Milesi to depart the Bulldogs

[Axe Man]

Milesi to depart the Bulldogs

National Recruiting Manager Dom Milesi will depart the Club after five years of service.

melesi.webp

The Western Bulldogs can confirm that National Recruiting Manager Dom Milesi will depart the Club after five years of service to the red, white and blue.

The 45-year-old has accepted a senior leadership position within grassroots football and will finish up at Mission Whitten Oval next month.

Milesi has spent more than 20 years in recruiting and list management, spending time at Hawthorn and Collingwood prior to joining the Bulldogs.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at the Western Bulldogs,” Milesi said.

“While this was an extremely difficult decision to make having spent the past five seasons here, I’ve made some lifelong friends and thoroughly enjoyed bringing young players into Mission Whitten Oval.

“Having worked in recruiting for more than half my life, the opportunity to remain in football with the ability to spend more time with my young family was important to me moving forward.

“I thank the Club for everything they’ve done for me, particularly Sam Power and our recruiting team. I look forward to watching Bulldogs games from the stands."

Executive Manager of Men’s Football Sam Power praised the contribution of Milesi.

“Dom has played an integral role in helping this Club achieve success through his hard work and dedication to the craft of recruiting,” Power said.

“While we are sad to lose someone of Dom’s calibre, it’s an exciting opportunity that allows him to spend more time with his young family.

“We wish Dom, Jess, Rose and Mae all the best for the future and they are always welcome back at Mission Whitten Oval.”

The Club will commence a recruiting process for the role in due course.

[Axe Man]

So does that mean we need a list manager and a recruiting manager?

[GVGjr]

So does that mean we need a list manager and a recruiting manager?

It should.
The job Sam Power currently has is big enough without it being split.
Miles should be proud of what he achieved with us.

[Countrydog5]

Freijah the crowning jewel you'd think, Clarke the low point. Fingers crossed our next hire is a good one. I believe we have the A grade talent on the list already for 5+ years time, so our drafting in the next 2-3 years with tassy coming into the comp will be extremely important.

[jeemak]

Does this signal that he was overlooked for the larger role of list manager and decided to move on?

[Axe Man]

Does this signal that he was overlooked for the larger role of list manager and decided to move on?

It's possible but seems unlikely since he's stepping away from the AFL. Sounds like a lifestyle choice. If he wanted a bigger role he could have stayed whilst searching for a role at another club.

[Axe Man]

Freijah the crowning jewel you'd think, Clarke the low point. Fingers crossed our next hire is a good one. I believe we have the A grade talent on the list already for 5+ years time, so our drafting in the next 2-3 years with tassy coming into the comp will be extremely important.

We won't know his legacy for a few years yet but his final draft may well turn out to be his best. Time will tell.

[GVGjr]

Does this signal that he was overlooked for the larger role of list manager and decided to move on?

That was my first thought but without knowing a lot of about the role he's landed it sounds like he might have applied for it a while back well before Power was appointed to a new role.

[Axe Man]

Bulldogs recruiting manager departs for new role

WESTERN Bulldogs national recruiting manager Dom Milesi has resigned after landing a new role away from clubland.

The highly regarded recruiter has spent the past five seasons at the Bulldogs after arriving at the Whitten Oval at the start of 2020.

Milesi spent more than a decade at Collingwood in the list management team and as an opposition analyst, after starting with Hawthorn.

The 45-year-old was set for greater responsibility in 2025 amid a reset of the list management team at the Bulldogs, but has accepted a senior leadership position in grassroots football in Melbourne.

It is understood that the decision was made for family reasons after more than two decades scouting underage talent every weekend in winter.

List manager Sam Power was promoted to head of football on Monday after stepping up after the departure of club great Chris Grant last December.

Power will remain actively involved in contracting, oversee total player payments and list management strategy.

The Bulldogs have been searching for another recruiter in recent months after Dan Fisher was promoted to AFLW list manager and are understood to be close to making an appointment after completing the interviews this month.

[Grantysghost]

Wow big changes

[NAUGHTY100]

I dunno how we get someone whos is the system and wanting a new challenge , but the man we need has to up and running from day dot , we cant blood a guy who has potential , his gotta be on piont stright away , with tazi comming in his gonna have to be a top notch negotiator .

[GVGjr]

A few years back we lost J-Mac and Dalrymple together so this isn't a big issue as Power is still with us.
There will be plenty of internal and external interest in this role
Given he isn't moving to another club he can work out his months notice

[Uninformed]

The way this most recent draft class works out in a few years will be his defining legacy. Looks good so far. Seems like a good guy. Wish him all the best.

[jazzadogs]

CEO of Yarra Junior football league apparently. Good on him.
He's done a great job for us, life member I think.

I hope we can get a good replacement - I wonder if we will just get one person as list manager and head of recruiting? Ie combine the Power and Milesi roles.

[azabob]

Why would he be a life member?

[jazzadogs]

tbh I just thought I remembered that he was awarded it earlier this year when Bailey Williams got it, assumed he had worked as a scout for a while before taking on the head role. I was wrong haha.

[jeemak]

The only thing you get as the CEO of a Victorian football league that you don't get as a national recruiter is travel avoidance. He's going to be more time poor in his upcoming role, most likely.

This still seems to me pretty obvious he wasn't the guy to head up our list management department, and that's OK. He's done a job pretty well and should be commended for it.

Hopefully we have the money and the process in place to find solid replacements for both him and Power. You can't cheap this part of football operations out......