This has been one of the AFL's biggest weeks off the field, as the Essendon situation has reached a conclusion.
As I said last week on behalf of the Brisbane Lions, we fully endorse the conclusion to the Essendon matter as determined by Mike Fitzpatrick, Andrew Demetriou and the entire AFL.
Our game demands the highest standards of conduct.
Closer to home, this week, the Board of the Brisbane Lions ratified our Club’s Senior Coach selection process.
The coaching process is one of the most important in our Club’s history and the outcome needs to deliver a Senior Coach that will take the team to the next level.
The sub-committee is excellent: Dean Warren, Brett Burton, Malcolm Holmes, Leigh Matthews and Peter Schwab, as well as non-voting member, Paul Armstrong.
Club politics has rightfully taken a back-seat to this process.
It also epitomises a Club determined to put Board matters aside while getting on with the job at hand.
The Club launched our vision at the end of 2011 and we remain on this course. I’m pleased that Paul Williams fully endorsed the exact same vision in Brisbane’s Sunday Mail on August 25.
All parties – Lions members included – agree that Leigh Matthews has a role to play on the Board.
I’ve been vocal about this in the past. I’ve also had an open invitation for two-and-a-half years to Leigh for him to join the Board given the football expertise and presence he would bring. In 2012, the Board went as far as amending our Club’s Constitution, in order to facilitate Leigh’s appointment as a Director.
However, our Club simply can’t afford to sacrifice four of the six Directors.
Not when you’re a $45million business and are required to make the tough – but right – decisions, and not just the popular ones.
The rival ticket, from what I’ve seen in the media over the past week, appears to have been formed because:
- The decision not to renew Michael Voss’ contract is unpopular; and
- The Club has not secured the services of Paul Roos as our next Senior Coach.
I want to clarify these points because, understandably, there is a lot of passion for Michael Voss and confusion about Paul Roos.
The Voss decision was an incredibly tough one but, at the same time, it was delivered by a unanimous vote as the result of a thorough review. The resolution to not offer Michael a new contract was moved by Paul Williams. All Directors – Paul Williams, Mick Power, Peter McGregor, Cameron Milner, Linda Nash and myself, voted on the matter. This has been recorded in the minutes of the Board meeting and suggestion to the alternative is wrong.
On Paul Roos, he contacted me midway through last week and informed me that, due to family reasons, he would be unable to relocate to Brisbane and was therefore ruled out as a candidate.
I have a good relationship with Paul and our discussions were always honest and open.
I hope this clears up any confusion. I won’t be talking publicly about the Voss decision further, however, I felt a number of inaccuracies needed to be addressed.
The next Senior Coach of the Brisbane Lions will now inherit a side that, remarkably, is on the verge of an unlikely finals appearance following the conclusion of the Essendon matter.
It would be only the second time in nine years, should we win, that the team has made the finals. It’s about time – don’t you agree?
If you are in a position to do so, please get down to Geelong and help cheer our boys home.
We’ve done it once already in 2013. Lightning can strike twice.
Go Lions!
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| Angus Johnson Brisbane Lions Chairman |
