Football Update with Brad Dodd

As we edge closer to Round 1, we touch base with Football Operations Manager, Brad Dodd, to get an update on pre-season and early indication of our prospects in 2021. 

Q: The club has been fairly active in recruiting this off-season, give us some insight into what you were specifically looking to add?

Our list management process is a year-round thing, we are constantly looking at opportunities that may arise and strengthening our list through recruiting. We identified that we needed to add some midfield running power and once Josh Schoenfeld and Luke English became available, we spoke with them. Both have really embraced what we are trying to do and have set themselves up for excellent seasons.

Corey Chalmers is another player that can run through the midfield, he’s a high accumulator that can also hit the scoreboard.

We expect Milan Murdock to continue developing as a midfielder, who is another strong runner. We feel that we now have a midfield that can match it with the best in the competition. 

Dillon O’Reilly and Hugh Dixon give the coaching staff some flexibility as key position players - both can play either end and Hugh can also go into the ruck. The duo are young and exciting prospects.

Jono Marsh became available late in the piece, which was certainly a surprise to us. He has been outstanding since re-joining the Sharks. He brings a high level of energy to the place and is driven to see the team improve. Jono will likely play through the midfield and forward. 

Q: Who are some of the younger players Sharks fans should look out for in 2021?

We still have a fairly young group, even though Milan Murdock, Ambrose Ryan, Tom Monaghan, Alex Montauban, Michael Tassone and Max Murphy have played regular Senior football over the last 3 seasons, they’re still relatively young in terms of experience. We believe that group has some natural improvement that will see them start to play consistently at a good level.

Durak Tucker had his first taste of senior football in 2020 after missing the previous two years with injury. Highly talented, he is one to watch this year.

Reuben McGuire was unlucky not to debut last year, he’s one that should also play Seniors early in 2021.

We have added ten players from our Colts team that made the Preliminary final last year and they’re all settling in well. Keanu Haddow and Finn Gorringe should hopefully push for League selection.

In our Colts, Jack Williams is training with the Seniors while Josh Browne, Jed Hagan, Judd McVee, Ed Curley and Richard Bartlett are ones to watch early. 

Q: Any injuries at the moment?

Besides a few minor niggles, Josh Ritchie did his ACL late last season and is progressing well with his rehab. Brynn Teakle had a slow start to his pre-season with a foot issue. He’s hit the gym hard however and has just started running, so we’ll hopefully see him re-join the main group shortly. Nic Bonomelli will also have a delayed start after injuring his lower leg at training. It’s unlucky for Bono, who had been training strongly. 

Q: In the off-season, it was announced about the $26.5 million redevelopment of the East Fremantle Oval precinct, how will that help the football program?

It’s an exciting development for the club. There have been a couple of other attempts to get something through that haven’t quite ticked the boxes, so it was getting to the stage where it seemed like something happening was unlikely.

The design itself is fantastic. The creation of a sporting hub will allow multiple sports to operate there and allow the football club to build stronger bonds with those clubs and the community. The staff and players are excited and it should all happen fairly quickly. It’s no secret that the facilities are in need of an upgrade and it will be fantastic for our supporters when it’s finally finished. 

Q: Harry Taylor has begun in his role with the Mid West Academy of Sport. What does his role look like and did you try to get him to play?

There were a couple of variations on the roles we were speaking to Harry about, one being playing. The first step was for Harry and his family to decide where they were going to be based. Once they decided on the Mid West, we were excited to have him involved with our program there. Harry is extremely passionate about the area and has been a great ambassador for the Mid West and East Fremantle. He’s hit the ground running and has been working closely with the Geraldton based players. He is also regularly in Perth and joins training when he’s down. Harry has done some work with our key position players and leadership group. So he’s got a few hats on, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Q: East Fremantle last played finals in 2014, it’s been a tough 6 seasons since, how do you see this squad shaping up in 2021? 

It’s an exciting group that have been working hard to improve and bridge the gap between us and the top teams. Bill Monaghan and his coaching group have set strong standards since arriving and those standards are now consistently being met. Sharks supporters should head into 2021 with renewed hope and be excited to come to the football believing their team can win any game. 

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