elite at what they do.

 

[Corleone]

I am not sure if you were working in recruiting at the time but some clubs put a line through Aaron because he interviewed so poorly.
Some senior recruiters always felt Adrian did not judge footballers character as well as others and it is well known essendon were one of the last clubs to use psychologists to evaluate players personality traits.

It isn't surprising given where we are at, I keep thinking about Bombers interview on footy classified where he outlined that people just assumed Essendon were a good club. We clearly didn't invest in any forward thinking for well over 20 years.

 

[SpeckieMcVeigh]

I don't think it should come as a surprise to anyone that the Caldwell contract actually got done when Dodo was off on leave.

 

[faible]

I don't think it should come as a surprise to anyone that the Caldwell contract actually got done when Dodo was off on leave.

If there's one thing you would say he's generally gotten done, it's contracts. Not sure this is the right thing to pot him about when there's a laundry list of other things that he's actually not done well.

 

[outersanctum]

It is galling that this man is still allowed anywhere near our club. 20+ years of epic failure at your job.. I just don't get it.

The laundry list of high draft picks failing, the inability to produce a balanced list, the chronic inability to find the right type of players and the never ending issues with trading.. has decimated this club. I think we are probably a decade away from getting back to par even after they finally manage to wheel this prick out of the club.

Look at the number of first round picks we have had over the last 20 years.. and how many have actually gone to good use? We gave them away for Shiel.. Stringer.. use em on speculative picks like Cox.. tallest winger in the land Jones and never on the park Reid.. Francis already gone.. and so many more.

Most lists go through a five year cycle. Our last five years 1st and 2nd round:
- No first rounder cause of Shiel (in and out of VFL - likely to leave end of year)

• Jones (hasn't cut it as a forward is now being used as a tall winger)
• Cox (no position, not good enough)
• Perkins (VFL, not good enough)
• Reid (injured)
• Eyre (yeah who?)
• Hobbs (VFL, can't get a game)
• Lord (yeah who?)
• Tsatis (VFL, can't get a game)
• Hayes (yeah who?)
• Caddy (looks ok)
• Lual (too soon)

SO that is 11 players in the first or second round. These should be the guys that form the bulk of your improvement. Then you get to add some senior guys (Merrett, Parish, Ridley) and a few 'lucky breaks' (Martin, Durham) and some trades (Caldwell, Shield, Setterfield, Stringer) to create a strong starting 18.

This week our starting 22 will most likely feature just 2 players from the first two rounds of drafting for the past five years.. Jones and Caddy.

That is just woeful, like league worst. It shows what a deep, dark and dank hole we are truly in. I think coaching and selection play a part.. as does injuries and development.. but still.. if you did the same exercise with all other 17 teams.. I would be confident they would have more than 2 playing. Geelong will be playing 4 from the same period Sydney have 4, but they have 3 from the draft prior to that (2018 was the catalyst of their current build). Port have 5.

So yeah.. if you look at the top premiership contenders.. the backbone of their team is from the 2018/2019/2020 drafts or trades. We just have not got the cattle.

 

[faible]

Gee a decade away.

 

[P Money]

Please answer this: how do you develop a tiny mid into a tall and big bodied one? Answer: you can’t. How do you develop a non-indigenous player into an indigenous player? Answer: you can’t, and our lack of indigenous talent in some Dreamtime games is nothing short of embarrassing. Why do we manage to develop some players like Zach Merrett, yet completely fail with players like his very own brother? Is our development just selectively bad? Answer: it isn’t.

We’ve had a lack of certain types of players and an imbalanced list more generally for years (decades even), and it wasn’t development that caused that.

Development is perhaps the biggest cop out that has allowed our recruitment to avoid accountability for decades now.

Both things can simultaneously be true

 

[Yoda_]

Please answer this: how do you develop a tiny mid into a tall and big bodied one? Answer: you can’t. How do you develop a non-indigenous player into an indigenous player? Answer: you can’t, and our lack of indigenous talent in some Dreamtime games is nothing short of embarrassing. Why do we manage to develop some players like Zach Merrett, yet completely fail with players like his very own brother? Is our development just selectively bad? Answer: it isn’t.

We’ve had a lack of certain types of players and an imbalanced list more generally for years (decades even), and it wasn’t development that caused that.

Development is perhaps the biggest cop out that has allowed our recruitment to avoid accountability for decades now.

Is there any correlation between a players size and then ability to play an alternative role if said players favoured position doesn't work out?

A 189cm midfielder could work as a 189cm fwd. A failed 178cm midfielder may well struggle to be a 178cm fwd pocket. that's why we seem to be so desperate for players to work out..

 

[Yoda_]

I am not sure if you were working in recruiting at the time but some clubs put a line through Aaron because he interviewed so poorly.
Some senior recruiters always felt Adrian did not judge footballers character as well as others and it is well known essendon were one of the last clubs to use psychologists to evaluate players personality traits.

still behind the 8-ball then