Rodney Eade has officially signed on to coach the Gold Coast Suns in 2015.
Fairfax Media reports Eade has accepted a three-year deal to join the up-and-coming Suns after previous coaching stints at Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.
The 56-year-old will leave Collingwood, where he has held the position of football director since 2011, and is believed to have been lured out of coaching retirement for the chance to lead Gold Coast’s talented and maturing list to a first finals appearance.
The negotiations have angered Magpies president Eddie McGuire, who criticised Gold Coast’s approach in finding a replacement for the sacked Guy McKenna.
“They’ve been coming to him, it hasn’t been ‘Rocket’ auditioning or applying for a job,” the outspoken McGuire told Triple M on Tuesday.
“So they’ve shown interest and we know that that’s the situation, so we’ll just let it unfold.
“But at some stage someone from the Gold Coast, if they don’t want to get an inducement to break a contract blister, want to make a call to the executive of Collingwood and do it the right way.”
“It would be a courtesy, I think, to call and say ‘do you mind if we speak to the bloke?’”
Collingwood is not expected to hinder the signing process despite Eade still being under contract with the club.
An official announcement is expected on Tuesday evening.
Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
