The Brisbane Lions recently announced an increase to its football spending by $1.5 million for the 2014 season, a move that is believed to eventually lead to another two-year contract extension for coach Michael Voss, but should Voss be kept on as the Lions suffer through another season of mediocrity?
Media speculation over his job security and three consecutive seasons of supbar results means the rumours of a Voss extension come as somewhat of a surprise.
Brisbane is on track to once again miss out on finals football having currently won just four games from 13 attempts, the lone highlight coming in Round 13 when 200th gamer Ashley McGrath kicked a goal after the siren to cement a 52-point second half comeback against Geelong. A week later it was back to the usual story- a 58-point demolishing at the hands of Hawthorn.
For maybe the first time during Voss’ tenure, the Lions are making a financial commitment to player development, yet it comes at strange time. The money and the draft picks may not have been available at the past years as the AFL expanded into Western Sydney and the Gold Coast, but the perfect time for in-house development should have come over the course of the past few losing seasons- 7-15 in 2010 and 4-17 overall in 2011.
Voss hasn’t exactly set the benchmark for improving young players. He took on the coaching role while the roster still possessed a handful of premiership players, but as that group gradually aged and then headed into retirement, the wins have tailed off at the hands of a playing group that lacks talent. Brisbane fans are still waiting for Daniel Rich to turn into a star. Claye Beams, Ryan Lester, Sam Docherty and Patrick Karnezis haven’t shown too much and one of the lone bright spots, rookie Sam Mayes, turns in exciting performances only to be given the green vest in the next match. Rather than growing the young players around club champions Simon Black and Jonathon Brown, just a handful of games away from retirement, Voss has opted to play washed up veterans (McGrath comes to mind), fishing for wins.
The Brisbane Lions aren’t one player away from a Premiership. They’re not even two away. Voss has his team fighting and clawing, but it is debatable whether he’s the right coach for this stumbling club in need of a rebuild going forward.
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Chris Hyde, Getty Images.
