Essendon List and Recruiting Manager Adrian Dodoro says the stability within the Club was a big factor in luring three established players to the Dons.
The Bombers landed Devon Smith, Adam Saad and Jake Stringer in one of the Club’s busiest transfer periods.
After years of uncertainty, Essendon posted record membership on its way to a finals return in 2017.
“We’re pretty fortunate to have a strong Board, a great young CEO – so off the field the stability is fantastic,” Dodoro told SEN.
“I think we’ve shown in the last two years that we’ve got a really exciting list of young players.
“We made the finals last season, we didn’t finish the way we would have liked to but there is a lot of upside in the list.
“We’re a big football club and we play in front of big crowds.
“We’re desperate for success and I think that hunger is starting to rub off in the general footy world … we’re in a hurry to try and become successful again.”
Dodoro said Senior Coach John Worsfold has played a key role in ensuring the whole Club is working in the same direction.
“'Woosha' is a big reason why these guys want to get to our Club … the stability he has brought to the organisation and the environment amongst the playing group … everyone is together, we’re behind each other and I think he deserves a lot of the credit,” he said.
The unity and collaboration was on show during the recruitment process that saw the Bombers land Stringer from the Western Bulldogs.
Dodoro sought counsel from a range of sources and current Essendon players met with their prospective teammate.
“I don’t think we’ve ever spent as much time with a player, his family, his friends and associates, his network … we wanted to know all of the issues,” Dodoro said.
“If we felt that as a Club we weren’t going to be able to get the best out of Jake, we wouldn’t have gone there.
“We’re committed to providing him with an environment that we think will help him become an All Australian player once again.
“He’s had to buy in, he’s saying all of the right things – I think the whole process of him leaving a club where he was a premiership player and coming to Essendon is a big awakening for him.
“People mature as they get a little bit older, success came early to Jake – premiership player, All Australian – sometimes young men can get a little carried with themselves and he understands he hasn’t be perfect but by the same token he’s been really honest with us.
“We’ll back him for sure.
“The players have bought in as well – he met with members of our leadership group and some guys that weren’t even in the leadership group.
“If the players weren’t behind getting Jake to the Club we wouldn’t have done it, to be honest.
“Once they met him and spoke to him, they all wanted him.
“The reaction we had from the playing group on getting Jake to the Club is that everyone is going to work really hard to make sure he becomes the player he should be.”
