The Score: Rodney Eade’s club Balwyn explains brutal training bake video

Rodney Eade’s suburban club Balwyn says his brutal training bake — which included 19 expletives in 54 seconds — was an instruction from its players to lift a lethargic session. SEE THE VIDEO.

Balwyn says its senior leaders instructed coach Rodney Eade to spray the players during a “lethargic” training session.

A video emerged this week of an injured player filming Eade giving his players a cook ahead of the Good Friday game against Blackburn.

“I won’t p--- in your pockets anymore, if you are going to serve that s--- up,” Eade says in the video.

“No pressure, turn it over — it’s f***ing bulls**t.

“‘Oh f*** we’re a good team, we beat South (Croydon)’ — South Croydon lost to f***ing Rowville.”

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Balwyn had enjoyed a strong Round 1 win over South Croydon, and Tigers football director Paul Johnson said “maybe (some players) got a little bit ahead of themselves”.

“Because of the high regard we had for South Croydon … the players got a level of confidence out of that and then they had the week off and maybe got a little bit ahead of themselves,” Johnson said.

“The training on the Wednesday prior to the Good Friday (game), the captain (Rennie Gilchrist) and the vice-captain (Jeff Gobbels) approached Rodney and said they thought they needed a spray — a bit of a jigger — to get them ready for Friday’s game.

“Rodney even said after training he was concerned about Friday’s game because of the lethargic training on the Monday and Wednesday.”

Balwyn kicked just two goals in the first half against Blackburn and trailed by 60 points.

“If you look at the first-half performance against Blackburn, all the concerns were confirmed,” Johnson said.

“We came out and we were terrible, we had none of the desperation and enthusiasm we played with against South Croydon.

“Everything that was done by the captain and vice-captain, then the coach, was legitimised.”

Johnson addressed the players on Tuesday after being alerted to the video.

The player who filmed the vision also spoke to the group.

“I think if it was any other suburban coach, no one would have even wrote about it but being a coach of over 300 AFL games and a high-profile media person that he is, obviously it’s of interest to people,” Johnson said.

“It’s disappointing some of the youth of today don’t understand the ramifications of social media … it can be damaging.”

Rodney Eade was captured on tape giving his Balwyn players a spray. Picture: Valeriu Campan

CROAD THE VIKING

Hawthorn premiership player Trent Croad is pushing for a shock return to the footy field.

The 39-year-old is training with Western Region Football League Division 1 club Altona and coach Saade Ghazi said the former AFL star could feature for the Vikings later in the campaign.

A question mark remains over Croad’s fitness after he sustained a broken foot in Hawthorn’s 2008 Grand Final triumph and he has not played at suburban level for several seasons.

“He moved into Altona and made contact with us and myself,” Ghazi said.

“He’s just going to see how the body’s going to be, to be honest.

“It’s just a wait and see to see how it all comes up.

“If he did play, he would have to play a few games in the reserves before we would consider him for senior selection.

“We have a structure in place that we’re not going to throw out of the door. We have an obligation to our current group … so we wouldn’t change that for anyone who comes into our footy club.”

Trent Croad on crutches after the 2008 Grand Final.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT OTTENS

Three-time Geelong premiership ruckman and one-time Tiger Brad Ottens has detailed the horrifying moment he suffered one of footy’s most unusual — and painful — injuries.

Ottens, who was a key pillar in the Cats’ dominance from 2007, was living in Melbourne and playing at Richmond in October 2002 when his backyard attempt to put up a hammock went horribly wrong, resulting in a rush to hospital and nasty wound after he impaled himself.

“I was standing up on a rickety old fold-up chair and the chair fell,” Ottens told Fox Footy’s Open Mike.

“I finished up with a broom handle in a position where no bloke wants it. they sort of cut it off.

“I was in the backyard and the police had been called because my sister called Triple O. These policeman are standing there looking at it, sort of covering their eyes, not knowing where to look. And the ambulance crew came down. It was a bit like (the movie ‘There’s) Something About Mary’.”

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