Rodney Eade unlucky to be sacked after three years as Suns coach

RODNEY Eade took over a Gold Coast club besieged by cultural issues. After helping right the ship, the axe swung and MARK ROBINSON says the AFL has to take part of the blame.

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade is gone after three failed seasons at the Suns. Picture: AAP

THE future is probably Stuart Dew or John Barker

The past, as of Tuesday, is a 59-year-old man who the Suns acknowledged had inherited a “s--- sandwich’’.

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But it was worse than that.

Rodney Eade was presented with a mountain of problems when he was appointed and they were only the ones we knew.

Eade, then 56, arrived at a club dealing with a mass exodus of players, wild drug use, drinking problems, communication breakdown among players and a widely-held view the club lacked a professional environment.

Rodney Eade entered a mess at the Suns. Picture: Getty Images

In the first year, Eade was part-time coach and part-time change manager, such was the mess.

In his second year, he was besieged by injuries. In his third year, he was besieged by injuries, radical dips in form and the inevitable chatter surrounding his future.

He was stiff to be sacked because, as he told the Herald Sun yesterday, it felt like this year was his first year of coaching the club.

Nathan Buckley has had six years at Collingwood. Brad Scott eight at North Melbourne. Damien Hardwick eight at Richmond.

All had better finishes on the ladder than Eade, but all had at least twice as much time.

The AFL has to take part blame of Eade’s demise.

The set-up of the Suns from the start was haphazard and when the cultural problems at the Suns were revealed at the end of 2014, just before Eade was appointed, you had to wonder how an AFL-owned and controlled club allowed — or wasn’t aware of — the conglomerate of problems which had besieged the club.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane and chief executive Mark Evans detail the club’s position on Eade at Tuesday’s press conference. Picture: AAP

Three years ago, the AFL agreed to appoint Eade. When Mark Evans spoke to the AFL on Tuesday, they agreed with Evans’s decision to not offer Eade a new deal.

True, the AFL didn’t urge the sacking of Eade, but they are keen for some major change.

This was a business decision.

The Herald Sun understands the Suns have financial issues, a bulging salary cap because of the need to pay overs to players to stay and identity issues, which is not ideal for an underperformed expansion club.

The cultural mess Eade inherited didn’t help and despite improvements in that area, the Suns were able to use the win-loss performance as a reason to punt the coach.

The reality from headquarters is change was needed — and more change is to come.

Eade had some issues as coach — implementing a strong defensive plan was one of them — but in the end it stinks as a scapegoat decision. If Eade is gone after three years, what of football boss Marcus Ashcroft and list manager Scott Clayton who have been there since the outset?

Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft. Picture: AAP

Suns recruitment boss Scott Clayton.

The win-loss record, which the Suns banged on about during Tuesday’s press conference, reads 16 wins, a draw and 46 losses in three seasons.

At Collingwood, Buckley has returned 27 wins and 35 losses in the same period, and contrary to Gold Coast’s declaration, the Magpies are adamant it’s not about win and losses for Buckley.

“It is a simple as wins and losses,’’ Suns president Tony Cochrane said.

Thankfully for Buckley, Cochrane isn’t president of Collingwood.

So, “Rocket” departs his third and almost certainly his final senior coaching role and leaves his job having coached the most games in the history of the AFL without winning a premiership.

That would annoy him no end.

He departs having never fully had the chance to harness a list which featured, at times, Gary Ablett, Harley Bennell, Aaron Hall, Jack Martin, Jaeger O’Meara, Touk Miller, Dion Prestia, Michael Rischitelli and David Swallow.

Noting the strength of his spine — Lynch, Day, May, Thompson — and you can accept Eade was an unlucky coach.

Barker is the raging favourite to replace Eade, but of course that doesn’t mean he will get the job.

Carlton assistant John Barker is considered a frontrunner for the Suns’ senior job. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Media

In his favour is his experience gained under Ross Lyon at St Kilda, Alastair Clarkson as a player and coach at Hawthorn and Mick Malthouse at Carlton plus a business degree from Melbourne University.

A discussion on radio at the weekend about Barker not being available for the Suns job because he had re-signed at Carlton was clumsy. Barker has not yet signed and, anyway, will have a get-out clause as do all assistant coaching contracts.

Again, prominent player manager Craig Kelly looms as the kingmaker.

He manages Barker, interim coach Dean Solomon and Sydney’s Stuart Dew, three strong candidates.

Whoever gets the job will inherit half a s--- sandwich, the other having been force-fed to Eade.

To date, the Suns under AFL management have been a costly failure which has hurt careers and reputations.

The next coach will need to go in with his eyes open, sleeves rolled up and with hope Evans and the AFL back him for more than three years.

The coach’s first decision, meanwhile, should be an easy one: Anyone who doesn’t want to be at the footy club can leave now. That means ta-ta Gary Ablett.

Because if they sack people who want to be there and want to keep those who don’t want to be there ... well, what a mess.