Former Brisbane Lions coach Justin Leppitsch says he has no hard feelings towards the club after his dismissal following three seasons at the helm.
Leppitsch was released on Monday from the final year of his contract after the Lions recorded a 17th-placed finish with just three wins this year.
“I think the club’s in good shape and it would be a really good job to go for now. You’ve got some really got bookends that are still young,” he said on Channel 9’s The Footy Show.
“I would have liked to have got on with phase two, which is what I presented to the board. Phase one was getting the talent on the list, now it’s about growing and developing and having that run at finals.”
Leppitsch told Channel Nine on Thursday night he was initially disappointed and angry with the board's decision, but quickly accepted the club needed to go in a different direction.
Leppitsch said he had no issue with being notified of his sacking over the phone or with the players being informed via text message – not email – as had been widely reported.
"Obviously, it was disappointing early, but there's a great realisation in this game that we're all just passing parades," Leppitsch said.
“I’m a pretty resilient type of guy. It happens when you grow up with red hair.
"There's been disappointment, there's been levels of inevitability at times and there's been other times I've felt disappointed that this process has happened, but it's also part of the big picture of the footy club and the club is bigger than any individual.
"The most-important thing is that our football club has a united front going forward," he said.
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