What a difference a year makes. Last year’s AFL cellar dwellers clashed not in a battle for the number one draft, pick but in a match that highlighted the completely different trajectories these teams are on in 2016.
Rewind to Round 20 last year at the Gabba where Brisbane and Carlton did battle for the figurative “Weitering Cup,” with the loser more than likely winning the number one pick and the rights to phenomenon Jacob Weitering.
The Lions were winners on the night and a win against the Bulldogs in the final round made Weitering a Blue, however Brisbane were safe in the knowledge they would draft the best forward available, Josh Schache, and had instilled a winning feeling into the list after a tough year. Brighter days awaited the Lions in 2016 it appeared, while Carlton seemed a coachless basket case with possibly the worst list in the competition.
Fast forward to the present day and the bottom two clubs of last year couldn’t be any more different. The Blues are rejuvenated under new coach Brendon Bolton, who has his men playing structured and ultra-competitive, uncompromising football.
His Blues, after disposing of the Lions are 6-5, already surpassed their win total from last year and have provided their supporters with hope for the future as they rise up the ladder. What supporters of developing teams want from their team is competitiveness and effort week to week and visible improvement in both individual players and team play. Bolton has provided this and then some.
Their opponents on the night, however, are a rabble on the field. They appear rudderless at times, their foot skills deplorable. The first half score of one goal, seven behinds has become all too familiar for Lions supporters in recent years, with their lack of scoring punch and skill execution undermining their at times excellent endeavour.
The game plan of this week from the Lions seemed to be based on playing laborious keepings off. That requires precise kicking skills, something that is painfully lacking in Brisbane.
This is just another example of the lack of clarity coming from the coaches box regarding the Lions’ game plan. Some weeks they play fast and play on at all cost. Other weeks it’s death by a thousand cuts as it was against Carlton. Ask a Lions fan what their team’s game plan is and you will get furrowed brows, shrugging shoulders and frustrated exasperations.
Conversely, a Carlton fan will be confident in the knowledge that when they watch their team play they know the game plan and structure their team will play with. A clear, well executed plan promotes confidence and hope, whereas lack of a plan leads to frustration and disillusionment.
The stark contrast between the two teams is not limited to their differing on-field fortunes but is also evident in the men that occupy the coach’s boxes. While Justin Leppitsch was winning premiership number three with the Lions in 2003, Bolton was captain coach of North Hobart and leading them to a premiership of their own.
Bolton served a long and decorated coaching apprenticeship both at VFL and AFL level, most notably as one Alastair Clarkson’s lieutenants at Hawthorn. Leppitsch, conversely, is another member of the “he was a great player, therefore he will be a great coach” production line that has had disastrous results in the recent past.
With Bolton, you can see a man who has honed his craft and has a clear and unshakeable belief in how football should be played and has the ability to teach his players how to execute this vision and improve as individuals and as a whole.
Leppitsch, meanwhile, appears to an outsider to be a coach without a clear vision or unable to communicate or teach his vision to his players, leaving them floundering on game day.
If Leppitsch and his coaching team are unable or incapable of implementing a clear football vision and game plan, then the Lions can look forward to years of competing for the “Weitering Cup” in September instead of the real thing.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Hit the nail on the head. AFL can't let the Lions die on the vine. Most frustrating elements are the lack of skill and player development.
Mic
Guest
Love head jobs. Pity the wife doesn't
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Have to agree with Paul D that it is definitely Lions bashing time heading into the mid-season bye rounds after this weekend. Not that they don’t deserve it mind you. You hear the Coaches and Rockliff and other palyers interviewed trotting out the same predicable lines about “being better in the contest”, “working harder at training” etc. yet the weekend arrives and the game is essentially a dead duck at quarter time. You see the effort they put in against Sydney at the Gabba and then they can’t rise to that level again in the ensuing weeks which is concerning and it is definitely not the sign of an elite team. Without repeating my thoughts on an earlier article this week in too great a detail, the biggest issues are as follows: 1. Heart and Effort. For a professional sporting team it is abhorrent how often the Lions throw in the towel and you only need to look at their record over the last 3-5 years to see how many times this team has been thrashed by over 60 points as evidence. 2. Skills. Has been stated often but there seriously appears to be zero improvement on this front year to year. What exactly are the coaching staff and players doing during the week and during the pre-season? 3. Development What are the development coaches doing at the Lions? Mayes is a great example of a player that has stalled and going backwards after a promising start to his career, Green has dropped away badly this year, Rich seems interested one week on three weeks off, Hanley has failed to fire this year and the list goes on and on. 4. Coaching Staff Total clean out is required. It should actually happen this year but in light of the recent public comments securing Leppa’s job it will need to happen end of 2017. 5. Facilities The Brisbane Airport development absolutely needs to happen. The AFL need to help out and get this over the line. Once the Suns move into the Carrara Sports Precinct the Lions will legitimately be the only Club in the AFL that does not train in Elite Facilities and that does nothing for recruiting or retention.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Nah sod Cloke, he won't come here anyway. The word is we're trying to land Josh Jenkins - much as when we made a play for Charlie Dixon though, I think Josh will choose life elsewhere. And like always we'd have to spend a ton of money to bring him here, something like $750,000. He's not worth that. His value is inflated in no small part due to Adelaide's excellent and unselfish forward line & midfield.
garlee10
Guest
Paul D I feel your passion as a Brisbane lion supporter. They are a shambles on the field. The basic poor skill levels are galling and simply unacceptable. I feel the coach has to be called accountable and dismissed accordingly. The comments that there is no improvement to be elicited from Leppitsch are spot on. Roos would come at a cost but look what's happened in Demon land. I distinctly remember when you guys beat the demons down at the Ethihad two years ago. All who witnessed that could only assume that you guys were on the way up and not Melbourne. Look at the disparity now. Anyway best wishes. Please at all costs do not sign Travis Cloke. You guys have enough issues.
Paul D
Roar Guru
The only other candidate I recall being interviewed who's gone onto anything is Adam Simpson and I'm not at all convinced he'd have been that big a step up on Leppitsch in the long run. Yes he put together the web and took West Coast to a GF, but he also is very indulgent towards mediocrity from his players and tolerates far more than he should. And given the state of our group right now I don't think that's a quality we should be looking for.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
No problem with the Schache pick, this article wasn't about the lions missing out on Weitering that was used just to frame where the two clubs were last year. As we know tall forwards take longer to develop and I hold high hopes for him and he seems committed to the club long term. Fair point about Leppitsch serving a coaching apprenticship but how successful was he at those clubs? Just think at the time the club was looking for a big name coach to sell the club in a rugby league dominant state and when Roos fell through they went with a recognisable name rather then a successful assistant coach with no name recognition.
Trent
Guest
Firstly I agree largely with the premise of the article and indeed have my doubts with Leppitsch as coach, he seems a bit lost at times. The second half of the season will determine whether he's here at the end of the year or not. However just a few points. 1. Schache was always brisbanes first pick - had we had pick 1 we were always going the same way. Lions were never going to go Weitering. This was widely reported both inside and outside the club. 2. Leppitsch actually served a long apprenticeship at AFL coaching level as well. He isn't like Voss or Hird. He was assitant at Brisbane for 3 years under and Richmond for 4 years so had 7 years total as an assistant coach at AFL level. Bolton had 7 years at AFL and VFL level - 2 at VFL and 5 at AFL. So while i don't disagree with most of the article, dont try to paint an inaccurate picture that Leppitsch was somehow just plucked from nowhere because he was a good player. In fact compared to the Scott brothers he was an old hand with both of them only having 3 years as assistant coaches before they got head jobs. Just wondering who was the outstanding candidate who applied for the lions job at the time as well?
Paul D
Roar Guru
That Roos saga was a shambles, still makes me cringe. After Voss was sacked and the board didn’t go on the front foot announcing why they did it and what the succession plan was, the narrative was left yawning wide open. Gerard Whateley filled in the blanks that night on AFL 360, I still remember him saying that the sacking of Voss only made sense if Paul Roos had already agreed to coach. He hadn’t, and it didn’t.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Thanks for the comment Paul I agree with your points and share your frustration. The hiring of Leppitsch at the time seemed haphazard after their big play for Paul Roos fell through they seemed to go with the familiar face rather than the outstanding candidate. The draw this year hasn't helped but the lack of improvement in players and competitiveness is alarming. Appreciate the club going on the front foot and backing the coach to present stability to the competition after the years of instability, I fear their loyalty is misplaced. Academies are crucial for the future success of the club if they can survive the Eddie McGuire undermining.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Been a fair few Lions articles of late – it always seems that around this time of year people have their annual “wow the Lions are really terrible” realisation. Rather than repeating what I’ve said the last few days I’ll just agree that rudderless is a very apt description of the Lions on the field and up in the coaches box. A few days ago Swann guaranteed Leppitsch his job till the end of 2017, now no less a personage than Leigh Matthews has said the same this morning. It would appear from the outside that the Lions want to retain Leppitsch because A) they must think the problems are more deep-seated than just the head coach and B) they want to avoid further appearances of panic through another early sacking of a contracted coach. The manner in which the King in the North, Michael Voss, was assassinated clearly lingers on. Personally I think retaining him is a bad decision, because I can’t see Leppitsch imposing anything on this playing group anymore, but hell, we’ve been spinning our wheels for a decade now, what’s another year or two between friends. But I’d be having a chat to the AFL, they appeared earlier this year to be leaning heavily on the Lions to bump him off. Everyone else is going down the path of Clarkson disciples, and who did we get a coach from the knee of? Damien Hardwick. Ugh. Just on drafting, the canary in the coal mine for me will be if academy players ever start leaving the club. Won’t be anymore go-home factor at that point, rather it’ll be players seeing a dysfunctional club mired in mediocrity and wanting to experience more with their careers. I hope it never comes to that.