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The Brisbane Lions are a club with some up-and-down history – they’ve had some high moments indeed, and some low ones too. Yesterday’s 83-point capitulation to the Fremantle Dockers was one of the very lowest.
To put things into a bit of perspective, two of our three expert tippers (myself being one of them) tipped the Lions to win that game. So did 44 per cent of the Roarers who entered their tips.
It was seen as a game that the Lions had a genuine opportunity to win – a home match-up against a team that, like them, had a 1-10 record. At the very least, it was a game they should have been competitive in.
Early on, it looked like things might just turn out that way too – they kicked the first three goals of the match in quick succession, and looked really switched on. It wouldn’t last.
Fremantle drew level by quarter time and then bagged nine goals to one in the second term, and they never looked back. In the end, after that three-goal burst in the opening minutes, it was 23 goals for the day to Fremantle, and just six more to the Lions.
In his press conference after the match, Brisbane’s senior coach Justin Leppitsch was asked by one reporter if he was worried about losing his job. His response wasn’t exactly cordial:
“Here we go again. Can we stop these silly questions? I’m getting a bit over it to be perfectly honest,” said Lepptisch.
“Why would you ask someone if they’re gong to keep their job?
“First of all, if you said that to someone on the street, it’s a disgusting thing to say.
“Second of all, ask someone who decides it, not me. That’s the answer to it, so stop asking me. Ask Leigh, ask Swanny.
“I’ve got a job for 18 months to do and I’m doing it. Can we finish that right now? Done. Thank you. Next question.”
So in short, the answer is: Yes. Yes, he is just a little bit worried.
I’ve not exactly kept my position regarding Leppitsch’s tenure hidden before now, in fact late last year when Jack Redden left the Brisbane Lions I called for Leppitsch to follow him out the door.
My view hasn’t really changed since then – why should it have? The Lions have done nothing this season to make me believe that Leppitsch has a future as a senior coach.
There are some reasonable arguments you could make as to why he should be kept on, of course. To start with, many would say that the significant injury toll the club has suffered particularly over the past eighteen months has prevented us from seeing what Leppitsch could do with a fit list.
However I would argue that in two and a half years even with regular injury problems, we should at least be seeing some sort of improvement on the field. The Lions’ performances aren’t those of a team with too many injuries, they’re the performances of team that’s just bad at football.
The point could also be made that the problems at Brisbane seem clearly to go deeper than merely the senior coach. And with this I wholeheartedly agree – moving on Leppitsch without really looking to fix the fundamental issues at the Lions would be an empty gesture, mere papering over the cracks.
However while I do think “fixing” the Lions requires a multi-pronged approach, finding a new senior coach – and importantly, one with no prior connections whatsoever to the club – is an essential part of that strategy.
The Lions’ last three coaches have been Leigh Matthews, the legendary coach of a triple-flag era, followed by Michael Voss, the captain in those three flags, and now Leppitsch, a player in those three flags. Matthews himself is now the deputy chairman on the board of directors.
It’s an unhealthy, incestuous situation to be in, one where personal relationships forged over memories of days long ago pose a risk to what should be a cold, unbiased decision-making process. We’ve seen it happen at clubs before and it never ends well.
Matthews just a few days ago said that Lepptisch was at no risk of losing his job and would be the Lions’ senior coach in 2017, in accordance with the contract extension he was given ahead of this season. But, Matthews also told us last year that James Aish would never be traded, so take that with a grain of salt.
What the Lions need more than anything in my view is to make a break with the past, and to embrace modernisation and the next era of their club. Bringing in a new senior coach from outside the boys club, and giving them license to shake things up a bit, is the best way to make that happen.
We saw it in 2013 when Ken Hinkley arrived at Port Adelaide and turned the AFL’s most pitied franchise into a finals side. We’re seeing it again in 2016 with the work Brendon Bolton is doing at Carlton. And we need to see it at Brisbane.
That’s my view, but what’s yours? The title of this article is, after all, a question, rather than an assertion – I’m keen to hear what you think, fellow Roarers. Is it time for the Lions to move Leppitsch on? Let me know what your call is in the comments below.