The details behind Dylan Shiel’s GWS Giants exit and decision to join Essendon revealed
ESSENDON heavyweights had four meetings with Dylan Shiel before getting the phone call every club wants. However, Bomber great James Hird also played his part in the trade bombshell. MARK ROBINSON goes inside the biggest deal of the year.
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ADRIAN Dodoro’s mobile phone rings in his office at Tullamarine about 12.30pm last Tuesday.
The Essendon list manager is a little anxious, because today is the day he hopes to get his player.
On the line is Dylan Shiel.
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Dodoro is the fourth person Shiel rings at lunchtime from his manager Paul Connors’ Melbourne home and his message to Dodoro is sensational news: I’m coming to Essendon.
Shiel personally phones Hawthorn, St Kilda and Carlton before he calls Dodoro and tells them the gut-wrenching news he won’t be heading to their football clubs.
The crazy machinations mean a small number of media find out before Dodoro via the clubs that lose out and they have no reason to keep it a secret.
Calls are made and the news breaks.
Just minutes later Dodoro, answers his mobile.
How Shiel, who was contracted to Greater Western Sydney until the end of 2019, found himself on the market and nominated the Bombers as his preferred club - and how people involved helped him make that decision - is an intriguing story.
It starts with salary cap issues at GWS and ends with hard work and networking from Essendon.
Shiel’s managers Paul Connors and Robbie D’Orazio and former AFL coach Mark Williams are key to helping him make the decision.
Also involved to a lesser extent is former Bombers coach James Hird.
The Bombers learn three weeks before Shiel’s phone call to Dodoro that the Giant was on the market and that only three other clubs would speak to him.
St Kilda made a late run with a deal close $1.3 million a year over seven seasons, so the whips were cracking quickly.
Essendon had four meetings with Shiel. The first involved chief executive Xavier Campbell, football boss Dan Richardson, Dodoro, Connors, D’Orazio and, of course, Shiel at club headquarters in the late afternoon on the Monday of Grand Final week.
The second was with the club’s leadership group at the Little Sunflower cafe in Elwood, the third with Campbell a day or two after the Grand Final to explore opportunities off field and the fourth with Dodoro alone, a casual catch-up a day or two after Campbell.
During this time, Hird joined the chorus.
Hird spoke to Williams, who is a trusted mentor to Shiel and whose daughter is in a relationship with the 25-year-old. Hird suggested Williams and Dodoro have a chat and they did, several times.
Hird texted Shiel a number of times. Always a Bomber, Hird spoke of the virtues of Essendon and learned about the fastidious professionalism of Shiel, a trait all four clubs would discover over the three weeks.
Shiel and Hird have spoken since Shiel committed to the Bombers, not in any official capacity, mind you, just like-minded blokes wanting the best for Essendon.
The most important of those four meetings was the first one.
Unlike Carlton, which flew Shiel to Noosa as part of its sexy pitch, the Bombers stayed at the football club. They believed Shiel saw the real, authentic Essendon and the Bombers saw a player who wanted to play for premierships and be the best player in that premiership team … and don’t dismiss his yearning to play on Anzac Day.
Shiel was curious about the professionalism and values of the club and, having risen from the rubble of the drugs scandal, the Bombers’ powerbrokers, led by Dodoro and Campbell, spoke proudly of the turnaround.
When Dodoro spoke to Shiel at a final meeting before Tuesday’s phone call, he was hopeful more than confident.
Shiel’s impending departure from GWS is because of the Giants’ deep salary cap issues.
If Shiel gets to the Bombers - which he will - and Rory Lobb gets to Fremantle, Tom Scully gets to Hawthorn, Jeremy Finlayson gets to wherever he gets to and after Will Setterfield got to Carlton, the Giants will have cut more than $2.5 million in salaries.
Unquestionably, it’s a fire sale.
The loss of the COLA (cost of living allowance), injuries, the proliferation of highly-paid stars and the need to pay “overs” to them, and possibly even mismanagement of the salary cap, conspired against GWS.
So, they had to shed players.
First, they had to identify the “lifers’’; Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Jeremy Cameron, Toby Greene, Callan Ward and Phil Davis among others and who might fly in coming years.
Shiel was always heading back to Melbourne at the end of the 2019 season, so the moons quickly aligned.
The Bombers and other clubs were told at the start of the 2018 season to prepare for Shiel being on the market at the end of 2019, such is how the expiring contract market works.
He had an indifferent 2018, Shiel.
He had a shoulder injury in the pre-season and, traditionally an inside midfielder, he was pushed out to the wing to play the majority of his football.
Players can be weird. Shiel classifies himself as an on-baller and it disturbed him a fraction that he wasn’t being played as such.
It might be small fry, but when you are weighing up your future, small things can seem bigger.
The exact date is not known when GWS and Shiel’s managers agreed that he could explore his options, but it’s understood it was a mature and mutual decision. GWS didn’t encourage Shiel to shop around, but it also didn’t discourage him.
About Round 17 was the first time Shiel and his management spoke of the possibility of moving clubs, but it was put on the back burner until the end of the season.
After the Giants’ Round 21 win against Adelaide, Shiel told 3AW there was no contract extension on the table from GWS. When he was asked by Daniel Harford whether he expected to be playing at the Giants next year, Shiel answered: “Yes.”
It was probably a lie, but with a finals campaign looming, Shiel could hardly be expected to reveal he could depart. Imagine the headlines.
When the Giants lost to Collingwood in the second semi-final, suddenly it was open slather.
In a whirlwind three weeks, Shiel met the Bombers, Hawks, Blues and Saints.
As much as those clubs did homework on him, speaking to people such as Williams, Shiel turned the tables and did his homework on them.
Amid countless meetings, he studied every club’s list, assessed the potential and was not short on asking questions.
After a meeting with the Saints, including a two-hour, one-on-one with football boss Simon Lethlean at his home the day after the Grand Final, Shiel sent the Saints an email with further questions.
Shiel’s questions led the Saints to think he had a leaning towards them.
Rather, Shiel was being ultra-diligent.
At the Hawks, it’s believed among their presentation was a one-on-one with Alastair Clarkson, considered the best “mind coach” in the game. Shiel left that session more than impressed.
And the Blues? They first met Shiel at Ikon Park and then delivered the Hail Mary, flying him to Noosa.
In a throwback to Carlton’s glory days, all panache and charm, Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni, football director Chris Judd, coach Brendon Bolton, football manager Brad Lloyd, billionaire backer Bruce Mathieson, Shiel and Connors boarded a private jet in Melbourne.
The meeting was held at a house in Noosa.
Shiel enjoyed the attention and his connections with the Blues were strong. Shiel grew up a Carlton fan, idolised Judd and Silvagni was list boss at GWS.
Players at the four clubs met Shiel and it’s believed he was impressed with all presentations.
He flew back to Sydney after the Grand Final and after the meetings, knew he had played his final game for the Giants.
Now, to pick a club.
Shiel flew to Melbourne last Tuesday morning and went straight to Connors’ home to meet Connors and D’Orazio, who were not aware of his decision.
Shiel told them it was Essendon.
He called Clarkson first, then Lethlean at the Saints and probably Silvagni at the Blues with the bad news.
Finally, he called Dodoro with the good news.
In the following days, he again made contact with people at those clubs, people he did not contact on D-Day.
If those clubs wondered what they could have done differently or better, the answer is … nothing.
Shiel chose Essendon largely because of the talent on its list.
Silvagni revealed on 3AW this week he asked Shiel why he didn’t choose the Blues.
“He just felt Essendon was a year or two ahead of Carlton in terms of playing finals,” Silvagni said.
Former Blues player Jarrad Waite also told the station: “It would’ve been gut-wrenching for Carlton.”
Shiel’s deal with Essendon is for six years at $850,000 to $900,000 a season. The three rival offers were for seven years, one up to $1.3 million a season.
The Herald Sun reported he had given up $2 million to sign at the Bombers. That was unders. The figure is more like $3 million.
By the time Dodoro had finished speaking with Shiel in his office, social media had quickly spread the news - broken by Herald Sun colleague Jon Anderson - to staff in the open floor plan of the Essendon offices.
The scene of so many dark days through the ASADA investigation, there were high fives and smiles all-round.
Shiel, of course, is yet to be traded.
GWS wants two first-round picks and Essendon wants to give up this year’s first-round selection - pick No.9 - and next year’s second or third-round pick.
Rest assured, it will get done.
Originally published as The details behind Dylan Shiel’s GWS Giants exit and decision to join Essendon revealed
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