Footy Dept. Soon to be ex-GM - List & Recruiting Adrian Dodoro #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.​

​

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

 

[Lore]

McLean plays mostly forward.

He is a very good winner of actual contested foory not loose ball gets that CD classifies as contested possessions.

Are we seriously going to rely on numbers so we can ignore the obvious that we dont have enough inside strength and ability?

He used to play mostly forward.

Would you prefer to make random statements and have them taken at face value without being verified?

 

[Madison Twatter]

I would have said Hartley improved overall this year, just has been behind too many.

Yeah fair enough, there were a few I tossed up. Could also argue he looks to have stagnated to some because he has not gotten games in the seniors but I agree he has been very good in the VFL. Mostly I was just trying to show an overall trend with mismanagement of players and injury disasters.

 

[blitzer]

I think there probably is a case to make for a shake up in the recruiting department but from the quick list I threw together below (all my opinion mind you and a few could be argued but I think it’s pretty close to reality) i think it’s clear the real problems lie in development and player/injury management. I havnt mentioned all players as some are just spuds (z.clarke) and others have probably already reached their best (sheil) and have played to that level this season.

The improvement lists are so far off the other 3 lists it’s a joke (8 improve vs 21 injured/stagnant/dropped off). No team is challenging for anything with those stats). Of course our list has holes but by and large the talent is there. It’s just being utilised and managed in a terrible fashion. Who does this buck stop with? Well probably multiple people. If they do end up giving Worsfold the boot I really hope they shake up the departments involved with injury management and player utilisation (development?) because we will not go far if we have season after season so affected by injury and player mismanagement (played out of position etc).

CLEAR IMPROVEMENT

• Redman

MODEST IMPROVEMENT

• Stringer (utilised better mostly)
• Mckenna
• Saad
• Parish
• Brown
• Ambrose
• D.Clarke

STAGNATED

• Francis (Been ok but if you check footywire it’s clear he is just not marking the ball this year. Could be instruction/coaching based?)
• Hurley (not sure he can improve but still yet to really hit his straps this year then injured)
• Walla (could make a case for modest improvement but just too inconsistent imo)
• Hartley
• Laverde
• McGrath
• Houlahan

LARGELY INJURY AFFECTED

• Daniher
• Stewart
• Fantasia
• Smith
• Hooker (been good but clearly playing injured for half the season)
• Begley (could be in stagnated group if not for ACL affected start)
• Draper (was on the improve prior to ACL)
• Heppell (stagnated a bit mostly 2nd part of the season with footy injury)
• Bellchambers (could be in the stagnant category)

CLEAR DROP OFF

• Zaharakis
• Myers
• Baguley
• Ridley (after being dropped and then made to play out of position. Prior was probably a modest improver or stagnant)
• Langford

Makes for some pretty sad reading .

General sentiment is OK but I think a few of the ranks are too negative.

I don't know how Clarke is not in clear improvement when he had only played 1 AFL game up til this year and now he's been a regular for months and has beaten some of the competitions best.

Stringer has comfortably been better too.

Mcgrath's a modest improver in my books. Starting to add goal kicking to his bow.
Walla a modest improver. Yes inconsistent but he's had some absolutely cracking games this year. Also kicking more goals than last year.

Houlahan actually has improved but he's just not AFL standard yet.

Ridley does not belong in the clear drop offs. He was playing more senior games early in the year than he had in his career up to that point and acquitting hinself well. At worst maybe a stagnation but I still think he showed plenty. The problem is we have too many ahead of him in his preferred role at AFL level.

Gleeson a successful return from injury.

Saad a clear improver.

 

[Madison Twatter]

General sentiment is OK but I think a few of the ranks are too negative.

I don't know how Clarke is not in clear improvement when he had only played 1 AFL game up til this year and now he's been a regular for months and has beaten some of the competitions best.

Stringer has comfortably been better too.

Mcgrath's a modest improver in my books. Starting to add goal kicking to his bow.
Walla a modest improver. Yes inconsistent but he's had some absolutely cracking games this year. Also kicking more goals than last year.

Houlahan actually has improved but he's just not AFL standard yet.

Ridley does not belong in the clear drop offs. He was playing more senior games early in the year than he had in his career up to that point and acquitting hinself well. At worst maybe a stagnation but I still think he showed plenty. The problem is we have too many ahead of him in his preferred role at AFL level.

Gleeson a successful return from injury.

Saad a clear improver.

Could be because I am posting it after last nights debacle that I am in a negative state of mind haha. But overall I stand by the assessment I made. I do agree that aspects of certain players games might have improved a bit (McGrath hitting the scoreboard etc.) and yeah Gleeson has been a good return but didn’t really fit as improved or as stagnant. Overall if you move the ones you suggested into more positive categories it would still be quite a negative read for the most part. Our development needs a shake up and so does our conditioning (I know some injuries were unavoidable contact injuries which no one can predict). Maybe recruiting can be seen as an area in need of fresh eyes but I think Bruno’s post above made some good points about where the picks were taken and obvious alternatives not really being there at the time.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

We missed Worpel by three or four selections and it's not easy to trade up at the pointy end of the draft Lots of hero hindsight in your post.

It was early third round not pointy end of the draft. The talk predraft was Worpel wouldn’t go before late 20s, nothing hindsight about it. Dodoro hasn’t shown any aptitude to upgrade draft picks when there are generally 5-6 teams doing most years or piggy backing trades to get it done.

There is nothing hindsight about everyone on this board identifying them as needs predraft. I personally wasn’t as keen on Worpel as the other two but would still have traded up to get him for list balance sake. I’m an advocate for getting as many picks in the 25-45 range as possible most years as that’s generally where the best value in the draft falls.

 

[The Donners]

It’s always about the midfield.

We had pick 1 which he used on the best midfielder in the draft. He won the rising star. It was clearly a good pick.

McGrath was playing in the backline when he won Rising Star.

He’s played 60 games now and he’s still not a lock in what is an average AFL midfield, particularly with key injuries.

These are facts.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

McGrath was playing in the backline when he won Rising Star.

He’s played 60 games now and he’s still not a lock in what is an average AFL midfield, particularly with key injuries.

These are facts.

So he was a bad pick?

He was an elite underage midfielder who was clearly ready for senior footy immediately - he won the rising star

He hasn’t developed into a midfielder at senior level?

I think you’ve probably touched on something there.

 

[TheWeapon]

Surprising how long he has survived in the job given the lack of success during his reign

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

I still don't understand how McGrath was the right selection at #1 in 2016, I didn't understand it when we selected him and I don't understand it now when we have Saad and McKenna doing so well in the role that he played at junior level. To promote McKenna, recruit McGrath at #1 and then bring Saad in through trade next year seems like we're just grabbing players without any clear vision on what role they'll fulfill in the team.

 

[The Donners]

So he was a bad pick?

He was an elite underage midfielder who was clearly ready for senior footy immediately - he won the rising star

He hasn’t developed into a midfielder at senior level?

I think you’ve probably touched on something there.

I’m not sure Bunk.

I don’t know if it’s our much talked about (on BF anyway) lack of development of our players, whether he’s not getting the midfield minutes, whether he may be carrying something that is reducing his acceleration, more questions than answers.

He’s talented, seems to have some tricks and not just a turn of speed. Why is he not looking to be on his way to becoming an elite midfielder of the competition?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I still don't understand how McGrath was the right selection at #1 in 2016, I didn't understand it when we selected him and I don't understand it now when we have Saad and McKenna doing so well in the role that he played at junior level. To promote McKenna, recruit McGrath at #1 and then bring Saad in through trade next year seems like we're just grabbing players without any clear vision on what role they'll fulfill in the team.

They’re half backs.

McGrath was and is capable as a mid. He averaged 32 touches in the TAC Cup. He had 38 (21 contested) winning the medal in the grand final.

I understand starting him at half back, but I have zero doubt he was drafted to play midfield.

 

[The Donners]

I still don't understand how McGrath was the right selection at #1 in 2016, I didn't understand it when we selected him and I don't understand it now when we have Saad and McKenna doing so well in the role that he played at junior level. To promote McKenna, recruit McGrath at #1 and then bring Saad in through trade next year seems like we're just grabbing players without any clear vision on what role they'll fulfill in the team.

No doubt McGrath was earmarked for the midfield. If he wasn’t it was a poor choice.

 

[yaco55]

It was early third round not pointy end of the draft. The talk predraft was Worpel wouldn’t go before late 20s, nothing hindsight about it. Dodoro hasn’t shown any aptitude to upgrade draft picks when there are generally 5-6 teams doing most years or piggy backing trades to get it done.

There is nothing hindsight about everyone on this board identifying them as needs predraft. I personally wasn’t as keen on Worpel as the other two but would still have traded up to get him for list balance sake. I’m an advocate for getting as many picks in the 25-45 range as possible most years as that’s generally where the best value in the draft falls.

So another team selected Worpel before our selection - It happens to every team in every draft - Trading up is a theoretical concept which doesn't usually happen in practice - The only player you listed in which you have a reasonable argument is Parker - He was a gun under age player in the under 18's and seemed to coast through his top year which obviously deterred most clubs - He was the one EFC could have chosen.

 

[yaco55]

I can see why McGrath sees himself as an inside mid - His decision-making is at a higher level then outside the contest - At times he's like a 'deer in headlights' when he has clear space.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

So another team selected Worpel before our selection - It happens to every team in every draft - Trading up is a theoretical concept which doesn't usually happen in practice - The only player you listed in which you have a reasonable argument is Parker - He was a gun under age player in the under 18's and seemed to coast through his top year which obviously deterred most clubs - He was the one EFC could have chosen.

Trading up happens a lot more than your implying. It happened to us with one of these players; Melbourne traded up with Gold Coast to jump our picks and take Oliver.

The issue is we’ve had a gaping hole in our list and Dodoro hasn’t addressed it. Not having the picks isn’t an excuse when trading up was a method available to him that he hasn’t taken. At what point in time does an inability or unwillingness to address the most important position on the ground become a fatal error for him?

 

[citizen-erased]

They’re half backs.

McGrath was and is capable as a mid. He averaged 32 touches in the TAC Cup. He had 38 (21 contested) winning the medal in the grand final.

I understand starting him at half back, but I have zero doubt he was drafted to play midfield.

Needs to begin from next year.
No more wing. Inside mid.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

They’re half backs.

McGrath was and is capable as a mid. He averaged 32 touches in the TAC Cup. He had 38 (21 contested) winning the medal in the grand final.

I understand starting him at half back, but I have zero doubt he was drafted to play midfield.

McGrath was a half-back for virtually the entire TAC Cup campaign and during the Championships, no?

This isn't a slight on his abilities but recruiting him as a half back with the view for him to play midfield seems needlessly risky over drafting a player that had a junior campaign that was just as impressive AND played the entirety of it in the midfield in Hugh McCluggage, who I thought we were going to take.

 

[calyam]

So he was a bad pick?

He was an elite underage midfielder who was clearly ready for senior footy immediately - he won the rising star

He hasn’t developed into a midfielder at senior level?

I think you’ve probably touched on something there.

The issue isn't that McGrath is a bad player, or that he won't have a long and productive AFL career, it is that he wasn't the best fit.

We weren't desperate for a speedy undersized small defender / midfielder when we drafted McGrath. We were desperate for a big bodied midfielder (Taranto) and a goal kicking midfielder with impeccable skills (McCluggage).

McGrath wasn't clearly the best talent available, that had been McCluggage all year, and he clearly wasn't the best fit. In that regard, it was an odd pick.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Trading up happens a lot more than your implying. It happened to us with one of these players; Melbourne traded up with Gold Coast to jump our picks and take Oliver.

The issue is we’ve had a gaping hole in our list and Dodoro hasn’t addressed it. Not having the picks isn’t an excuse when trading up was a method available to him that he hasn’t taken. At what point in time does an inability or unwillingness to address the most important position on the ground become a fatal error for him?

It only comes up every time we have an insipid performance like last night.

Performances like last night have nothing to do with recruiting.

We could’ve had a great inside mid last night and it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference.

This group can compete with the best and they do so on a semi-regular basis. For whatever reason, we have appalling performances quite regularly.

It’s Worsfold’s responsibility.

 

[BrunoV]

He used to play mostly forward.

Would you prefer to make random statements and have them taken at face value without being verified?

I don't know what you think you're verifying.

McLean is a bit part mid as I explained in my post. On what I have seen he is better in a scrap for the ball than everyone other than Clarke.

 

[Lore]

I don't know what you think you're verifying.

McLean is a bit part mid as I explained in my post. On what I have seen he is better in a scrap for the ball than everyone other than Clarke.

Your post/s state that we have one contested ball winner in our entire side that's better than Toby McLean of all people. That statement doesn't pass the sniff test let alone anything involving actual analysis.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

It only comes up every time we have an insipid performance like last night.

Performances like last night have nothing to do with recruiting.

We could’ve had a great inside mid last night and it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference.

This group can compete with the best and they do so on a semi-regular basis. For whatever reason, we have appalling performances quite regularly.

It’s Worsfold’s responsibility.

Firstly every team can compete with the best occasionally, it’s the consistency that makes you a good team. Semi regularly is an overstatement. We have occasionally caught good teams on bad nights like West Coast last year. But constantly have no answer when the cream are switched on.

While I don’t disagree that an elite inside midfielder or two would have changed the result, it would change our process going forward.

If we analyse where we got smashed last night, it started at the contest and bled outwards. Same as always we try to outnumber at the stoppage to win the ball or pressure them into making errors. Problem is if we win it we don’t have composure or outlets to use as they are all within two metres of each other and we gave the ball back to them in the air. Partially midfield fault partially forwards fault because they are all s**t in the air and don’t compete at AFL standard (bar Laverde). When we lost at the contest, they broke our tackles with ease and had loose men on the outside and were able to draw the next defender all the way down the field all stemming from overcommitting numbers at the contest.

Our entire structure is built to compensate for lack of inside midfielders and to score from means outside of stoppages. What to solve our outside game and structure, solve our inside one first.

 

[Zach Package]

The issue isn't that McGrath is a bad player, or that he won't have a long and productive AFL career, it is that he wasn't the best fit.

We weren't desperate for a speedy undersized small defender / midfielder when we drafted McGrath. We were desperate for a big bodied midfielder (Taranto) and a goal kicking midfielder with impeccable skills (McCluggage).

McGrath wasn't clearly the best talent available, that had been McCluggage all year, and he clearly wasn't the best fit. In that regard, it was an odd pick.

Hindsight heroes stuff again.

Can you blame a recruiter for taking the safe option and taking the lock with the least question marks in McGrath?

Can you blame a recruiter for not taking a bloke who had barely played all year, probably didn’t want to play for your club and had just done a runner from a breath test and instead taking another lock with few question marks (Parish over Curnow)?

If you know they’re going to pan out after the fact of course you take the higher risk higher reward option, but this is the real world and botched picks have consequences.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Firstly every team can compete with the best occasionally, it’s the consistency that makes you a good team.

While I don’t disagree that an elite inside midfielder or two would have changed the result, it would change our process going forward.

If we analyse where we got smashed last night, it started at the contest and bled outwards. Same as always we try to outnumber at the stoppage to win the ball or pressure them into making errors. Problem is if we win it we don’t have composure or outlets to use as they are all within two metres of each other and we gave the ball back to them in the air. Partially midfield fault partially forwards fault because they are all s**t in the air and don’t compete at AFL standard (bar Laverde). When we lost at the contest, they broke our tackles with ease and had loose men on the outside and were able to draw the next defender all the way down the field all stemming from overcommitting numbers at the contest.

Our entire structure is built to compensate for lack of inside midfielders and to score from means outside of stoppages. What to solve our outside game and structure, solve our inside one first.

Except they don’t. They simply cannot, and they don’t.

Gold Coast. Carlton under Bolton. They were not capable of getting anywhere near the top sides and they never do.

I bring them up those two examples because make no mistake, that’s the level we played at last night.

We do it regularly. 6-8 times over the past 18 months we’ve totally matched it with top 2 or top 4 sides. Beaten them or run them to a goal. It’s not some fluke, it’s happened plenty of times.

This group is capable.

Im confident in saying there’s not a team in the league with the incredible gap between their best and worst that we have.

Something happens that makes this team - that can match and beat the best - play like Bolton Carlton or Gold Coast sometimes.

As much as people like to say “it’s been like this for 15 years”, it hasn’t. We’ve been s**t at times, and the side has consistently played below itself for long periods before (generally ASAGA related), and the club has had hugely identifiable tactical issues before (under Knights), that were there every week.

But it has never had this ability to completely implode into rank uncompetitiveness randomly like this.

The first clue to it is obviously pre-seasons. We do something that has us shockingly unprepared for the season.

 

[BrunoV]

Your post/s state that we have one contested ball winner in our entire side that's better than Toby McLean of all people. That statement doesn't pass the sniff test let alone anything involving actual analysis.

And relying on a stat which demonstrates loose ball gets says what in response?

We've been swimming against the real contested ball tide for 3 years now. Our response is to load up with more short people and non-aggressive players.

A better way of looking at this is that the Dogs have murdered us around the ball at least as far back as the time Carlisle kicked 8 to get us over the line.