Essendon GM of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro has revealed what he said to Devon Smith when he felt he was slipping out of his grasp before the 2017 trade period.
With at least five Victorian clubs chasing the star midfielder’s services after he requested a trade from Greater Western Sydney, Dodoro said he had to think outside the box to lure the Lara-based Smith.
“I remember that whole period, looking at Dev and thinking, jeez, is he going to pick Essendon?” Dodoro said on Dodcast.
“I picked him up one morning. He’d met with ‘Woosha’ (senior coach John Worsfold) at a very famous café in Port Melbourne, so I went and picked him up and drove him to Tullamarine. I think it was a Sunday morning or a public holiday, so I thought I’ll show him Essendon and there’ll be nobody there.
“In that discussion I didn’t quite know if I was getting him over the line and I was doing my best salesman job. I thought he wanted to go to Geelong, and I said, ‘Dev, look, I know you want to go to Geelong’.
“This is how desperate I was, but then I said, ‘It’s (the club) only half an hour up the road. From Tullamarine to Lara, there are no traffic lights’. He’s looked at me like, are you an idiot or what? At that point I thought I’ve done enough selling and better shut up now."
EPISODE GUIDE: DODCAST FT. DEVON SMITH
Smith eventually nominated Essendon, arriving at the Bombers in exchange for pick 11 and a swap of future selections during the club’s mega 2017 trade period.
While the light-hearted conversation in the car may have helped, Smith said it was mainly the role Essendon promised him that won his commitment.
But it was far from a fait accompli that he would land at the Bombers.
“At the start of my negotiations I probably had my heart set on Geelong. That was at the start of the year when I wasn’t sure if I was going to come home or not. They fell out of the race, and then Carlton came on pretty heavily, and there were a couple others,” Smith said on Dodcast.
“I remember a phone call. I rang Dad probably two weeks before and I said, ‘Look, I’m probably going to end up at Carlton’. He said, ‘Yeah, whatever’. He didn’t really mind what I did.
“But when push came to shove, I made a few phone calls and had a great meeting with Adrian (Dodoro) and Woosha. They instilled more of the belief that I could play midfield and the role I wanted to play.
“After that, I sat down and called a few people. I called (former Essendon and GWS fitness boss) John Quinn, someone that I trust and rate a lot. He spoke more glowingly about Essendon than anyone ever has, and then I made a couple of other phone calls which I won’t name.
“Pretty much everyone said it’s a great football club, and that you’d be silly if you were thinking that it wasn’t the club for you, so from then they became No.1.”
Smith revealed there was a twist late in the negotiations, however, with a godfather offer from St Kilda coming unexpectedly.
But he said he was fortunate he had already committed to Essendon – the club where he’s since thrived as the 2018 Crichton medallist and newly inducted member of the leadership group.
“Adrian was up to his old tricks and wasn’t offering more than a two-year deal. He’s probably lucky that I committed, because the day I committed, the morning later (St Kilda coach) Alan Richardson sent me an email,” he said.
“I was playing golf with one of my good mates Nathan Wilson, and he’d already signed with Freo. Their (Saints) offer was pretty decent. If I hadn’t have committed, I don’t know if I would have committed to Essendon, but it was lucky that I did.
“I think back now and I couldn’t be happier. I’m very happy at Essendon and it’s going to be in my blood until I’m finished footy. It’s a great place to be.”
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