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From the age today:
Essendon decides on all-round revamp
Jake Niall
June 30, 2006
ESSENDON, seized with an urgency not seen since the late 1990s, has already started the task of revamping its football department in response to its worst season in Kevin Sheedy's remarkable reign.
Having identified player development, recruiting and sports science/technology as the areas crucial to the club's future success, the Dons have committed to three significant reforms:
■Recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro, whose talent-spotting abilities are well regarded at the club, will be removed of his welfare duties, with the club hiring a new welfare manager, allowing Dodoro to concentrate fully on recruiting in what looms as the most critical draft and post-season period in the club's recent history.
Essendon's wish to have its recruiting manager solely focused on finding incoming talent is also evident in the club's decision to have Dodoro relinquish his match-day duties, when he sits on the interchange bench and helps the coaching panel.
■Essendon has also decided to allocate one of its coaches to the position of development coach and is considering handing that portfolio to the coach of the Bendigo Bombers, former Richmond captain Matthew Knights.
Knights has impressed with his work with younger players, and would continue to coach Bendigo if he did acquire the development role.
The Bombers have taken the view that they need to reorganise their coaching structure, following the example of West Coast, which blazed a new trail by devoting (two) coaches solely to development.
■The Bombers are also reviewing ways in which they can gain an edge in sports science and other technology-based areas, trying to anticipate cutting-edge practices.
Whereas the recruiting and development changes are clearly a response to the club's poor results, this initiative was in train from the outset of the season, before the season turned sour.
The beefing up of welfare and development and, as a consequence, of recruiting, have been discussed for some time within the club, with the Bombers recognising that the structures that were so successful four and five years ago no longer suffice in the present environment.
The club is in the process of reviewing its football department — as it does routinely in the course of the each season — but the present review will be more vigorous because of the on-field performances.
Unless they win four of the last 10 games — an unlikely scenario — the Bombers will qualify for a priority draft pick, which will give them three picks inside the top 20 of what has been hailed as the best draft crop since 2001.
Dodoro will also play a key role in pursuing uncontracted players from other clubs, with Sheedy hopeful of securing a young uncontracted player via the pre-season draft
Essendon decides on all-round revamp
Jake Niall
June 30, 2006
ESSENDON, seized with an urgency not seen since the late 1990s, has already started the task of revamping its football department in response to its worst season in Kevin Sheedy's remarkable reign.
Having identified player development, recruiting and sports science/technology as the areas crucial to the club's future success, the Dons have committed to three significant reforms:
■Recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro, whose talent-spotting abilities are well regarded at the club, will be removed of his welfare duties, with the club hiring a new welfare manager, allowing Dodoro to concentrate fully on recruiting in what looms as the most critical draft and post-season period in the club's recent history.
Essendon's wish to have its recruiting manager solely focused on finding incoming talent is also evident in the club's decision to have Dodoro relinquish his match-day duties, when he sits on the interchange bench and helps the coaching panel.
■Essendon has also decided to allocate one of its coaches to the position of development coach and is considering handing that portfolio to the coach of the Bendigo Bombers, former Richmond captain Matthew Knights.
Knights has impressed with his work with younger players, and would continue to coach Bendigo if he did acquire the development role.
The Bombers have taken the view that they need to reorganise their coaching structure, following the example of West Coast, which blazed a new trail by devoting (two) coaches solely to development.
■The Bombers are also reviewing ways in which they can gain an edge in sports science and other technology-based areas, trying to anticipate cutting-edge practices.
Whereas the recruiting and development changes are clearly a response to the club's poor results, this initiative was in train from the outset of the season, before the season turned sour.
The beefing up of welfare and development and, as a consequence, of recruiting, have been discussed for some time within the club, with the Bombers recognising that the structures that were so successful four and five years ago no longer suffice in the present environment.
The club is in the process of reviewing its football department — as it does routinely in the course of the each season — but the present review will be more vigorous because of the on-field performances.
Unless they win four of the last 10 games — an unlikely scenario — the Bombers will qualify for a priority draft pick, which will give them three picks inside the top 20 of what has been hailed as the best draft crop since 2001.
Dodoro will also play a key role in pursuing uncontracted players from other clubs, with Sheedy hopeful of securing a young uncontracted player via the pre-season draft
. Just seeing that kick from Campo last night made me think why he was hired in the first place, he's recieving abilities and foot skills, and i think I almost punched the TV when he made that error.