Essendon general manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro says while results might not be imminent, the decision to recruit mainly key-position players in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft will reward the club in the future.

Aside from midfielder Archie Perkins (pick No.9), the Bombers opted to go tall with their selections, welcoming Nikolas Cox (No.8, 200cm), Zach Reid (No.10, 202cm) and Next Generation Academy members Josh Eyre (No.39, 199cm) and Cody Brand (No.53, 196cm).

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Despite their height, Cox, Reid and Eyre possess remarkable athleticism, skills and versatility, while Brand can grow into a shutdown defender as veterans Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker enter the twilight of their distinguished careers. 

While key-position players typically take longer than midfielders to impact at senior level, Dodoro said the club had a strategy in place. 

“It was a tall draft tonight, but it was one that was strategically planned for the future of our football club,” Dodoro said on Wednesday. 

“We got Vic Country’s best defender in Zach Reid and Vic Metro’s best defender in Cody Brand.

“We got the three boys we wanted (in the top 10) and got off to a good start. Later in the draft we were able to commit to our NGA players who have been at our club for a number of years. 

“We could have picked players who probably would have had more impact next year, but I can guarantee you these boys are going to have long-term AFL careers for us. 

“We saw tonight that there weren’t many talls (overall), but we were able to nail them. In the future drafts, we can just concentrate on other areas. A lot of the hard work for the future of the club has been looked after tonight.” 

Wednesday night’s draft marked the first as senior coach for Ben Rutten, who worked closely with Dodoro and the club’s entire recruiting team to shape a side around his vision.

Dodoro said Rutten was a vital sounding board.

“He was fantastic throughout this whole process. It was great working with him in his first draft as senior coach,” he said. 

“He’s really happy with what we’ve achieved tonight and it gives him the opportunity to set this team up the way he wants. I think that’s really exciting for our club and all our fans. 

“To see what we did tonight is a reflection of what we’re trying to do for the next 10 years.” 

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