‘Extremely heated’ incident behind closed doors at AFL Trade Period meeting

It has been reported things got out of hand between two AFL figures in the dying minutes of the league’s Trade Period frenzy.

Adrian Dodoro and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

Adrian Dodoro has gone out with a bang.

The Bombers recruitment boss was one of the business men in the room at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night as the 2023 AFL Trade Period finished with a flurry of late deals.

Dodoro was in the thick of talks with Port Adelaide surrounding the futures of Xavier Duursma and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher right up until the final 30 seconds, he said on Wednesday night.

It is now rumoured there was more to the stand-off with a report claiming Dodoro and Zerk-Thatcher’s player agent Tom McConville were involved in a heated disagreement at the venue.

Footy journalist Tom Morris said on SEN Breakfast on Thursday morning the incident between Dodoro and McConville was “extremely heated” and “quite fiery”.

“There was a blue between Tom McConville, who is Brandon Zerk-Thatcher’s manager and Adrian Dodoro,” he said.

“There were several people in the room and I’ve spoken to a couple of them and they said it was extremely heated. They were showing each other their phones and saying, ‘You said this. You said this’. In a world of trade discussions this can often get quite testy, but this one went up a notch.

Adrian Dodoro says Essendon would have walked away from its trade for Xavier Duursma if Port Adelaide had continued to demand a future second-round pick. Picture: James Elsby / Getty Images

“I’m sure they all shook hands and had a hug at the end, but at the time there were people in the room who were quite amazed at how demonstrative both parties were.

“I think in the end Adrian Dodoro was laughing about it. He may have been winding him up. It was certainly heated.”

Dodoro fronted the press on Wednesday night to speak about his wheeling and dealing, which has seen the club land Todd Goldstein, Ben McKay, Jade Gresham and Duursma. The club also held onto Dylan Shiel despite reports the star midfielder wanted to be traded to St Kilda.

The one that caused all the drama was the Zerk-Thatcher-Duursma deal, but Dodoro said the relationships between Essendon and Port Adelaide have not been strained.

Contracted Power wingman Duursma was forced into a nervous wait to see where he would play in 2024 after the Bombers refused to hand over a future second-round pick as part of the swap for defender Zerk-Thatcher.

NCA Newswire reports, the Bombers’ veteran trade aficionado said with less than a minute before the deadline Essendon remained in the dark about whether Port Adelaide would accept its final offer, but he said there was no bad blood between him and rival list manager Jason Cripps.

“I think (the deal was struck) 30 seconds before the deadline. We had to hold our nerve – we kissed and had a hug afterwards, but it was close,” Dodoro told reporters.

“We would rather have walked away than to give up the future of the club, so in the end, we got there.”

He said a trade processed minutes earlier sending Massimo D’Ambrosio to Hawthorn had helped to arm the Bombers with enough draft picks to satisfy the Power.

Adrian Dodoro and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

“Up until we did the paperwork, I rang Mass and tried to convince him to stay, but his heart was to leave the club, so we honoured his wish and we wish him really well,” he said.

“We’ve got some collateral that we can use, and it helped us get some deals done tonight.

“We’ve brought in four players, so I think we’re going to have better depth than we’ve had for a little while, and Mass probably saw a better opportunity at Hawthorn.”

Dodoro said veteran midfielder Dylan Shiel “was never leaving” Essendon and again quashed suggestions St Kilda had made a serious play for the left-footer.

“Dylan is a quality person, highly respected at our club, and once he gets over a few little niggling injuries, I see no reason why he can’t have a great year,” he said.

Dodoro will step away from the Bombers after more than 30 years’ service following the 2023 AFL Draft, saying he had approached chief executive Craig Vozzo at the start of the season about moving on from his role.

Former West Coast and Gold Coast player Matt Rosa has been named as Dodoro’s replacement.

Originally published as ‘Extremely heated’ incident behind closed doors at AFL Trade Period meeting