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Only hours after Michael Voss said Brisbane’s AFL season could still be alive, the Lions dramatically killed him off as the Lions coach.
Their decision to not extend Voss’ contract beyond this season will intensify speculation that former Sydney premiership coach Paul Ross is headed to the Lions.
Voss confirmed his departure would take effect immediately.
“I don’t know how I feel, to be honest,” Voss told Channel Seven.
“Tomorrow I will wake up and I don’t go to work.
“That’s all I know.
“The club is dear to me, but what I get a kick out of is that I’ve gone every day and there’s been something to improve in our players.
“I think that’s what I will miss the most.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Voss had said Brisbane’s season was “well and truly alive” if Essendon were stripped of their premiership points.
“We sit as one of those teams in the mix,” Voss said of the Lions, who are 13th with eight wins.
The Lions were yet to comment on Voss’ departure, with speculation that assistant and former Fremantle senior coach Mark Harvey would have the caretaker role for the rest of the season.
The stunning news came as Voss’ fellow 1996 Brownlow Medallist, Essendon coach James Hird, was awaiting his fate as the AFL deliberated over the Bombers’ supplements scandal.
Brisbane players were called to the club at 3.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday to be told Voss would not have his contract renewed beyond this season.
“It’s hard to describe – I’m not angry, I’m not sad,” Voss said.
“There’s a little bit of disappointment there, but more because we’ve put five years of work into this.”
One of the most intriguing features of Brisbane’s decision is that the team had improved in the second half of the season.
They won the pre-season competition, but then struggled badly at the start of the season and that meant added pressure for Voss about his future.
But Brisbane have won five of their past seven games, starting with their stunning round-13 comeback against Geelong at the ‘Gabba.
Voss is a revered figure at the Lions, having captained the team in the 2001-03 premierships.
He had coached Brisbane since 2009, with sixth that season their best finish during his tenure.
Melbourne spoke to Roos after sacking Mark Neeld earlier this season, but he has repeatedly said he does not want to return to coaching.
Lions chairman Angus Johnson was booed and heckled when he spoke at the club’s fundraising auction in Brisbane on Tuesday night when he made an unscheduled statement about Voss.
A small section of the function’s crowd let their displeasure be known when Johnson confirmed Voss would not be offered a new contract.
“Notwithstanding the significant contribution he has made, the board obviously believes it’s in the best interest of the football club,” he told the function, prompting boos.
“We have gone through a very robust and comprehensive process.
When Johnson added that it had been “an incredibly difficult decision for me and the other directors” to dump Voss, a crowd member yelled out: “well, quit”.
But there was some applause when Johnson added: “I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Vossy and the contribution he’s made as a coach and the legacy that he’s going to leave this football club.”
Johnson said he would discuss the decision further at a 12 noon press conference in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Johnson’s address was in contrast to the three-line statement the Lions released on Tuesday night about Voss’ departure.
“The Brisbane Lions can confirm senior coach Michael Voss was informed this afternoon by the club’s board that his contract would not be extended beyond this season,” the statement said.
“Voss, in his fifth year as Lions coach, was off-contract at the end of this season.
“Voss notified the club that he would stand down from the role effective immediately.”
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