Michael Voss - Brisbane Lions coach. Slattery Images.
The Brisbane Lions’s decision to select Matt Maguire with the final pick of Thursday’s AFL Draft was great news for the likeable ex-Saint. But for Brisbane, it was yet another recycled player to join Michael Voss’s list as the Lions chase premiership glory by an unprecedented method.
Back in October’s trade week, Voss was extremely active luring north the likes of Brendan Fevola, Amon Buchanan, Brent Staker, Andrew Raines and Xavier Clarke. And with Maguire now joining those ‘recycled’ players at the GABBA, it makes for quite the list.
But it has occurred on the back of a revelation from Voss who was in attendance at this year’s AFL Grand Final.
Speaking after trade week, Voss revealed, “When I looked at the grand final I saw two very, very good football teams and immediately as a coach when you are sitting in the stands you think, ‘gee can we get there with the list that we have got’?
“Can we compete against these guys tomorrow if we had to? And honestly, at that particular time I didn’t think we could.
“Our plan coming into trade week was about trying to find the players who will help us get to that next level and I think we have accomplished that.”
Indeed, with superstars like Simon Black and Jonathon Brown now heading into veteran status, Voss is aware the Lions premiership window is possibly open, but readying for closure. Thus his busy off-season of recruitment.
But making wholesale changes to player lists isn’t the norm in AFL circles, as seen by the outcry to Daniel Bradshaw’s axing. Nor is recruiting bulk numbers of fringe players from others clubs.
But Voss, who took over at Brisbane before the 2009 season, is a man in a hurry and, like his playing days show, he’s not one to necessarily follow trends just for the sake of it.
Indeed, now in his coaching days, it is clear he’s willing to deviate from the norm and offer second-chances to players like never seen before.
And Voss has had plenty of success dancing to his own beat having been a three-time premiership player, five-time All-Australian, five-time Brisbane club champion and, of course, the winner of the 1996 Brownlow medalist.
It is clear he is someone who strives to reach the top and achieves those goals.
Plus he captained Brisbane to those premierships, showing real capacity as a leader which suggests he knows how to set the standard, lead men and get the best out of people.
Apply those ingredients to the recycled players and there’s the potential for something special to occur under Voss’s guidance.
The major question, though, is can this method work or is it just another flash-in-the-pan policy from a young coach?
Speaking to ABC Grandstand after Thursday’s draft, Voss conceded, “I’d like to think we could have a good crack at it (the 2010 premiership) but unfortunately one thing doesn’t lead to another in this industry.
“Historically it’s said that to be a premiership team you’ve got to be together for a while. And now we’ve added a few new players to our group it’s about them being able to gel quickly. So that’s the challenge that we’re going to have over the next four months.
Indeed, Voss will need to create history in 2010, but looking at his record he knows how to achieve success, it’s just a matter of whether or not this method is the right direction for these Lions.
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Thoughts, Crows fans?
Poor Luke had best get used to this!
A bit lucky for the Lion?
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