New Brisbane Lions Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch knows better than most the added obstacles that face club’s based in non-traditional AFL States.

Leppitsch spent 17 seasons in Queensland – 14 as a player and three as an Assistant Coach – before moving back home to Melbourne where he has spent the past four years as part of Richmond’s coaching staff.

Lions General Manager of Football Operations, Dean Warren, acknowledged that Leppitsch’s intimate knowledge of the Queensland AFL market was a “bonus”, but said it played no part in his eventual appointment.

“Ultimately we were looking for the coach that could take our group forward, and Justin was that coach,” Warren said on Wednesday.

“(His Queensland background) is an added bonus, but it’s certainly not why he got the senior job.”

Leppitsch said that while coaching the team will be his primary focus, he expects the role will contain some responsibility in helping develop the code as well.

“It’s funny, I actually worked for Dean (Warren) when I was 20 years of age and he was at AFL Queensland,” Leppitsch said.

“I was the 17-18-year-old boy who lived interstate and had a job up there. I did all that so I understand the Queensland market-place.

“We don’t realise how easy we’ve got it in Melbourne sometimes. During my time at Richmond, you never had to worry about building the game.

“But I understand that it’s a very big component up there in Queensland.”