Rodney Eade takes coaching reins at Eastern Football League club Balwyn

IT’S a long way from the sun and sand of the Gold Coast to Balwyn Park in Melbourne’s east, but for former AFL coach Rodney Eade the challenge is just the same.

FROM the Suns to the suburbs.

It was only six months ago Rodney Eade was enjoying the pristine beaches of the Gold Coast.

On a warm Wednesday night last week there were dogs running around and trams rattling by as the former AFL mentor took the reins in one of his first training sessions as coach of Eastern Football League club Balwyn.

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The 377-game league coach has been appointed as the new Tigers coach, replacing Marty Pask.

Balwyn president Richard Wilson approached good friend Eade just after Christmas, suggesting the position may be available.

Eade at Balwyn training.

Rodney Eade’s son Jackson spoils the ball while playing for Balwyn in 2010.

“I’ve known Richard for quite a while and I used to come down to Balwyn every now and then, my boys played here quite a few years ago and I’ve known some people that have played here,” Eade said.

“He got in touch … just after Christmas and said, ‘things might be changing at the club, would you consider (coaching) if it did?’

“I didn’t want to get involved in what may or may not happen and then he got in touch with me last Thursday and said, ‘things have changed, would you help us out?’ ”

And so it was on the next night the news dropped the 59-year-old would be at the helm at Cherry Rd.

Eade was asked about the opportunity to secure that elusive coaching premiership after near misses with Sydney in the 1996 AFL Grand Final and three consecutive preliminary finals losses with the Western Bulldogs.

“I’ve coached premierships at AFL reserves level, one at Brisbane (1991) and one at North Melbourne (1995),” he was quick to recall.

Eade last year was coaching arguably the game’s greatest ever player in Gary Ablett Jr and has previously mentored Hall of Fame legend Tony Lockett.

Rodney Eade with legendary goalkicker Tony Lockett in 1996.

In 2018 he will be coaching Balwyn premiership stars Rennie Gilchrist, Jeff Gobbles and Kris Pendlebury — all fine players in their own right but not in the same conversation as some of the sport’s greats.

Regardless of the level, the coaching rewards remain the same.

“That’s what gives you a thrill about coaching, you see players improve and they want to improve and they want to learn,” he said.

“Everybody can learn, whether it is a Kris Pendlebury, who’s 31 and has had a very good footy career, they can still get better and still improve.”

Eade knows enough of the EFL to realise Balwyn has been the Division 1 benchmark this decade.

“I’ve known that for quite a while, I haven’t followed them religiously, I didn’t know a lot about some things but I knew back to Jason Taylor when he was captain here,” he said.

What about the opposition he will be facing this year?

“I think you have a look at how strong Vermont is and Balwyn and Noble Park have been in the past and you hear of other teams, Doncaster are getting stronger and obviously South Croydon did exceptionally well last year,” he said.

“There would be other clubs in the Eastern footy league who are the same, they’ve got a good strong culture and I think that exists here.”