After 36 years in various roles at Essendon, list manager Adrian Dodoro is leaving Essendon.
The Bombers confirmed in a report by the Herald Sun that the oft-controversial list boss, who began as a recruiter for the club in 1998, has taken leave, with heir apparent Matt Rosa taking charge of the club’s list management for the 2024 off-season.
A succession plan has been in place for Rosa to take over since late 2023, but it is only now that the official handover has begun.
“Adrian Dodoro has stepped away from the club to focus on personal matters,” Bombers CEO Craig Vozzo said in a statement.
“In accordance with the club’s transition plan which commenced in November last year, Matt Rosa has fully assumed responsibility for leading the club’s list management and recruiting team during the 2024 trade, free agency and draft periods.
“The club asks people to respect Adrian and his family’s privacy during this period.”
Dodoro has served as the Bombers’ list manager since 2010, and has long divided opinion among both Essendon supporters and the wider footy world.
While in charge, the Dons have consistently been a heavy player in each season’s AFL Trade Period, with a host of star players including Jake Stringer, Jye Caldwell and 2018 best and fairest winner Devon Smith, plus a foursome of recruits in free agents Ben McKay (North Melbourne), Jade Gresham (St Kilda) and Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne) plus Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide) arriving at the end of 2023 and becoming first-choice players.
All up, 12 of the Bombers’ 43 AFL-listed players started at other clubs, while success in the mid-season rookie draft and pre-season supplementary period have seen key players including Sam Durham and Nic Martin recruited in recent years.
Adrian Dodoro. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Dodoro was also charged with bringing in 10 ‘top-up’ players in the 2016 pre-season when 34 past and present Essendon players were suspended for the season as part of the club’s infamous supplements scandal, with some, most notably former Geelong triple-premiership player James Kelly, playing a key role in the years to come.
However, Dodoro’s reputation as a difficult negotiator during trade periods, regularly asking for high prices for departing players while steadfastly holding out on exiting Bombers, has been the subject of scorn from rival clubs and supporters; while the Bombers’ failure to win a single final during his 16 years in the list management team has also been marked against him.
Just five Essendon players – Zach Merrett (three times), father-son Joe Daniher, Michael Hurley (twice), Dyson Heppell and Darcy Parish – selected by Dodoro at the draft have gone on to become All-Australians.
Beginning at the Bombers in 1988 under Kevin Sheedy as a board man and assistant coach for the reserves side, and for the next two decades steadily rose in the ranks at Windy Hill.
His departure coincides with Sheedy’s, with the Bombers announcing that the four-time premiership coach has stepped down as director of the club’s board after nearly four years in the position.
“Kevin has made an enormous contribution to this club,” Bombers president David Barham said of Sheedy.
“He joined the Board during a challenging period and helped the club through some difficult moments following the COVID lockdown period. He was instrumental at Board level on keeping us all focused on football. He will always be a legend of this club and revered by every Bomber fan and supporter.
“On behalf of everyone, thank you for another great contribution to this club.”
Dodoro’s replacement, Rosa, is highly regarded internally, having played 207 games at West Coast and Gold Coast before retiring in 2018 and serving as an Eagles coaching staff member before joining the Bombers.
While still mathematically in the finals hunt, Essendon will likely need to win both their final two games against Sydney and Brisbane to see September action for the first time since 2021.