Gold Coast Blueprint: David King expects a different style from the Suns in 2015 — and a finals appearance
WHETHER Gold Coast made the correct call on Guy McKenna is a matter of opinion. But under Rodney Eade the game plan will be the polar opposite, writes David King.
WHENEVER a coach is sacked it’s easy to pick over the carcass of their game styles and what went wrong.
Whether Gold Coast has made the correct call on Guy McKenna is a matter of opinion. One thing we know for sure under Rodney Eade the game plan will be the polar opposite of this past season.
Elite youngsters crave possession, they want reward for their efforts and most of all they want impact — offensive impact. Under McKenna, Gold Coast was the longest kicking team in the competition, very direct and with the second fewest marks and third fewest possessions in the competition.
Perhaps Guy McKenna’s developmental period needed some results at the next level down and to have a winless season in the NEAFL certainly would’ve raised some eyebrows. Quantifying the gap with more detail is the paltry percentage of 42. That’s uncompetitive.
PROS
After nine rounds the Suns sat third with seven wins and only losses to Hawthorn and Fremantle. Gary Ablett and Dion Prestia ranked first and fifth for total disposals in the competition, no one had taken more contested marks than Tom Lynch. Jaeger O’Meara ranked AFL No.2 for tackles and kicks inside 50.
Surely the Suns first finals campaign and another Brownlow for Gary Ablett were a mere formality?
The major positive for this group is the scope for improvement in structure. It has the hallmarks of a Matthew Primus-Ken Hinkley progression which provide a regimented starting points and plans when under game time pressure.
CONS
These younger franchises aren’t ready to win enough contested football consistently across the course of the season, so to be the longest kicking team with the third fewest disposals at this stage of their development was a mistake.
Tom Lynch was involved in the most one-on-ones in the AFL and clearly that will help him in the future, but not in 2014.
This team has a tremendously high skill level given their draft ratings so it’s safe to assume that in theory they can dispose of the football equally as well if not better than most.
If so why do they refuse to use the corridor? Ranked AFL No.15 at only one-in-six counter attacks via the corridor shows the reluctance to really take the shackles off these stars.
Rodney Eade’s Western Bulldogs were ahead of their time. A set of small forwards, midfielders who could play out of the goalsquare at full forward, offensive skilful half-backs and a ball movement plan that every player in the competition wanted their coach to adopt.
What has Eade learnt in his time out of the senior coach’s chair? At 56 and with the bulk of those years spent in football, he should be in his coaching prime.
I think this will prove a very canny coaching appointment that will provide at a bare minimum of entertainment and excitement where it’s needed most.
Expect high-speed offence via overlap run and gun with precision kicking on angles laced with a few of Rodney’s old tricks. A bit of Malcolm Blight in the coaches box and things may liven right up on the Gold Coast!
Rodney Eade will make history in leading the Suns to their first ever finals series in 2015.
