RODNEY Eade will get another chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a premiership coach after Gold Coast officially confirmed his appointment on Thursday.
Eade beat five others who were shortlisted for the job, whittled down from an original list numbering 150 candidates.
He said the Suns' job was the only coaching job he would have left Collingwood for and conceded that the offer had come out of left field.
"Only a very specific opportunity was going to lure me away from Collingwood and back into coaching," Eade said.
"The opportunity with the Suns emerged and, to be honest, there probably wasn’t another that I was prepared to consider."
The final confirmation came days after Eade accepted the job because Collingwood would not release him from his contract as director of football until it had negotiated acceptable terms with the Suns.
The two clubs reached agreement on Thursday, although Suns CEO Andrew Travis said no money was exchanged.
Instead the Magpies will be allowed a greater presence at Metricon Stadium for round eight and beyond.
"We entered into a mutual agreement that will have some commercial outcomes for both parties," Travis told radio station SEN.
"We were able to work together and create more of a long-term partnership with Collingwood playing games up here on the coast.
"Collingwood playing here, I think it's a great chance to build up that game out in our community leading into the match at Metricon Stadium.
"We can give them some area and presence, we manage Metricon Stadium so we've got some flexibility to provide their fans with areas within the stadium."
It will be Eade's third stint as senior coach at an AFL club after periods spent coaching the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs.
Eade has coached 314 games for 162 wins.
He led the Swans into a Grand Final in 1996 and the Western Bulldogs to three preliminary finals between 2008-20010.
He coached those clubs into nine finals series in 14 seasons.
He also played in four premierships with Hawthorn.
At the end of 2012, Suns chairman John Witheriff declared that the Suns would win a flag by the end of 2015. They are yet to play finals.
Travis said Eade's competitive streak and hardness were crucial in his appointment.
"We're clear that we need to change gears as a club if we're going to get to finals and [if] we're to have any success," he said.
"That was an area we were looking for in our coaching candidate, someone who could demonstrate the ability to get us to that next step and we think 'Rocket' demonstrated that clearly."
Collingwood CEO Gary Pert said the Magpies were sad to lose Eade after three years at the club as coaching strategist and football manager.
However the club wished him well as he undertook the challenge of lifting the Suns up the ladder.
Born and raised in Glenorchy, Tasmania, Eade played in four premierships for Hawthorn during its glory era in the 1970s and 1980s before ending his career with the Brisbane Bears when the club was based at Carrara.
Eade went on to coach the Bears to the reserves premiership in 1991 and then joined North Melbourne as an assistant coach. He coached the Kangaroos' reserves in 1994 and 1995, winning his second reserves premiership in 1995.
After completing a five-year apprenticeship, Eade was appointed senior coach of the Sydney Swans in 1996.
