Rodney Eade

Playing career

Recruited from Glenorchy, while still a schoolboy, young Rodney Eade made his VFL debut as an 18-year-old. Playing with a lot of dash and blistering speed Eade capped out his debut season by playing in the 1976 premiership team. He went on to play in the 1978, 1983, and 1986 premierships sides. In all the winger played 229 games and kicked 46 goals for Hawthorn between 1976–1987. His time at the Hawks finished when he moved to the Brisbane Bears in 1988. Suffering injuries later on as he got older Eade managed to play 30 games and kicking three goals until his retirement in 1990.

Coaching career

Immediately following his retirement at the end of 1990, Eade took up coaching. In 1991 he was the reserves coach of the Brisbane Bears and led the Bears to the reserves' premiership in that season. He later coached the North Melbourne reserves, and led it to the premiership in 1995. These successes at reserves level gave Eade a strong case for a senior coaching job in 1996.

Sydney Swans

Eade became coach of the Sydney Swans in 1996, taking them to a grand final in which they lost to North Melbourne. In his second year, in the 1997 season, he took Sydney to sixth on the ladder but they were eliminated in the qualifying finals to the Western Bulldogs. In the 1998 season, he took Sydney to a better performance to third on the ladder where they defeated St Kilda in the qualifying finals before being beaten by Adelaide, the eventual premiers, in the semi finals. In the 1999 season he took Sydney to eighth spot on the ladder where they were eliminated in the qualifying finals to Essendon by 69 points. In the 2000 season, he took Sydney to eleventh spot on the ladder, missing out in the finals. In the 2001 season, he took Sydney back into the finals finishing with seventh spot on the ladder before being beaten by Hawthorn in the elimination finals. In the 2002 season, with Sydney's record becoming worse week by week and being placed fourteenth on the ladder, Eade resigned following a narrow Round 12 loss to Geelong; he was replaced by Paul Roos for the rest of the 2002 season and Roos was eventually appointed full-time.

Western Bulldogs

Eade spent 2003 and 2004 as a media writer and commentator before being appointed coach of the Western Bulldogs for the 2005 season. In his first season as their coach he took an under-achieving Bulldogs side within a goal of a finals series berth, after they had finished with less than five wins in the previous two years, but just missed out of the finals finishing in ninth spot on the ladder. In 2006, he took the Bulldogs to a final series, for the first time since Terry Wallace in 2000, where they eliminated Collingwood in the elimination finals but lost to eventual premiers West Coast in the semi finals. In the 2007 season, he took the Bulldogs to thirteenth on the ladder and, consequently, his job was in jeopardy due to the sudden downturn in the team's performance. But rather than firing him, the club limited his expansive duties.

In the 2008 season, Eade coached the Bulldogs to third on the ladder and then to the club's first preliminary final since 1998, but they were eliminated by Geelong who were eventual runners-up. In 2009 and 2010, Eade took the Bulldogs two more consecutive preliminary finals, falling to St Kilda on both occasions.

The Western Bulldogs did not progress well in the 2011 season, being placed twelfth on the ladder. Following a big loss to Essendon by forty nine points in Round 21 it was announced on 17 August 2011 that Eade's contract would not be renewed at the conclusion of the 2011 season. The following day, Eade stepped down as coach of the Bulldogs. He was replaced by caretaker coach Paul Williams for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Collingwood

On 3 October 2011, Eade was appointed by Collingwood to the position of Football and Coaching Strategist, replacing outgoing coach Mick Malthouse, who had originally planned to step into that role after the 2011 season.

Gold Coast Suns

On 30 October 2014, Eade was appointed the Gold Coast Suns' second senior coach, replacing Guy McKenna. On 8th August 2017, with 3 games left in the season, Eade was told his contract would not be renewed. Eade departed immediately and was replaced by Dean Solomon.

Coaching statistics

^Eade resigned twice mid-season; in 2002, Sydney were fourteenth when he resigned and in 2011, the Western Bulldogs were twelfth when he resigned.