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Justin Leppitsch sacked as Brisbane Lions coach

Coach Justin Leppitsch has been handed his marching orders. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
29th August, 2016
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Justin Leppitsch has been sacked as coach of the Lions, with the 40-year-old being handed his marching orders following Brisbane’s 58-point loss to St Kilda in the final round of the AFL season on Sunday.

Brisbane’s board held a meeting on Monday morning to discuss the future of the three-time premiership winning Lion, before informing players of the decision via a message from football boss Matthew Francis.

The message to players stated: “The club’s board came to the decision today after a thorough review of the team’s performance and the factors influencing continued poor results.”

The news does not come as a shock to AFL fans, who have all heard the murmurs of an ousting growing throughout the course of the 2016 season.

The conclusion of the season saw the Lions only avoid the wooden spoon by 0.6 per cent, ahead of the embattled Bombers, and finish with far and away the worst defensive record in the AFL, conceding an average of 130.5 points per game.

Speaking on the decision, Brisbane’s chairman Bob Sharpless said: “We extended his contract at the start of this year because we believed we were heading in the right direction, but this season has not panned out the way we expected to. We needed to do something.”

The Lions must now commence their hunt for a new coach, a position for which the board has yet to approach any potential candidates.

When commenting on the future coach, chief executive Greg Swann stated: “Ultimately we will just get the best coach there is. We don’t have a preconceived idea. Hopefully, we’ll begin that search soon.

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“It doesn’t matter where they come from. If they are the best candidate then they will get the job. That’s a given.”

Leppitsch coached 48 games for the Lions from 2014-2016.

What do you think, Roarers? Was the decision to give Leppitsch the boot the right one?

And now that he’s gone, who should take the reigns at the Lions?

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