Alex Dodson basketball call, interview, Sturt SANFL stats, height, first-round interest #adessonews

The best ruck in this year’s draft class is a freak 203cm prospect who, up until a few months ago, wasn’t sure if he wanted to fully pursue an AFL career.

But now that he’s all-in on footy, Sturt’s Alex Dodson looms as a first-round prospect after a rollercoaster yet breathtaking 2024 campaign that left AFL recruiters excited.

“When I kind of came back to footy at the start this year, I didn’t really see me being in this position, so it puts things into perspective a lot,” Dodson told foxfooty.com.au.

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Dodson, for years, balanced footy and basketball commitments. But as most dual-code athletes experience when they get to their 17th and 18th years, a time comes when they must choose one path over the other.

For Dodson, that decision came late this year. Very late. Both sports had to wait until August.

Ultimately, the long-term prospects and opportunities of an AFL career were too good to ignore – especially when you’re as talented on the footy field as Dodson.

“There probably wasn’t a specific moment. It was just a lot of conversations with family,” he said.

“I think for me, it was just weighing up the pros and cons and what would be the best option for me going into the future. I had some interest with the (Adelaide) 36ers and could’ve joined their DP (development player) roster this year, but ultimately decided to not do that. I think that was kind of when I realised this (footy) was the dream I was going to take and the path I was going to go down.

“One of the biggest things for footy, coming back for me, was seeing the potential there for the future. Basketball is quite hard and there’s a lot that goes into becoming a professional in that environment – as is footy. But I think for me and my skillset, footy probably just would have been the better option for me in terms of making a career out of it.”

Dodson’s call to pursue football came after giving a hoops career a red-hot crack.

He didn’t play footy at all in 2023, leading to him representing Australia in basketball at both Under 17 and Under 18 level. He was also a train-on player with the Adelaide 36ers – the NBL club he’s supported his whole life – as part of their development roster.

“It was an unbelievable experience going into that environment (36ers). They really welcomed me,” Dodson said.

“I kind of decided, with family and myself, that I had probably more basketball commitments that I needed to focus on. I spent a lot of last year training with the 36ers and spending a bit of time at the Australian Institute of Sport. That was a really good year, really productive year.

“The kind of the things that I really picked up was that professional side, so watching how the professional guys go about their day-to-day lives. It was about taking more time into my recovery and daily habits like sleeping and nutrition. I think they’ve set me up really well for how I prepare myself outside of sport. I think that’s why the transition back into footy was quite easy.”

After 12 months away from chasing a Sherrin, Dodson still had a footy itch to scratch, sensing “I could make more of a career out of footy”.

He just chose to scratch the itch while still balancing basketball commitments.

It meant 2024 was a hectic juggling act for Dodson and his family, attending either football or basketball training most nights while completing school.

“In the morning, I’d probably do either a running or gym session. Then I’d go to school and then I’d do training,” Dodson said.

“They were pretty full-on days – and then you have to try and fit homework in there sometimes.

“It was a tough balance. I think I probably struggled with it a bit at first, maybe getting a little bit overwhelmed and a little bit stressed out with everything. But I spent a lot of time with teachers and coaches and family, just working on strategies and developing new habits that allowed me to overcome that.

“I came back to footy with not too high expectations, but just try and get a little bit better each training and each game. It kind of just took off from there and I’ve loved the year I’ve had.”

After playing for the Australian Emus side at the Albert Schweizer Cup in Germany in April, Dodson returned to Sturt’s set-up, firstly working meticulously on his kicking and handballing. Then came the ruck craft like positioning, follow-up work and workrate around the ground.

In his first game for Sturt’s Under 18s side, Dodson made an immediate impact with 27 disposals, five marks, 19 hit-outs and three clearances in a loss to Glenelg.

He was right back on the radar of AFL recruiters – and the South Australian selectors ahead of the Under 18 national championships.

“When I got that (South Australia team) invite out there I was stoked, but it really motivated me to work harder,” Dodson said.

“I missed a bunch of time with the Sturt pre-season because of basketball as well and I missed the first game of the champs – which wasn’t ideal – for basketball commitments. But that put that little more fire in my belly to work hard. I came back and finished pretty strongly.”

Did he ever.

From SA’s final three carnival games, Dodson averaged 17.3 disposals, 9.7 contested possessions, 3.7 clearances, 19.7 hit-outs and 114.1 ranking points to earn All-Australian honours.

“I feel like when I missed that first game of the champs and I came back, I kind of had to come out and prove a point,” he said. “A lot of guys have already played and this is my first time playing.

“When I went onto Ikon Park (against Vic Metro), it all just felt natural and came back pretty quickly.

“All-Australian was good recognition, but it wasn’t really something that I had in my mind at the time … I think it was just a testament to the amount of work I’d put in.”

Dodson, who looks up to fellow basketballer-turned-footballer Luke Jackson, is everything you want in a modern-day athletic ruck. He’s competitive at ruck contests then follows up at ground level to help win clearances. He then works hard around the field to get to as many contests as possible and find the footy, both in the air and at ground level.

And his composure with ball in-hand is also an improving trait.

In fact, as cliche as it is, Dodson says his basketball skills have significantly helped his return to footballer life.

“When I first came back, I was like ‘wow’ – because when I was getting the ball, I felt like with the basketball stuff with my agility and decision-making, I just felt like I had that extra second in time with the ball,” he said.

“You watch guys like Scott Pendlebury play and they always look composed and they’re not getting too rushed and they’re pretty good in traffic. I feel like that was kind of the same with me when I came back and I could really see that difference – and I think that was the basketball side coming into play.”

As well as Tony Bamford and Heath Younie – who kept in constant contact with Dodson during his footy sabbatical in 2023 – Dodson also benefited greatly from the coaching of Power ruck Ivan Soldo, who worked closely with him as part of the state program.

“He came out once a week, worked with me and some of the other rucks,” he said of Soldo. “We worked through some different ruck techniques with the different rule changes … a bit of variety and also did some film sessions together watching some opposition ruckmen where he talked us through that and helped us with some new learnings.

“It was really beneficial and I think really helped me with my game.”

While Dodson is grateful for the support of his coaches and teammates, he holds a special place for his mum Celeste — an ICU nurse who works a lot of late and overnight shifts, yet has shown unwavering support throughout her son’s sporting journey.

“We’ve spent a fair bit of time together in cars. She works pretty much every night, so she’s given up a lot and sacrificed a lot,” Dodson said.

“That motivates me, you know? That makes me want to work harder and achieve this goal and share that success with her.

“She’s always been really supportive of me, no matter what goal I’m trying to achieve, she’s never really held me back.

“Mum and I have had a very close relationship for a while now. For 10 years, it’s just been me, Mum and my sister – and then just recently me and Mum. She’s really been super supportive in my life, she’s been everything to me.

“I’m trying to just do all this to repay her and see what I can do.”

All that hard work and fastidious decision-making process over what sport to pursue is about to pay dividends, for Dodson could be taken as early as the first night of the draft. Rival clubs have linked him to Melbourne and Richmond, while the Western Bulldogs could be an option considering they need ruck depth.

Full-time professional footballer life now looms.

“I’m pretty ready. I’ve worked a lot on my body this year, getting it right, and getting it healthy and in a position to move into that environment,” he said.

“But I’ve also worked a lot on my mental side of my game, because I feel the mental is just as important as the physical.

“It’s a lot about self-belief and mindfulness work outside of sport, so taking some more time by yourself and working on your thoughts and feelings and trying different strategies you can use in games.”