In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- This year’s draft will be the last one in charge for Essendon’s long-term list boss Adrian Dodoro
- Adam Cerra hails resilience of Docherty and Acres.
- Kysaiah Pickett will miss the opening round of next season after accepting a one-match ban for his hit on Patrick Cripps.
- Hawks appoint new CEO from within.
Essendon make recruiting change on Dodoro
Michael Gleeson
This year’s draft will be the last one in charge for Essendon’s controversial long-term list boss Adrian Dodoro, one of the highest-profile recruiters in the game.
Matt Rosa, the former West Coast and Gold Coast player, has been appointed to replace Dodoro in the role of talent and operations manager. Dodoro will remain at the club assisting Rosa, who will move to Melbourne from Perth and take over pre-Christmas. Rob Forster-Knight remains as national recruiting manager.
Dodoro, an Essendon life member, has been in charge of recruiting or list management since 1998. He has been a contentious figure at Essendon. Highly popular with some senior figures at the club, he has fallen out with others over years.
Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro, pictured in 2014.Credit: Patrick Scala
Dodoro and former head of football Josh Mahoney had a fractious relationship before CEO Craig Vozzo was appointed a year ago. Twelve months on and neither man will be in their positions.
Mahoney recently left to take up a football operations role at the AFL and now Dodoro is stepping back from his senior role.
“I approached Craig (Vozzo) back in April to discuss the concept of transition and I feel that now is the right time to make this decision,” Dodoro said.
“I sat on the panel to assist in the selection of Matt, and I believe he will be an outstanding acquisition to the club for years to come. I look forward to working with Matt moving forward.”
Dodoro will oversee this year’s draft and trade period before Rosa takes over.
The Bombers are waiting to learn if North Melbourne key defender Ben McKay nominates them as his free-agent destination. Fellow North Melbourne free agent, ruckman Todd Goldstein, is also weighing up an offer to join the Bombers.
Coach Brad Scott’s relationship with the pair from his time as North Melbourne coach is hoped to be persuasive.
The Bombers are also in discussions with the management of another free agent, St Kilda small forward Jade Gresham, but have not made an offer for him.
They are interested in Melbourne midfielder James Jordon, who is available as a free agent after previously being delisted and rookie-listed by the Demons. Recruiting sources who cannot be named due to the state of negotiations said Sydney were front-runners to secure Jordon along with his teammate Brodie Grundy.
Essendon defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher has asked for a trade to Port Adelaide for family reasons, with the Bombers seeking a second-round draft pick in exchange. That deal is complicated by the fact Esava Ratugolea from Geelong has also asked for a trade to the Power and would command similar compensation in a trade.
Port have no first-round pick this year and have a second-round pick tied to Collingwood, but do not have their own second-rounder. Emerging Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet has also asked for a trade to the Power.
Rosa played 207 games for West Coast and the Suns over 14 years before returning to the Eagles as an assistant coach for two years.
Vozzo, as the former head of football at the Eagles, worked closely with Rosa and had a high regard for him.
Matt Rosa, playing for West Coast, gets crunched by various Hawks in the 2015 grand final.Credit: Scott Barbour / Fairfax Media
Rosa has been the head of football at Peel Thunder in the WAFL - the Fremantle-aligned club - for three years.
“Matt is a high-quality person and leader, and he has worked extremely hard to prepare himself for this important role,” Vozzo said.
“He has done the hard yards to develop a broad skill set and expertise. We are excited to have Matt on board to lead our talent, list strategy and operations functions moving forward and we look forward to welcoming him, Hayley and their three children to the club.
“On behalf of the entire club, we would like to acknowledge (Adrian Dodoro’s) selfless decision and we look forward to his ongoing contribution to the club.
“Adrian will work with Matt to ensure a smooth hand-over and a successful transition of responsibilities.”
The leaders inspiring the Blues in September
Damien Ractliffe
Carlton midfielder Adam Cerra says the efforts of Blake Acres and Sam Docherty to perform under duress in last week’s semi-final win can drive the squad through September.
Docherty dislocated his shoulder, while Acres has been battling a collarbone injury, but both were crucial to the side’s thrilling win over Melbourne, which put the Blues into their first preliminary final since 2000. Docherty was involved in Carlton’s last two goals of the game, while Acres kicked the winning goal.
Charlie Curnow and Sam Docherty celebrate the Blues’ semi-final win on Friday night.Credit: AFL Photos
Cerra said their efforts were inspiring.
“It just goes to show, probably a lot of boys are carrying stuff, but we just need to get our roles done. Even the difficulties some boys might have with travelling, everyone’s going through something. They’re leaders in our groups and there’s a reason for it too.”
Cerra said he’d had his most consistent season to date, his second at the Blues after playing 76 games for Fremantle.
The 23-year-old said he had no timeframe on when he had expected to play finals at Carlton, but believed the time would come.
“From an outsider when I was at Freo, I always admired the list they had here and believed that something special could be brewing here,” he said.
“To make the move here, it was exciting for me, and to see everything start to come together, especially in the back half of this year, from the journey we’ve been on, it’s really exciting to be a part of.”
Meanwhile, Cerra gave more detail about the now infamous bonding session at Ed Curnow’s farm outside of Torquay earlier in the year, which has been identified as the turning point in the club’s season.
“We had some honest conversations, we broke up in lines,” he said.
“But stories of people swimming in dams, I think it was just Ed Curnow, it was his dam, he had to start it.
“The boys weren’t getting wasted and stuff, but it was a time to enjoy some time together and speak about what we want to become as individuals and as a team.
“Looking into the club from outside the four walls, you could have thought it was a shambles or the team was cracking, but honestly it was nothing like that. We were united through the whole thing, and that campfire was really a good time to spend some time together outside the club and speak open and honestly.”
Asked whether he’d like to be the subject of Robbie Williams’ next TikTok, Cerra laughed: “The song’s been stuck in the boys’ head I think, I think it was playing in the gym over the speakers.”
“I don’t think Tom [De Koning] realises the significance of that yet. Maybe post-season he can reflect on that.”
Pickett cops one-match ban for Cripps bump
Scott Spits
Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett will miss the opening round of next season after accepting a one-match ban for a high bump on Carlton captain Patrick Cripps.
The Blues skipper showed no signs of concussion after being bumped in the first-quarter incident. Pickett was given a one-game ban and also fined $2500 for striking Mitch McGovern.
Reigning Brownlow medallist Cripps was among his team’s best players, collecting 27 possessions – 16 of which were contested – and nine clearances in the narrow, upset win.
Cripps was firing off a handball when Pickett leaped off the ground and crashed through him, with the back of Pickett’s shoulder catching Cripps in the head.
Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett delivers a high bump on Patrick Cripps.Credit: Channel Seven
The hit was assessed by match review officer Michael Christian as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, drawing a one-match ban.
Hawks appoint new chief executive officer
Jon Pierik
Hawthorn have appointed Ashley Klein as their new chief executive officer.
Klein had been the interim CEO since Justin Reeves abruptly quit at the end of May.
“I have been a life-long Hawthorn fan, and being able to guide the club into the future is something I am extremely proud of,” Klein said.
Hawthorn president Any Gowers says Ash Klein was the stand-out candidate to be the new club CEO.Credit: The Age
“The brown and gold faithful are the most passionate and loyal supporters in the league, and I am committed to continue making our members and fans proud of the club they support.”
Klein joined the Hawks as chief commercial officer in 2018 after he spent more than a decade at Collingwood, where he began as a corporate sales executive and finished as the general manager of commercial partnerships and sales.
Hawks president Andy Gowers said Klein was the stand-out choice.
“Having carefully interviewed and considered a number of impressive applicants, Ash emerged as the clear choice,” Gowers said.
“Ash has long demonstrated his skills as a well-rounded professional, which saw him guide the club tremendously well during the past few months, after stepping up as chief executive officer on an interim basis.”
Former club president Jeff Kennett said on social media that Klein was an “excellent choice”.
Vice-president Katie Hudson, executive general manager of people, culture and community Sally McNeilly, board director Owen Wilson, four-time premiership great Chris Langford and Gowers were on the subcommittee that chose Klein. The club also had help from executive recruitment agency Six Degrees.
Klein’s immediate tasks remain dealing with the fall-out of the report into historical claims of racism at the club, with aggrieved families having taken their case to the Human Rights Commission, while the club’s bid to build its new base, the Kennedy Community Centre, in Dingley, has had cost blowouts and delays.
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