Richmond is seemingly waiting to swoop on former West Coast star Ben Cousins should it be allowed to place Graham Polak on its rookie list in exchange for another selection, but the Tigers must await the decision of the AFL Commission on Monday.
Eade admits the League has a tough call to make, with some AFL clubs split on whether they believe the Tigers should be granted another pick.
While Richmond have labelled its circumstances with Polak as exceptional – likening its cause to that of former cancer sufferer Adam Ramanauskas during his playing days at Essendon – Eade isn’t so sure.
“I haven’t spoken to the club about it so I don’t know what the club’s position is but it’s an interesting one,” the Bulldogs coach said from Whitten Oval on Saturday morning.
“The AFL Commission will make the right call but it probably is a different set of circumstances to Ramanauskas, really.”
Eade said he agreed with some clubs’ viewpoint that just because they lost a player for a sustained period it didn’t automatically entitle them to an extra player on their list.
“I think Adelaide made the point [Trent] Hentschel. It certainly wasn’t his fault he snapped his leg and wasn’t going to play for 18 months [but] they didn’t get any compensation for it,” Eade said.
“I think it’s a hard one and I don’t think it’s clear cut … I don’t think really it’s that similar to Ramanauskas.”
Whether the League grants the Tigers an extra selection on Tuesday or not, Eade is sure of one thing – he would like to see Cousins running around at AFL level next season.
“I think our society is all about second chances, isn’t it?” he said.
“I mean he’s been a great player but I think the football commission will make the right decision”.
