As a
disastrous 2015 lurches to a close, rumblings about player disharmony,
unhappiness and homesickness are once again threatening to tear the Brisbane
Lions list apart.
James
Aish is definitely on the way out. It’s been a tough year for the youngster
with injury and form hampering his ability to consistently reach the sky high
potential he possessed when drafted 2 years ago.
Jack
Redden has announced this week that he wants to be traded, with reports
surfacing that he is unhappy with head coach Justin Leppitsch.
Stefan
Martin wants to go home to Victoria; Dayne Zorko could seemingly be pried away
for the right offer; and Jed Adcock and Matthew Leauenberger have been told they
can seek other opportunities.
So as
this once proud club seemingly heads for a mass player exodus similar to 2013, what
is going wrong north of the border?
Yes,
the team is poor. Their record in 2015 speaks for itself. 3 wins, 18 losses and
a pathetic percentage of 65.3.
But
with question marks hanging over half a dozen of their best and brightest
players for the 2016 season, how can they stop the rot?
For
me, there are two major issues; an under resourced player wellbeing program;
and a distinct lack of leadership.
The
board has already taken steps to improve one of these aspects.
In
great news for the club, welfare guru Craig Lambert and his wife Melissa seem
likely to re-join the Lions and head up the player welfare program for the 2016
season.
This
is a significant move to try and quell the dissatisfaction existing amongst
current players and potentially future draftees.
In
an age when it has become increasingly easy to change clubs, people with the
ability to make the footy environment more welcoming are worth their weight in
gold.
These
people help you build a culture capable of empowering these youngsters and
making them feel at home in a completely foreign environment.
But
although this is a step in the right direction, there is plenty more to do.
My
biggest issue lies with the coach and captain of the club, Justin Leppitsch and
Tom Rockliff.
In my
opinion, they aren’t good leaders.
There
are growing concerns about Leppitschs ability to connect with the playing group
on a deeper, more personal level.
He is
said to be tough, hard and confronting. This was seen earlier in the year where
he was involved in a physical altercation with rookie Zac O’Brien, where he
allegedly pinned him against the wall of the changeroom during a reserves game.
That’s
old school coaching. Prehistoric coaching. Stupid and insensitive coaching.
Now
both parties apologised for their role in the fracas. And it was a one-off. But
no doubt some damage was done to ‘Leppas’ standing around the club.
Leppitsch
is hard–nosed, with a waft of arrogance, which can ruffle some feathers. So I
guess if there was a suitable foil around the club for his up front style of
coaching and leadership, it might be more tolerable.
But
there isn’t. Lions captain Tom Rockliff is the same kind of man.
His
leadership style is brazen and in your face. He is confrontational, straight-shooting
and offers tough love. He is blue-collar, and this helped
him earn the respect of some of his peers, but not all of them.
Does
Rockliff have the ability to be a calming, supportive influence on a distressed
and unhappy youngster?
Or
does he dress him down on social media when he expresses some dissatisfaction
with the clubs direction?
Rockliffs
actions have caused some disillusionment amongst his peers. But Leppitsch has
openly backed him in saying “I don’t want a wallflower captain”. What sort of
message does that send the playing group?
And
then he compared his leadership style to Luke Hodge. Give me a break.
Below is a list of Brisbane Lions
draftees who have left, or are likely to leave the club this year
2013:
Pick 7 - James Aish*
2011:
Picks 8, 12 and 30 – Billy Longer, Sam Docherty and Elliot Yeo
2010:
Picks 5 and 25 – Jared Polec and Patrick Karnezis
2008:
Pick 25 – Jack Redden*
2007:
Pick 8 – Lachie Henderson
2006:
Pick 4 – Matthew Leauenberger*
2005:
Pick 9 – Mitch Clark
* likely
to leave the club
This
tells the story. An abundance of high-end draft talent lost to other clubs.
The
Brisbane Lions footy club lacks soul. The culture is rotting. They need to
develop a program where players not only want to come to the club, they want to
stay.
Talented
duo Daniel Rich and Sam Mayes are off contract at the end of next year as well,
watch this space.
