Brisbane Lions

There is an inherent danger in recruiting former club champions to fill the role of coach.  The danger, quite simply, is that champion players may, in fact, be atrocious coaches.  Bernie Quinlan was a legend for the Lions, winning two Coleman medals and a Brownlow.  His coaching record is less impressive.  In his one season as Lions senior coach, in 1995, he amassed the regrettable coaching record of two wins for nineteen losses.  It is no coincidence that one year later, at the end of 1996, the Fitzroy Lions were effectively binned by the AFL and had their identity stolen by the Brisbane Bears.

So how long is the memory of a Lion?  Not that long if we look at the appointment to the senior coaching role in 2009.  Michael Voss was always going to be a great emotional choice as Lions coach – he was a favourite son, had a Brownlow and was immediately identified with the Lions “Three-peat” premiership side of 2001 to 2003.  In fact, so tempting was the choice that the Lions board were happy to ignore the fact that Vossy had no coaching or assistant coaching experience at all.  And did it show?  Well the 2009 season was pretty good for Vossy, with the Lions finishing 6^th on the ladder with 13 wins for 8 losses.  Not bad.  But then Vossy had to turn his hand to recruiting . . . Want to know how to alienate a key forward and your Best and Fairest winner?  Offer them as trade-bait for a “troubled” forward, better known as The Fev.  The result: 2010 saw the Lions drop to 13^th on the ladder with 7 wins and 15 losses while season 2011 netted just 4 wins and 18 losses for 15^th position.  Vossy was entering some serious Quinlan territory (which Aka was more than happy to point out whenever asked).   

So what of 2012?  We will have to wait and see but after four rounds the Lions already have half the wins they had for the whole of last season.  No doubt the inclusion to the coaching panel of Mark Harvey will help as will the return of Gary O’Donnell.  But the rest of the assistant coaching panel look like the Lions drew the short straw.  Shane Woewodin?  Does anybody remember his time at Collingwood??? And isn’t Adrian Fletcher famous for having played or coached at every AFL club at least once?  Whatever happens this seasons, the Lions coaches need a finals finish to avoid both a complete shake up of the department and a long winded Aka eulogy.  And I think we’ve all had enough Aka of late.

Current coaching staff

• Senior Coach: Michael Voss
• Assistant Coaches:

·         Mark Harvey

·         Jamie Charman

·         Gary O'Donnell

·         Shane Woewodin

·         Adrian Fletcher