Eade talks to Tigers
22 July 2004
Herald Sun
Jon Pierik
RICHMOND'S search for a new coach continued yesterday when it opened discussions with Rodney Eade.
Amid the drama at Hawthorn, the Tigers secretly met the former Swans coach in Melbourne to gauge his interest in replacing Danny Frawley next season.
The Tigers spoke with another candidate, Terry Wallace, earlier in the week.
Football operations manager Greg Miller, the man empowered with the greatest say in finding a replacement, and David Parkin, who is also part of the coaching sub-committee, conducted the interview with Eade.
"It was just a preliminary talk," Eade said last night.
"Greg was putting his toe in the water, I was putting my toe in the water, to see whether it's worth going to the next stage, a bit about philosophies and that sort of stuff.
"It was more about whether I would be interested in having another talk down the track, where I saw the club, those sorts of issues, just speaking generically.
"Whether I wanted to coach again, whether I had a passion to coach."
Asked whether he wanted to coach the Tigers, Eade said: "I am interested in coaching again, if any team whoever they be would like me to have a chat to them, I would certainly be interested in having a chat to them.
"Whether that means you are interested in coaching them, I don't know."
But Eade, who quit the Swans midway through 2002, did confirm he was keen to meet the Tigers again.
There was no discussion about contracts while a second meeting may be held next week.
Miller would no comment last night.
While the Tigers face great upheaval if rebel member Michael Pahoff submits his petition and triggers an emergency general meeting, Eade said off-field issues wouldn't play too great a part in his decision to coach a club.
"Melbourne have proved with salary-cap reduction and squabbling at boards and finishing down at the bottom of the ladder, things can be turned around reasonably quickly," he said.
But he said it was vital a prospective coach and board were in unison when it came to rating a club's playing list.
"I think one of the things is their thoughts for the future -- and your thoughts -- and what they need to do are on the same page," he said.
"If the administration think they are a top-eight side and you don't think they are, that can cause a bit of stress and friction down the track.
"The main thing for me from previous experience is that support is unwavering."
Eade, who guided the Swans into the 1996 Grand Final, rejected suggestions he had been tactically a great match-day coach but lacked inspiration during the week.
"A lot of that was a fair bit of embellishment," he said.
"You are supposed to be good on match day. You just don't come up with that on match day. You're planning and training all starts on the Monday."
Eade, a former Hawthorn premiership player, can also expect to receive a call from the Hawks when the embattled club begins its search for a new coach tomorrow.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,10207817%255E20322,00.html
