NO FIRING ROCKET

’Time will tell’ if Suns stay course

RODNEY Eade is confident he is the man to guide the Gold Coast Suns to glory but stopped short of saying he is confident the job will be his in 2018.

Questions flew thick and fast yesterday about the former Swans and Bulldogs coach’s future at Carrara, following the recent announcement Suns chief executive Mark Evans is reviewing the battling club’s entire football department.

Admirably calm, Eade simply said he was not sure what the future held.

“Only time will tell,” he told media. “I don’t know, but certainly I think we have put in a good foundation.

“I think the players have bought in, the players are – from feedback I’m getting from them – they know where we’re headed and hopefully I’m around to do that.”

What he does know is a decision should be made in the next six weeks before the regular season is up.

“It will certainly be made by then I’d imagine. I don’t think they are going to wait until Round 23 for a whole range of different reasons,” Eade said.

Eade supported the notion of reviewing their program as “good governance” and clarified that the process had actually been in progress for several weeks, rather than starting in response to their heavy loss to Sydney last weekend.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, whose side plays Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium tomorrow, is also under immense pressure but was this week told that his job is safe until the end of the season.

Eade has sought no such assurances from the club but has had players come to see how he is faring.

He added an explanation to why the expansion club has come under particular scrutiny.

“I’ve got a theory about it,” he said.

“Probably a bit of resentment that the Suns and the Giants are in the competition to be honest. I think it is as simple as that.”

Regardless, he made no secret of his desire to extend his Suns tenure into a fourth year and beyond, despite the challenges that lie ahead in 2018 when Metricon Stadium will be out of bounds for 10 weeks due to the Commonwealth Games.

The club won’t even be able to train at their headquarters during that time and will need to take home games to Brisbane or even Cairns, which Eade predicted will have a “difficult” effect on membership and support.

The Suns’ Round 17 match against the Magpies starts at 4.35pm tomorrow.