The Brisbane Lions have axed coach Justin Leppitsch despite the club great having a year to go on his contract.
The Lions made the decision after a board meeting on Monday morning. Leppitsch had been in charge for three seasons. He had a 14-52 overall record, with the team finishing second-bottom this year with three wins.
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Lions sack Leppitsch
Brisbane Lions coach Justin Leppitsch is sacked despite having one year left on his contract.
CEO Greg Swann said the players had been notified via email. He said the Lions were on "a path" with their young talent.
Chairman Bob Sharpless said the Lions had to act, culminating in a secret ballot among board directors.
"We are simply not a competitive football team at the moment. I rang Justin after the meeting. He was disappointed," Sharpless said.
"Justin was obviously disappointed. It was done via phone because Justin chose not to come in this morning." - Bob Sharpless
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) August 29, 2016
"Justin presented to the board last week as a part of our review and he was impressive - he gave a number of reasons why the team's results have not reached the levels that we all expect, as well as outlining where he saw the team going in coming years.
"Injuries, retirements, a clean-out of the playing list and fixture issues have all played their part, but at the end of the day, this is a results-driven industry and we are simply not a competitive football team at the moment.
"There's still a need to get a bit of maturity into the ranks down there - not just players. We've made that clear." - Bob Sharpless
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) August 29, 2016
"We have regressed from 10 wins in 2013, to seven wins in 2014, four wins last season, and to three this year - while the nature of some of this season's heavy defeats to teams around the same position on the AFL ladder have been bitterly disappointing.
"Justin has achieved a lot in his three years as senior coach but the board was not satisfied - given the team's performance and lack of improvement over the past three seasons - that the status quo should be maintained.
"The club needs to go in a different direction and we believe that starts with a new senior coach.
"We've supported some bold initiatives. We extended the contract at the start of the season, we expected it to play out." - Bob Sharpless
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) August 29, 2016
"Justin is a legend of the club and we thank him for all he has done during his time as coach - in particular the work in blooding a huge number of young players who will no doubt go on to be long-term champions of the Brisbane Lions."
Leppitsch, given a one-year contract extension in March, will be paid out about $400,000.
Potential replacements include assistant coaches who have completed the level-four coaching course. These include Stuart Dew (Sydney Swans), Matthew Nicks (Port Adelaide), Blake Caracella (Geelong), Simon Lloyd (Geelong) and Adam Kingsley (St Kilda). Carlton assistant John Barker and former Western Bulldogs assistant Brett Montgomery are also highly rated.
Experienced Hawthorn football-department boss Chris Fagan has also been mentioned among industry figures as a possible senior coach, should he desire the role.
Brett Ratten, the current Hawthorn assistant, has also been flagged as a possibility but it appears unlikely he would join the Lions for family reasons. Swann had also sacked Ratten when he was in charge of the Blues, replacing him with Mick Malthouse.
"We wish Justin all the best in the future." - Bob Sharpless
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) August 29, 2016
Sharpless said there would be significant changes across the besieged club. The Lions will also bring in an experienced head of football, with Neil Balme, who was replaced last week as the Magpies' head of football, likely to be shortlisted.
The Lions will also need to determine whether they retain skipper Tom Rockliff, or seek a trade for under-fire midfielder.
More to come
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