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It seems like an eternity ago that the Brisbane Lions were the benchmark of Australian Rules football.
Three premierships in a row, a roster of champion players and a marvellous coach made all clubs envious of how a club, so new to the competition, could go down as one of the greatest team’s in VFL-AFL history.
The Lions exemplified ruthlessness, durability, skill and mental toughness in an era of sporting greatness.
However, the Lions have never recovered and have been plagued ever since with poor decision making in drafting, list management and administration.
Fast-forward to 2016, and the Lions have spiralled downwards like no sporting other club in Australia. They are bordering on irrelevant.
It can be argued that the beginning of the end for the Lions was the 2004 grand final Loss to Port Adelaide, the other new club to the competition.
Since this period, Brisbane have made the finals just once, in 2009, and failed to keep Queensland football on the map.
Since this day in 2004, Brisbane have sacked coaches Leigh Matthews, club legend Michael Voss and are on the verge of parting ways with another champion player, Justin Leppistch.
It seems that the Lions got complacent after their three consecutive premierships in a sense, and almost expected another golden era to emerge out of thin air.
The club is now in crisis and needs to be taken seriously. AFL intervention is a necessity and the league should be going into panic mode.
The fans aren’t turning out, and the members are losing all hope.
Failures in recruiting the right players and coaching staff for the club’s sustained on-field success have rendered the club a basket case but that is not the only problem.
The recruitment of players such as Brendan Fevola and Travis Johnstone exemplify the failures of the football department and recruiting teams.
There has perhaps been no bigger blunder than the trade that secured Brendan Fevola to the club. The club not only lost club champion Daniel Bradshaw in bitter circumstances, but it also parted way with current Geelong defender Lachie Henderson and a first round draft selection. This is an unmitigated disaster that the Lions will forever be linked with.
The club lacks leadership, both on and off the field. Leppistch is unsure in his coaching ability and is struggling to develop his list like other clubs. Tom Rockliff has been publicly questioned for his captaincy style, in particular with the younger players. Rockliff may walk out on the club, which is an even bigger dent in the their immediate future.
The club’s young players are promising, but there is simply no middle tier. Players such as Hanley, Rockliff, Dayne Beams and Daniel Rich are great and serviceable players, but apart from them, the depth is not at AFL standard
The club’s reserves team is apart of a poorly run and weak NEAFL competition, which is mediocre compared to the VFL, WAFL and SANFL. This in turns highlights the disperancy between the Lions’ youth development and a club in Victoria, such as Geelong. The NEAFL is an unattractive developmental competition for the AFL’s newest draftees.
The board has been unable to back a coach in a give them time to build a team. Michael Voss was thrown out the door, amidst much speculation about the club trying to lure Paul Roos as the senior coach. They settled for Justin Leppistch, which was a decision and direction the football department seemed to always be hesitant about making.
The disastrous 2013 trade period, in which the club lost prized youngsters Sam Docherty (Carlton), Elliot Yeo (West Coast), Jared Polec (Port Adelaide), Patrick Karnezsis (Collingwood), Billy Longer (St Kilda) and eventually James Aish (Collingwood), have hurt the club’s future and forced the club to recruit fringe players and pay overs for players who are past their best football.
Adding to this, Former Rising Star winner Lewis Taylor will most likely walk to a rival club, and captain Rockliff is a big chance to leave.
Player retention has been a major issue since 2005 and no club has lost more talent than the Lions. This cannot be a coincidence and points towards a toxic culture in the football club.
The effort of the players on-field mirrors the lack of stability within the football department. Effort does not require skill and the Lions lack both. The players are simply not accountable for their actions are paying the price for a lack of development structure and effective coaching.
On average only 17,103 spectators are coming to see the Brisbane Lions play at home in 2016, they’re lowest average in the existence of their football club.
The Brisbane Lions, along with Queensland football is struggling for survival. The facilities within the club are poor and are arguably the worst in the competition.
The AFL needs to take immediate action and restore some pride within the club or face the extinction of a club that was once the envy of the competition.
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