As the season winds down, the problems for the Lions seem to ratchet up with every poor performance.
The recent public declaration of a review at the end of the season, which can’t come soon enough, appears to have signalled the end for Justin Leppitsch and the long list of issues have clearly been made obvious.
For all the issues the Lions have though the one thing that has let them down the most has been a lack of leadership.
From board level to the coaching staff to on-field leadership, no one within the club has shown any inclination to take the reins and lead the club out of the inevitable downward spiral that comes with such poor on-field performances.
Bob Sharpless, Leigh Matthews, and Greg Swann have spent the last six weeks or more responding to a constant media barrage questioning when or if the coach will be sacked.
While they have pointed to the fact the Lions have a young list and Leppitsch is contracted until the end of 2017, I am yet to hear any of the senior leaders at the club be proactive. None have come out to acknowledge the disappointing year, nor admit that all positions within the club need to be reviewed.
More importantly, there is no public plan for the fans to see that the club has some idea of how it will get out of the current hole it finds itself in.
This lack of leadership from the top has largely left Leppitsch to defend himself. None of the above power brokers have come out to offer reasons why Leppitsch is the man to re-build the Lions, with them all towing the line of “he is contracted until 2017 and we have no intention to change coaches”.
The next heavy loss only brings about further questions as to whether the continuing bad results change this message.
Clearly based on recent press conferences Leppitsch has then struggled under the huge weight of media attention on his job and has resorted to blaming any manner of issues for the Lions current position.
To claim he is a first year coach, has nothing left to motivate his players and that now in his third year of re-building the club needs to invest in off-field development, makes him look like he has little direction or idea on leading this young group of players.
What’s wrong with getting back to basics for a team likely to loose most of their matches for the rest of the season – surely they can have a plan to win more contested possession, gain more forward 50 entries, and increase the number of pressure acts? All objective measures to show the team is having a crack.
A press conference held before the Bombers game, run by the board and including the coach, where they outline objectives for the remainder of the season (not focused on games won) could have helped take some of the constant weekly speculation out of the media harassment and allowed them to focus on the job at hand.
Acknowledging the poor season and earmarking a review at this point would also have quelled further speculation over Leppitsch’s job.
On field the situation is no better.
While the Lions clearly are playing a very inexperienced side and have lost some good players to injury, their senior players are the real disappointment. They lack a defensive leader down back to organise a young and inexperienced team.
If only they had a player with leadership skills and experience to co-ordinate the back six – Jed Adcock comes to mind.
The midfield lacks any desire to work hard defensively and apply pressure to the opposition and the few senior players out there seem so under siege and focused on their own game that is looks like its every man for himself.
There are a number of challenges for the Lions with the club debt, player retention, and facilities all a concern but a number of issues are of their own making.
The club needs leadership now more than anything else. They need someone at the club to stand up and take ownership of the club and the position they find themselves in, and more importantly present a plan to get out of the current mess they are in.
The club needs to be seen by their fans to have a clear direction and understanding of what the challenges are, who’s responsible for them and how they plan to overcome them – begging for money and concessions from the AFL and sacking the coach is hardly filling the fans with hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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Not often you see an umpire reverse his own decision!
Last, year in the second showdown, Adelaide destroyed Port by 47 points with a staggering 20 marks inside 50 with Tex Walker the main star.
If the Lions are clever they can use this season as a passing of the guard season and send off some very talented players whilst also trying to be competitive.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
The AFL need a more simple approach to high contact and one that makes players accountable, regardless of intent.
