How 2020 AFL Draft could be make or break for Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro
Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro has been described as the AFL’s Marlon Brando, and all eyes will be on his every move during AFL Draft night.
December 8, 2020 - 12:47PM
Scott Gullan
He’s been called many things and some would happily go with the most hated man in the AFL.
That may be taking things a bit far, but around this time of the year there certainly isn’t a figure who divides the football world more than Adrian Dodoro.
And on Wednesday night the Essendon recruiting boss will lap up the spotlight given he holds the golden ticket in this year’s national draft — selections six, seven and eight.
Many opposition clubs can’t stand him, certainly rival supporters — and even some Essendon fans — seem to blame Dodoro for everything from the coronavirus pandemic to the state of Australia-China relations.
His knack of getting involved in the big deals, then regularly slowing them up or even blowing them up, has become an annual event.
What can’t be questioned is his passion for the Essendon Football Club, something that was born decades ago.
He was a mad Bombers fan from Keilor when he knocked on Kevin Sheedy’s door and asked for a job.
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Former GWS Giants midfielder Devon Smith shakes hands with Adrian Dodoro after joining Essendon. Picture: Supplied
The legendary coach saw something, so he got him in as his message writer and board man on match days.
There was no paycheck involved, it was a voluntary position with no guarantees but for Dodoro it meant he at least had a foot in the door at Windy Hill.
“He wrote everything down for me,” Sheedy explains.
“If I wanted to send a message, he made sure everything was covered and went through.
“He was a very dedicated person and very passionate about Essendon, he did everything for nothing for many, many years.”
The odd jobs kept coming, including opposition scout, before Dodoro finally got on staff and according to his LinkedIn profile he started as recruiting and welfare manager in February 1998.
It was the start of a mini-golden era for the Bombers, with Dodoro quickly earning the trust and respect of the club’s stars including premiership wingman Adam Ramanauskas.
“When I first got there he was recruiting manager, list manager and welfare all rolled into one,” Ramanauskas said.
Adam Ramanauskas high fives the crowd in his last game for Essendon in 2008.
“It was incredible how much work he was doing and he’s given a lot of his life to Essendon.
“From my point of view he’s an outstanding individual. You’ve got to understand the care and empathy he has for people and players.
“When he drafts you he looks after you to the enth degree, he doesn’t just pick a name and then that’s it.”
Despite the pair occasionally clashing given Ramanauskas is now a leading player agent, there are never any lingering issues.
“He’s got a heart of gold. If you ring him and need help, he will help you as much as he possibly can,” he said.
Dodoro forged a strong bond with premiership captain Mark Thompson, becoming business partners and investing in a syndicate which turned a $3.6 million land purchase at Armstrong Creek, just outside of Geelong, into $37 million a decade later.
And it was Dodoro, alongside James Hird, who were the first on Thompson’s doorstep after he was charged with drug trafficking in 2018.
Thompson credits their insistence that he seek help from a psychologist as a crucial moment in turning his life around.
Kevin Sheedy and Dodoro before an Essendon and Western Bulldogs match at Marvel Stadium in August 2019.
Sheedy remains Dodoro’s biggest fan because of his willingness to put it all on the line for his club.
“I only went crook at him once,” Sheedy says.
“It was at that stage when West Coast and Fremantle had secured (Dean) Cox and (Aaron) Sandilands, they were rookies.
“I said to him, ‘How tall do you want them before you can see them?’.
“I said, ‘If they’re hiding them in cages down in the mines then I’ll cop that, but they don’t have to be any taller surely (for you to see them).
“To be fair, every other club in the eastern states made the same mistake, we couldn’t find them and they couldn’t find them either, so I couldn’t go too crook on him.”
Like in every recruiter’s CV there are some big hits and plenty of misses in the Dodoro file.
A couple of high picks he would probably like back include Scott Gumbleton at No. 2 in 2006 and David Myers at No. 6 the following year.
Despite many clubs finding him extremely hard to deal with, Dodoro’s track record of delivering during trade week is impressive.
In recent times he’s targeted and secured Jake Stringer, Adam Saad, Devon Smith and Dylan Shiel although some would argue he gave up a lot with three consecutive years of first-round picks going north.
The Joe Daniher non-event last year hurt Dodoro and while it clearly wasn’t entirely his decision, the stubbornness not to deal with Sydney was a telling mistake in hindsight.
This year he was unsuccessful in trying to lure contracted Bulldog Josh Dunkley but did manage to get former first-round pick Jye Caldwell out of the Giants.
In many ways the Dodoro legacy could be shaped with what he does in this draft.
His club has had a horror 12 months with the coaching handover a mess, question marks over the culture of the place, while senior players Saad, Daniher, Orazio Fantasia and Connor McKenna have all walked.
The stakes are high with the pressure getting turned up from many fronts on the veteran recruiter.
Dodoro watches on at training.
If he nails the draft like Port Adelaide did in 2018 when they had three first-round picks — think Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma — the quick rebound can happen.
The alternative is something that might even test the seemingly irreplaceable Dodoro.
Former GWS Giants and Carlton recruiter Stephen Silavagni recently labelled him the “Marlon Brando” of list management teams.
“He walks into a room and he commands respect, sometimes he comes in a bit unshaven,” Silvagni said.
The strut and the smirk will be on full display on Wednesday night with the cameras rolling as he goes about getting the pillars for Essendon’s next premiership team.
And one thing you can count on … he’ll ■■■■ someone off in the process.
