“I texted him and said: ‘Well done, Massimo, fantastic effort’. And he said: ‘Thanks very much, Ivo. And how is your family going?’”
The booming left-foot kick of Essendon sensation Massimo D’Ambrosio has been widely praised since his Rising Star nomination forIn just his third game, D’Ambrosio, 19, became the first mid-season recruit to receive that nomination in the same year he was drafted. But it was his response to a text message from Ivo Havard, the president of Point Cook Football Club, where D’Ambrosio “was a star from the minute he walked in”, which left as deep an impression.
Then came this kicker that should make the Bombers, and their supporters, even more buoyant about Adrian Dodoro’s savvy mid-season selection. However, football can be a great leveller, and D’Ambrosio experienced that over the past two seasons. Back stress fractures halted his development, so, too, the pandemic and the absence of matches.