UNDER fire Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has admitted the sacking of Melbourne's Mark Neeld has made him consider his own coaching mortality.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning, just 24 hours after Neeld's demise, Voss said he had sympathy for the former Demons boss.
Voss is out of contract at the end of the season and has come under much scrutiny for the Lions' 3-8 record.
Although he said the Melbourne decision would have no bearing on his own future, Voss admitted it had made him reflect on his own time at the club.
He said despite the public's desire for instant results, he would not change his focus from developing for the long term for the remainder of the season.
"They're the hazards of the job. You know there's potential around the corner for something like that to happen," Voss said of Neeld's sacking.
"You probably sit back and get a chance to reflect on what your stint's been like.
"When you're the coach and in the moment, you're just trying to see where can get better next week and have you got the right mix and is that the way you want to go forward."
The Lions won 10 matches in 2012 and have indicated all along that Voss' contract would not be discussed until the end of 2013.
There is an expectation that he would match last year's output, which now looks difficult after winning the pre-season NAB Cup.
They play Geelong on Sunday, followed by Hawthorn in round 14.
Voss said the heat on Neeld had been like nothing he had ever seen.
"I don't think anyone has come into a job and received so much of a baptism of fire in the first 18 months," he said.
"It's been quite unbelievable, but that might just be the lay of the land nowadays."
Voss said it was important to see the bigger picture, something the public did not always understand.
He said despite his own contract situation, his decision-making would not be compromised in the coming weeks.
"The ongoing education for the public is that we all want that (instant results), but sometimes there's going to be decisions made where the best interests of the club are going to be put out in the long term and you're not going to get those immediate results," he said.
"There's a clear focus for us that we want to get some stability in our group, we want to get some consistency in our roles. There's … minimum standards, and we have to get that right before any results can come.
"If that means wins, clearly we want those because that shows what we're doing is working, but at the same time we have to think beyond that and make sure we're coaching the right things and developing the right habits because any short cuts at this point in time, to me, will meet disaster in the long term.
"That's where my focus clearly lies."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
