At the end of 2004, the Western Bulldogs made the decision to appoint Rodney Eade as its next senior coach.

Taking a side that had managed consecutive bottom-three finishes, Eade moulded them into a thorough, goal-scoring machine, whose attacking, gung-ho style of play took the competition by storm for the rest of the decade.

His record as coach of the club is up there with the very best we've ever had. 3rd-most games coach, 3rd-most wins, his 11 finals is second only to Luke Beveridge, and he is the only man to guide the club to three consecutive top-4 finishes.