Wallace vs Eade

[Higgo2Coon2Grif]

The debate is Wallace vs Eade:

Question 1: Who has been a better coach for the Bulldogs?
Question 2: Who is currently a better coach?

Eade's tenure is well and truly still alive, and if he continues to coach us until the end of 2011, he will go past Wallace's achievement of 148 coaches games at the Bulldogs.

Tale of the tape...

Eade:
2005 = 11-11
2006 = 14-10
2007 = 9-1-12
2008 = 16-1-8
Total = 50-2-41
Winning Percentage = 55.4

Wallace:
1996 = 3-7
1997 = 15-9
1998 = 16-8
1999 = 15-1-8
2000 = 12-11
2001 = 10-12
2002 = 8-1-12
Total = 79-2-67
Winning Percentage = 54.1

Both coaches have been very different, but both have been more successful than the average coach. Both Wallace and Eade have been able to win us games where we were huge underdogs (West Coast in both '97 and '06 instantly come to mind).

Wallace had a more defensive approach, whereas Eade's sides have constantly been attacking sides who consistently score high scores. Wallace afterall did wonders with the flood that allowed us to defeat Essendon in 2000, and he used a similar tactic a few weeks earlier when we ended Carlton's thirteen game winning streak too.

By analysing the three games we played against Sydney last season. Our winning scores in those matches were 112, 113 and 106. Against a defensive orientated and well-drilled team like Sydney, that proves that Eade believed an attacking game plan was the best way to defeat them, rather than playing them at their own game. I believe Wallace wouldn't have been as attacking, but probably would have been able to come up with his own game plan to win us those three matches too.

At this point I may point out that Wallace didn't try and save the 1997 Preliminary Final, but he has since said if he had his time over again, he would have shifted Grant to CHB in a better effort to save the game, which probably would have worked. Given that Wallace was basically a novice in '97, he probably wasn't experienced enough to make such a call at the time (don't think I am defending him here, cause I certainly aint), but it's fair to say his coaching got better as the years went on... I'm confident if Wallace had have had an extra year or two of experience under his sleeve, the result of that game might have been different.

The last point I wish to make is that I believe Wallace is excellent with a pre-match game plan. He knew how to beat Essendon and Carlton in 2000, and relied on his pre-match gameplan to beat them. It worked, showing he was great strategically.

Analysing Eade, I notice he isn't such a master of the pre-match gameplan, but is great with in-game tactics. Often Eade's pre-match strategy hasn't been the best, but he has been able to use excellent tactics to get us wins. Both Home and Away games against Sydney last season are prime examples of this. Also the St. Kilda game in round three last year.

That's not taking anything away from Wallace, though. He was also good tactically, which is evidenced by the fact we were once known as the "Comeback Kings".

In answer to both questions:

Eade has been a better coach for the Bulldogs.
Eade is still a better coach now, but only narrowly.

Thoughts?

[Remi Moses]

Question 1 Eade for mine
Question 2 Eade again

Currently you'd say Eade has it all over him as Wallace hasn't coached aside to finals since 2000
Wallace was great early with new iniatives and tactics but really began to get caught up with himself in the latter years. Crunch game ball was shockingly gimmicky[isn't every game a crunch game!]he gets way to much credit for the late 90's as the list was fairly good ,yes he did get the best out of some players but the recruiting in the latter years was just plain awful.

[ledge]

I think his problem was he became too matey with a few players, not that i know anything but the Brown saga is testament to it.

[LostDoggy]

I think his problem was he became too matey with a few players, not that i know anything but the Brown saga is testament to it.

I think as supporters we need to back Rodney to the hilt. He is the coach to take this squad to a flag, it may take 2-3 years given the impressive youth to come through the ranks, but it is our destiny, and Rodney Eade is an integral part of that destiny. We do have the list to do it, the list needs to believe in the destiny and work very, very hard for it., and Rodney is the man to bring it out in the guy's on the list.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Wallace became too matey with some players and ostracised the rest.

Chris Grant for one couldn't stand him. And I'd back Chris Grant's character judgement any day of the week.
Wallace was really too matey with himself in the end.
He saw himself as a hero to the west and expected to be given an emperors send off with laps of honour and rose petals strewn along Barkly street for his motorcade.
But we all (as did the players) saw through his treachery.

If I was a player I would have got sick of Wallace's voice and mangled english two minutes into his first address at training.

Eade is more likeable and infinitely easier to listen to.

Who's the better coach?
Eade for mine.

[mighty_west]

Rocket by a country mile, Terry was good for us at the time, especially his way with the media and the publicity he generated for the club at the time, plus making our brand an exciting one to watch, but that was never going to stand up in finals, i think he said himself a few weeks back re: Jordy McMahan....and stated, but geez' he looks great when running & carrying the ball, sums him up to a tee.

Wallace leaving us was the best thing to happen to the club for us to take that next step, now Rocket is taking the best of the fast running styled type of players and mixing it with a few harder bodied types and combining that speed with a contested game style, THATS what wins big finals games.

[ledge]

And the Rhode years were planned waiting for Rodney!

[Bumper Bulldogs]

Interesting post, both have had the same journey! Rocket at the Swans and Wallace at the dogs. The same time period and I think that Rocket had a better team (by a long way) but Wallace got more out of his. They both left and looked to have changed their styles a little, I don't hear of Wallace man handling players any more and Rocket seems to have stepped away from the politics of the club.

If you compare both list now again rocket has a better list to work with but has he done enough?
Wallace's list is not much chop but what has he actually done?

For me they are very close and I would think if Rocket gets the flag this year, he will be judged the better, however if wallace gets the tigers to top 4 it will swing around to him.

I sincerely hope we get the flag as i couldn't believe the way wallace walked out on us and coaches are basically judge by on the ground not off it.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Interesting post, both have had the same journey! Rocket at the Swans and Wallace at the dogs. The same time period and I think that Rocket had a better team (by a long way) but Wallace got more out of his. They both left and looked to have changed their styles a little, I don't hear of Wallace man handling players any more and Rocket seems to have stepped away from the politics of the club.

If you compare both list now again rocket has a better list to work with but has he done enough?
Wallace's list is not much chop but what has he actually done?

For me they are very close and I would think if Rocket gets the flag this year, he will be judged the better, however if wallace gets the tigers to top 4 it will swing around to him.

I sincerely hope we get the flag as i couldn't believe the way wallace walked out on us and coaches are basically judge by on the ground not off it.

Great post. Very interesting perspective. Well balanced judgement. There's an easy answer to your question: ".. has he (Eade) done enough?".. Yes he has done more than 'enough' getting us to 3rd at this stage with our young lot. However we've got to say anything less than a premiership in his tenure will not be enough.

[LostDoggy]

Looking back in the archives..i find it funny you would even ask the question...LOL!
Its alot different 2 months later!

[LostDoggy]

Funny stuff, Terry who? May not see him at all in a few weeks time.

[Stefcep]

Rocket is a great coach, but I'd give credit to Wallace as well.

Realistically, I think even Rocket has more or less said this, we need a tall marking forward to win a flag.

[AndrewP6]

Rocket is a great coach, but I'd give credit to Wallace as well.

Realistically, I think even Rocket has more or less said this, we need a tall marking forward to win a flag.


Yes, but the truth is... in his time at the Dogs, Eade has taken us much further than Wallet, and set us up for long-term success... not to mention spending FAR less time looking at himself...:)

[Stefcep]

And i think eade is a funny bloke. In his first season with us, a reporter asked him if he still felt the pressure and tension of being an AFL coach. He said " Well, my hairs not growing back..".

So yeah he's ahead of Wallace.

[LostDoggy]

Eade for mine it just seems a more professional and settled environment. Smorgon and Rose need to be paid their dues for that as well.

It's easy to judge on the win loss side of things but if you look at the list as a whole I believe Rocket has the list in better shape with exciting players like Ward, Stack, Wood ect comming through it seems as though the kids comming through seem more exciting and promise under Eade than the kids that Wallace "couldn't take further"

Eade for mine.

[ledge]

Wallace relied on the gift of the gab i think, which does run out over time.
Wallace at Richmond has also proved he cannot build a list and relies on older experienced players to be up and running.
Eade has proved he is a list builder, deep thinker and believes in being strong for years not just a season or two.
In affect Eade is a long term coach, Wallace isnt.

[LostDoggy]

Richmond top 4 someone said? Top 4?

It's just amazing how incredibly gullible your average football fan continues to be. You know, just because it's printed in the paper, doesn't mean it's true. Had to have rocks in the head (or be a Richmond supporter -- oh, wait, is that the same thing?) to believe for a second that Richmond was any chance for the Top 4 this year on the back of Ben Cousin's dodgy hamstrings and a meaningless winning run last year where they didn't beat anyone of note except a half-interested Hawthorn.

[ledge]

Well after 4 years of the same coach and all the talk about rebuilding and the list being better than the Hawks 4 years ago i would be expecting top 4 as well!
And thats not the press , its from Terrys mouth.

[Mofra]

Chris Grant for one couldn't stand him. And I'd back Chris Grant's character judgement any day of the week.
How much of Grant's displeasure with Wallace was due to trading Brad Wira to WA?
I understand they were quite close and Grant wasn't a happy boy when he found out.

[LostDoggy]

Well after 4 years of the same coach and all the talk about rebuilding and the list being better than the Hawks 4 years ago i would be expecting top 4 as well!
And thats not the press , its from Terrys mouth.

Haha -- that would be like believing that the lemon in the corner is actually a bargain sportscar with low-mileage, just because the second-hand car salesman tells you so.

One only had to look at Richmond's list to know that they're a lemon.

Real analysis demands that one digs slightly deeper than the surface, something that the football media (in general) and average fan refuses to do. Combined with an open-mouth policy in terms of offering opinions, this sets the scene for a lot of empty-noisemaking, a bloody annoying trend.

[Remi Moses]

Should be more like Wallace v Rohde Ta Ta Terry. All the hype :p:p:p