Rodney began his senior AFL career with Glenorchy in 1976 and went on to become a key performer for the Hawks for the next twelve seasons. With many more seasons tucked under his belt Rodney exemplified the best and carried his level of success, determination and vision into coaching where his reputation and achievement have turned the under-performing Western Bulldogs into one of the most exciting teams on the game. Rodney inspires and refreshes audiences with his leadership, team building and motivational skills.
In the highly competitive world of professional football, Rodney Eade has carved out a reputation for achieving the best as both a player and a coach.
Now coach of the Western Bulldogs, Rodney exemplifies how dogged determination, together with the right vision, can achieve the very best. He is a polished motivational speaker with a valuable message for both individuals and businesses alike. He is one of the most respected senior coaches in the AFL and one with plenty of experience behind him.
With more than 150 games of experience in six-and-a-half seasons with Sydney, Rodney Eade was no stranger to the AFL coaching caper when he signed on to replace Peter Rohde as the coach of the Western Bulldogs at the end of 2004. But the challenge of turning around an under-performing club with consecutive bottom three finishes in 2003 and 2004 clearly re-energised Eade's enthusiasm for the game. By the end of 2005, he presided over the most exciting side in the AFL, a free-flowing unit that used attack as the best form of defence.
Rodney Eade began his senior football career with Glenorchy in 1975 where he made an immediate impact, catching the eye of mainland talent scouts and being voted the best first year player in the TFL.
His successful playing career at the Hawthorn Football Club started in 1976 and Rodney went on to be a tremendous performer for the Hawks in 229 games over the course of the next twelve seasons. He played in the 1978 premiership win over North Melbourne, and also figured prominently in the 1983 grand final win over Essendon. As a Hawthorn player he was part of an amazing four Premierships and four Night Premierships in just eleven years. Rodney was made a life member of Hawthorn in 1983. In 1988 he moved to coaching in Brisbane.
In 1996 Eade replaced the great Ron Barassi as coach of Sydney and promptly steered the Swans from twelfth place to second and onto their first grand final in 51 years in 1996 – his first season as coach, a phenomenal achievement that led to him being appointed AFL Coach of the Year. He was the most successful coach of the Swans since Jack Bissett in the 1930's and the longest serving coach. Up until his resignation he was the innovator among the present bunch of AFL coaches with the controversial flooding tactic among those he pioneered.
Rodney's leadership, team building and motivational skills are infused into his addresses, leaving audiences with a positive and refreshed attitude towards the challenges that lay ahead both personally and professionally.
He is able to draw on his experiences in his football career and incorporate anecdotal content and question and answer sessions that result in high audience participation. Rodney is a consummate speaker, a well respected person both on and off 'the paddock'.
¨ Seminars
¨ Speaking Engagements
¨ Workshops
¨ Motivation – lifting morale
¨ Team building / team chemistry – developing cohesive teams
¨ Goal setting – increasing confidence
¨ Coping with adversity – uncovering anxieties
¨ Strategy and planning – improved productivity
¨ Leadership – enhancing leadership capabilities
¨ Channel 9 special comments and panellist
¨ ABC radio special comments
¨ Sunday Herald Sun Columnist
• Motivation - lifting morale
• Team building / team chemistry - developing cohesive teams
• Goal setting - increasing confidence
• Coping with adversity - uncovering anxieties
• Strategy and planning - improved productivity
• Leadership - enhancing leadership capabilities
We were all really impressed with the way Rodney Eade's message reached into the heart of TAFE Tasmania's vision for the future of the Automotive team. His analogies were applied to the themes of the conference in both far-reaching and practical ways. Having Rodney Eade open our conference set just the right note for the two days. We found ourselves constantly referring back to something Rodney had explained during the sessions and forward planning. Thank you Rodney!
Institute of TAFE Tasmania
Rodney Eade was a good drawcard for the opening of our conference. We attracted a number of people who did not necessarily come to the conference but wanted to hear him speak.
Australian Industries Group