Adrian Dodoro - Flankers into Mids since 2000 (Part 1)

Given a exceptionally tough task last year, and while some people may not be completely happy with the results I think he has done exceptionally well with our list given the circumstances. Given all we copped in sanctions that effected list management and the overall stigma that is now saddled to our club I really think he has done a ■■■■■■ amazing job. Chapman, Z Merrett, Gwilt, Cooney and Giles are great peices who strengthen our list.


I thank you for your resilience, your lateral thinking, and your ability to get on with it and make the most of what you had available to you.



Just one more thing…

This guy has the hardest job in the afl at the moment. There is a huge amount of politics and threats playing out. from what I have been told the club are not allowed to talk directly to Hurley and Hibberd as instructed by their dog manager. Trying to get the 12 players back next year which the board have committed too is gonna be hard enough, when managers are already actively shopping them around, but then to sell our club as a desired destination is a massive task. Would Dion Prestia want to come to Essendon if we are gutted in the off season. The list management team have done well over the past couple of years, but the next 12months will define our immediate future. the draft may turn out to be the easy part of their job this year.

Agree. The guy had his hands tied this time. Has done brilliantly last few year and despite the reaming we had over whatshisface we got Cooney and Giles. Not too bad. Has his work cut out for him though over the next couple of years.

isn't little zach merrett attributed to merv kean?

It's a crappy time to be the list manager at Essendon, and he's doing his best, so credit for that.

 

Kind of disappointed that it took two years of draft penalties before we looked put anyone on the rookie B list. Good work on getting Rayner and McKenna, happy with the inent, hopefully they work out. I still think the Ryder situation was handled poorly but whatever, nothing can be done about it now.

Two brownlow medalists

 

Two 1 draft picks

 

One JoeDan
One laconic bored looking at essendon ruckman out

 

One ruckman looking excited to play his best footy for a successful club rather than one in shambles in a time where we really needed him. (let's face it, this is something we never saw coming)
I say we honestly won trade week

 

Win:

 

Cooney

 

Giles

 

Gwilt

 

Lose: Ryder

 

If you asked me if I'd take that at the end of the loss to north, I'd say ■■■■ yes and damn anybody who wouldn't, with the media crap and Ryder's sob story to the press, we pulled three fairly decent players, and no semi retired carlton players.
I'm ■■■■■■■ wrapped.
 

pick 17 on Tippa and i'd like disco even more. 

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I never used to rate him but I certainly do now.

Much better list manager than he was a recruiter/both at once.

Maybe the mods can put this in the Paddy thread which is now locked, if it is better there, but I thought this was a very fair* and positive summary of the outcome.

 

* Fair after the usual flogging setting the scene.

 

Essendon survives draft loss and Paddy Ryder trade

Date October 16, 2014 - 6:46PM
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Somewhat surprisingly, given the year that has been, Essendon did not end up in court. In the end Essendon did the deal: Paddy Ryder has docked at Port.

And, although it might not feel it for some at Essendon, it is a good deal.

In good conscience the Bombers could not keep Ryder. Why? Well firstly because even they would privately admit that the player would have had a fairly compelling legal case when he told a judge "my employer gave me some stuff then told me it might affect my unborn child". That would run pretty hard in court.

But put aside the legalities, they could not keep him because none of the clubs kept them. None of the clubs kept the contracted player – captains, stars, first draft picks among them – who said they wanted out.

Peter Gordon might have torn up one contract, dangled another in front of the contracted Tom Lonergan and then opined that "a contract is a contract" in asserting he would keep his captain but in the end he moved Ryan Griffen.

 And Collingwood moved Dayne Beams, and Heritier Lumumba. And GWS offed Tom Boyd and, yes, Essendon moved Ryder. 

All the players had their reasons: Beams wanted to be near a sick dad, play with his brother and get a hefty pay rise; Griffen wanted to flee the captaincy and a horrible year of the Dogs; Allen Christensen had his personal need for a parachute; Collingwood pushed Lumumba towards the door not the other way around; and Boyd? His nine games meant he had just millions of reasons to go.

So Ryder was traded for pick 17 and Adam Cooney. That deal only became a serious chance and then a reality once it became 17 and Cooney – not just 17 and anonymous pick 37. Once a face was put to No. 37 it happened. 

Privately Essendon would admit Cooney was their gift to the players.

He might have a grumbly knee but he still has the occasional sharp turn of pace and a Brownlow medallist's rare nous for playing the game.

He was the player they brought into the club and so were able to look in the eyes of those players who stuck with them through the awful last few years and say "we are not rebuilding with picks ... we don't intend to go backwards ... we owe it to you to not go backwards". Having been banned from drafts through AFL punishment the Bombers  might have opted to chase draft picks alone once it was apparent Ryder was gone but, like last year, they have chased a blend of picks and ready to go players.

The AFL punishments meant Essendon lost its first two rounds of draft picks last year and this year (but was given one end of first round pick in this year's draft).

The Bombers have kept that pick and in each of the drafts managed to trade for extra early picks and get experienced players. 

This year it was pick 17 (to go with their pick 20) and Cooney comes along with Giants giant Jonathon Giles, who is a mature but cut-priced version of Paddy Ryder who will slot to into Ryder's role.

Last year it was Stewart Crameri who went out and and they brought in a draft pick that  delivered them Zach Merrett and they picked up Paul Chapman with the cash they had.

They squeezed something out of the rookie draft with Paddy Ambrose to fill the Crameri role.

Importantly this year Ryder was the only player to jettison the club. The Bombers did not end up losing Elliott Kavanagh, they re-signed Ben Howlett and Martin Gleeson and they successfully massaged the thinking of Jason Winderlich from retired, to OK I'll play on,  trade me to Richmond, to all right I'll stay at Essendon then.

At least they know they are keeping a decisive player.

Thus the Bombers have so far managed to get through their AFL draft punishments not completely unscathed but not carrying the scars and lumps they feared. The sorts of draft licks Carlton is still recovering from and Adelaide are only just emerging out of. 

Is he having a snide shot at Winder with that decisive line? If so, fark off prick. “Touch one, touch all”. #DonTheSash

Will give him props if he nails 17 and 20.

Ps- great post/thread Ben. The recruiting and list management guys have had to get through two years entirely not of their making. I know Adrian was haunted by what could have been in last years draft. But two top 20 picks this year will give he and merve a chance to pick the eyes out of whats available.

And the rookie nomination of Long now makes clear sense. Had we nominated him FS thered be yet another contracted player on the main list who’d have to be paid out or dropped to the rookie list.

I think he did an alright job. This coming year draft sanctions will be over and we will over and we got 2 picks in the top 20. Great set up if you ask me.

One of the things that keeps me buoyed is that we have a couple of years of being competitive, more so than last year IMO, whilst going hard at the next couple of drafts.

If we draft well as we did with Zerrett, we might just escape the sanction’s wrath.

If we nail either of pick 17 or 20 like it looks like we did with our first pick last year then anyone who bagged him in the past must be forced into a public apology.

 

One final step to come to hopefully getting through the sanctions and them having a minor effect on us.

Good to see people have changed their attitude since the Ryder trade was done. I didn’t come on blitz for that brief period because it was all ‘sack dodoro’ and ‘fark essendon’. Because in reality we have done well so far through the whole supplement saga. Last years trade of Crameri for pick 26 looked horrible for us initially but it’s already looking like somewhat of a win for us - Z.Merrett & Ambrose. This year we got raped again by Port but at the end of the day it still could work out better for us if Cooney plays some great footy over the next 3 seasons and we nail pick 17…imagine picking up another Fyfe/Carlisle. Time will tell.

I think it became fairly clear after the Gwilt signing that our list strategy has changed in the light of the draft penalties. We do have a good chance at being a top 4 team over the next 3 years. If it doesn’t pay off then so be it - we will still have a very good core of quality young players who we can do a slight rebuild around. Heppell, Myers, Zaka, Z.Merret, Melksham, Colyer, H.Hocking, Baguley, Hibberd, Hooker, Hurley, Dempsey, Bellchambers, Giles, Carlisle, Daniher, Gleeson, Howlett, Kommer, J.Merrett are 20 players that should still be here in 5 years time driving high standards for the EFC. So add that to some draft gems this year and over the next couple years and I think our list is still in a very healthy state.

Also with Ryder gone, are we not in a great position to go for another star free agent next year? Ryders defection could also mean we get Dangerfield!!! Won’t we be under 95% of our salary cap now so we can pay 105% next year? I’m pretty new to the rule so may have it wrong.

With pick 4 on the table from GWS it seemed blitz meltdown was imminent. Believe Dodoro did the best he could and brought in players that strengthen the list.

Love the positivity the day after losing Ryder. And let’s face it, he was the most frustrating player on the list for most of his career with us.

Great topic Ben

 

plus I would like to add we also attracted Conor McKenna, who may end up being the real steal of the draft

this thread is very different to yesterday’s thread

That is a fair article by Michael Gleeson. We don’t get many from his rag.

We have done well this year, as we have for the last few years.

Well done Dodoro.