Four months have now lapsed since Rodney Eade took the reins of the Gold Coast SUNS and begun his third journey as an AFL coach. In reflection, the veteran coach admits being surprised by how well the club has been built from the ground up.
 
For a club entering just their fifth season in the AFL, Eade praised the way the game's 17th franchise has been constructed in terms of engaging the community on the Gold Coast and turning their attention to developing a strong set of beliefs and values to stand by.
 
Speaking on Melbourne radio station SEN on Tuesday evening, the former Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans astute tactician revealed once you enter a football club for the first time, your observations can be altered in a variety of manners.
 
“I think your perception of any club, once you go inside, things are always - even if it’s minor - things can be a little bit different,” Eade told the Run Home on SEN.
 
“I think as a club, it surprised me in a positive way about how they’d set the club up and the culture within the club and being a community-based club.
 
“They’ve only being going for five or six years so I think they’ve done a fantastic job from that aspect.”
 
The surprises didn’t end with the state of the football club as a whole. Eade was mildly alarmed by the education process in place at Metricon Stadium upon arrival.
 
With a plethora of young talent at his disposal, the upside for the seasoned coach is large. Although, Eade explained his troops have a fair bit of development to go to fulfil their potential.
 
“From a football aspect, I think probably a group that is so young – I think they’ve only got six above 25 years of age – just their education process is going to be pretty steep,” Eade said.
 
“Obviously they’ve probably played a bit on talent, so they’ve got a lot to learn so that probably surprised me to a degree. There’s a fair bit of upside but there’s a fair bit of work ahead.”
 
The SUNS will conclude their pre-season preparations on Friday night in the final game of the NAB Challenge series against the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium.