Rodney Eade the right man to coach the Bulldogs

[bornadog]

Mark Robinson From: Herald Sun July 05, 2011 10:20am



If THE Western Bulldogs are looking for a coach, the search is already over.

Rodney Eade should be reappointed, if not soon then certainly at the end of the season.

Before the whackos start shrilling about Eade being a media darling, those same whackos clamouring for Eade's head should start analysing what Eade is accomplishing in the final year of his contract.

Facts first, Eade is a very good coach.

His overall win/loss record is 168 wins and 137 losses, including three preliminary finals.

In movie-speak, three times he has been invited to the Oscars, while most of the rest have been forced to settle for the Logies.

So season 2011 should not be singular on the minds of Bulldogs officials.

If it is, bare in mind the injury list, the selection of next generation players and the evolution of game strategy, ie, the defensive press, that seemingly has found strength and consistency over the past six weeks.

Eade is not Bambi, however.

While the rest of the football world, save for Melbourne, were imploring the press, Eade was reluctant, believing he had the personnel to win the premiership. Personnel and strategy wins flags, not personnel alone, and Eade has rectified that.

The Bulldogs have won their past three matches, and before that scrapped itself to a 24-point loss against the Saints.

Friday night's win against Melbourne was the best consistent, four-quarter effort of the season.

So, strategy is slowly becoming a tick.

Importantly, attitude has propelled Eade to new levels of respect.

In an expansive interview on SEN on Saturday, Eade spoke about personal development in crisis.

At Sydney, crisis led to savage condemnation of his players and he was rail-roaded out of town, and replaced by Cool Hand Luke - Paul Roos.

This time round, Eade has shown he has learnt by his mistakes.

Clearly, it's Cool Hand Rocket.

He's even cooled on his criticism of Brian Lake, who might be his most important player and who might not play seniors again this year.

Then there's the rest of the players.

Not that they should be calling the shots in times of coaching appointments, but they are firmly in Eade's corner. Radio and newspaper interviews are telling. Each to a man they are saying the coach is educating, encouraging and developing.

What else can they say? Well, they could say it's up to the club to the make the decision and leave it be. But they aren't. It's a plus for the coach.

Along this hellish highway called 2011, Eade has exposed his playing list: Skinner, Schofield, Mulligan, Dahlhaus, Howard, Wallis, Barlow, Djerrkura, Reid, Markovic, Liberatore and Jones have made their debuts or have been given extended playing time.

It's a plus for the football club.

It is said the Bulldogs have lacked leadership in the past, but it's that quality shining from Eade's office at the moment.

He knows Whitten Oval needs a renovation, not a complete overhaul, and he is strong with his direction as coach.

Of course, the Bulldogs don't owe him anything, other than honesty and a common-sense approach.

And if they are honest and have common sense, their next coach is already in the building.

[comrade]

This won't be popular with some WOOFers who are convinced that a change will somehow magically bring us the success that has eluded us.

[ledge]

I agree with Robbo on this one, I just want to know if Robbo was one who was calling for his head a few weeks ago.

[bornadog]

I agree with Robbo on this one, I just want to know if Robbo was one who was calling for his head a few weeks ago.

I think he was. I recall many negative comments on Rocket by Robbo a few weeks ago when we were getting belted.

[ledge]

I think he was. I recall many negative comments on Rocket by Robbo a few weeks ago when we were getting belted.

The pleasures of being Robbo, jump on the bandwagon that suits or the one that seems right, maybe call him Mussolini

[DragzLS1]

Eade should stay I say.. Never doubted him just a bad run of injuries at the start of the year

[Greystache]

I agree with Robbo on this one, I just want to know if Robbo was one who was calling for his head a few weeks ago.

Yeah he was, but then we beat a team going like busteds, a team of kids, and a team playing 2009 football and he's now one of the forward thinkers that says Eade should be re-signed. Should we get belted this week I'm sure he'll be back in the sack Eade camp.

Personally I'm still firmly in the replace Eade camp, we looked great against a team playing an outdated style, it suited the way we play, but I think this week will be a different story. If I see something other than horrible skills under actual pressure, unaccountable rebound out of our forward line, and something more than just bombing the ball into our outnumbered forwards, then I'll believe we're catching up to the other teams.

[Maddog37]

Wait til the end of the year. Will changing coaches or keeping Rocket have any impact on what Ward does?

[Bulldog Joe]

Well I am an Eade fan and believe he has done everything possible with the cards that have fallen.

Considering how under- resourced we are in our Football Department spend, it is surprising that we have sustained our competitive position for as long as we have.

From taking on a list that actually did so badly we had a priority pick, we got to 9th in the first year and have finished top 6 in 4 of 5 subsequent years including 3 top 4 finishes. The missing year in 2007 was a year where we had such injury concerns we gave a game to a bloke (Josh Hill) who was basically a VFL seconds player at the time.

2011 is not over yet and we have introduced 8 first gamers so far, yet we are still a real finals chance.

The Carlton game may define a few things.
A bad loss will have people calling for heads, but a win would put us in a strong position to play finals. As a glass half full person I remain optimistic and I am excited by the prospects we have unearthed.

For all those glass half empty people out there -- just get yourself a smaller glass.

[Sedat]

Yeah he was, but then we beat a team going like busteds, a team of kids, and a team playing 2009 football and he's now one of the forward thinkers that says Eade should be re-signed. Should we get belted this week I'm sure he'll be back in the sack Eade camp.

Personally I'm still firmly in the replace Eade camp, we looked great against a team playing an outdated style, it suited the way we play, but I think this week will be a different story. If I see something other than horrible skills under actual pressure, unaccountable rebound out of our forward line, and something more than just bombing the ball into our outnumbered forwards, then I'll believe we're catching up to the other teams.

Melbourne had a forward press going, just that they weren't very good at maintaining it.

2010 has gone. In hindsight it was a wasted year of development in young personnel and a more appropriate game plan, but falling agonisingly short of the ultimate success the year before, I can forgive Rocket and the MC for rolling the dice. Before 2010, the forward press was an unknown quantity in comparison to the Geelong run-and-gun through the corridor game plan (which we copied in 08-09).

As for the remainder of this season, I think we are trending in the right direction and don't think we will be embarrassed again like we were against WC and Geelong. The game plan has undeniably changed and we are finally structuring up with the right mix of personnel to execute the revised game plan. I get a sense now that the playing group have collectively bought in to the changes as well.

As Rocket and the Dogs senior management have stated all along, let's wait and see how the season pans out before making a call one way or the other.

[Happy Days]

After the West Coast game I was ready for a chage; that was the most obvious case of a far superior gameplan beating a potentially superior group of players I can recall, especially by such a distance.

However, since then, it seems as if Eade is willing to change the game plan to a more contemporary style, actually training to the press and bringing in smaller players to increase forward pressure with (Dahlhaus) and, thus far, without (Hooper, DJ) success.

One of the main criticisms of Eade is that he has the tendancy to get stuck in his ways if plan A doesn't work. As long as he continues to show a preparedness to move forward, then he is still the man for the job.

[Go_Dogs]

It's a very tough decision and difficult to really speculate until the season is finished.

If Eade finishes the year well, continues to develop young players and the game plan then why not? The lack of a premiership and success against the best teams does work against him, but does he wear the full burden of this, or his game plans? I'm not sure.

This story will just continue to get bigger until seasons end.

[Greystache]

Melbourne had a forward press going, just that they weren't very good at maintaining it.

2010 has gone. In hindsight it was a wasted year of development in young personnel and a more appropriate game plan, but falling agonisingly short of the ultimate success the year before, I can forgive Rocket and the MC for rolling the dice. Before 2010, the forward press was an unknown quantity in comparison to the Geelong run-and-gun through the corridor game plan (which we copied in 08-09).

As for the remainder of this season, I think we are trending in the right direction and don't think we will be embarrassed again like we were against WC and Geelong. The game plan has undeniably changed and we are finally structuring up with the right mix of personnel to execute the revised game plan. I get a sense now that the playing group have collectively bought in to the changes as well.

As Rocket and the Dogs senior management have stated all along, let's wait and see how the season pans out before making a call one way or the other.

I can certainly see a change in our game style of late, and as I noted in the training thread, an effort to work on it at training. I guess it's an acknowledgement we got it wrong and are behind many of the other teams, which is positive in a way because had we stubbornly stuck to the out of date gameplan we could well be a bottom four finisher and another 12 months behind the curve. On the other hand, you also have to ask why our coaching group not see what so many others could, and if we're now frantically playing catch up is it realistic to think Eade and his current team can come up with the next evolution of "the press" or the new tactic to counter it and expose teams using it?

For me it's hard to see us catching up and then going past the other teams.

[bornadog]

in comparison to the Geelong run-and-gun through the corridor game plan (which we copied in 08-09).

.

I don't agree with this Sedat, Rocket introduced the run and gun style towards the end of 2005, when we made a bid to get into the finals. We played some incredible football with all out attack in our last 6 or so games. Geelong took this game plan to another level, but it was really Rocket who started it.

[Sedat]

I can certainly see a change in our game style of late, and as I noted in the training thread, an effort to work on it at training. I guess it's an acknowledgement we got it wrong and are behind many of the other teams, which is positive in a way because had we stubbornly stuck to the out of date gameplan we could well be a bottom four finisher and another 12 months behind the curve. On the other hand, you also have to ask why our coaching group not see what so many others could, and if we're now frantically playing catch up is it realistic to think Eade and his current team can come up with the next evolution of "the press" or the new tactic to counter it and expose teams using it?

Interesting discussion.

Geelong were still the reigning premier in 2010 and still regularly smashed opposition teams to smithereens. Even as late as preliminary final night, there were many pundits who thought Geelong's game style would withstand the manic forward press adopted by Collingwood. History shows that the 2010 PF was Custer's last stand for corridor footy, but until then the press was still not a clear winner over the run-and-gun.