RODNEY Eade never won a premiership as a coach but he leaves Gold Coast with an outstanding 40-year career in football behind him.
He coached the Swans to a Grand Final in his first season as a senior coach with Tony Lockett at full-forward and a sweeping bunch of runners attacking from deep in defence.
His teams never made the big dance again in 16 further seasons as a coach but in his seven seasons at the Western Bulldogs he made three consecutive preliminary finals from 2008-2010 before his time at the club ended in 2011.
Eade, who coached Australia in the International Rules Series, declared his coaching days done and moved into a director of coaching role at Collingwood in 2012 before becoming director of football at the Magpies midway through 2013 when Geoff Walsh departed.
However, the lure of taking the talent at Gold Coast to its first finals series proved a challenge too good to resist and he was appointed the Suns' second coach in 2015, his tactical nous highly regarded.
Who will replace Rodney Eade at the Suns?
Any chance of success in his first year at the club was ruined when deep-seated cultural issues emerged and players were moved on and then the second season was derailed through injury before highly rated midfielders Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia both left.
The club entered 2017 with some optimism as it moved into shiny new facilities but a shocking opening quarter in round one against the battling Brisbane Lions led to a two-point loss and then Gary Ablett came clean about his unwillingness to play with the club in 2018 soon after a 102-point loss to the Giants.
Eade remained pragmatic throughout and the Suns rallied for some good wins against Hawthorn, Geelong and West Coast, however his tenure beyond this season always looked tenuous.
The club had not been in the top eight since round five, 2016 and newly installed CEO Mark Evans instituted a football department review.
When the report to the board outlined the fact Eade's contract would not be renewed beyond this season, the 59-year-old was informed and he chose not to coach the remaining three games.
It finishes his coaching career on 377 games, the 14th highest games tally as a coach in VFL/AFL history, just one game behind legendary Richmond and Melbourne coach 'Checker' Hughes.
The Tasmanian-born Eade was also a champion player at Hawthorn, playing in a premiership in 1976 in just his ninth game.
A speedy wingman with a familiar gait, he played in four flags with the Hawks, also being part of the 1978, 1983 and 1986 premierships.
He then played with the Brisbane Bears, extending his career to 259 games before beginning his coaching career at the club, taking the Bears to its first premiership when he coached the reserves to a flag in 1991.
With football operations experience thin on the ground and given his broad knowledge of football he should be in demand at clubs looking to bolster their football department set-up.
Although Collingwood's review is not complete, they may revisit the director of coaching role Neil Balme rejected last year while several other clubs will be interested in assessing Eade's suitability for a similar role as they review their season.
One thing is for certain, the passion for the game he expressed in the coach's box and the gregarious personality he possessed outside it makes his contribution significant.
