Brisbane have no idea.

[Homer]

So what is going on at Brisbane.
Fancy letting a player like Brett Voss go.
Somthing is rotten in that club. A local player, good skills like his brother and he can't get a game. When he does he is best on ground, like the Richmond game and then the next week a bench warmer, and then dropped.
So they want us to believe they wanted to keep him. What do they take us for,fools.
So why do they need an extra 400,000 per year in theri salary cap to keep players. They don't even try to keep a quality local player, so what chance do imported players have.
The club is on a one way ticket to no where.

 

[Karen]

A friend of mine is a support staff person. they said Brisbane has a lot of troubles off the field. Lots of infighting. Board and admin interfering with decisions.
Pack of losers if you ask me.

 

[Jen]

My brother spoke to Michael sometime ago.His dream was to play in a winning AFL grandfinal with his brother.
Maybe this is what Michaels problems have been with Matthews this year.
Wouldn't explain why Lawrence and Molloy asked to be traded also though.

 

[JUBJUB]

I dont think Brisbane will suffer from losing Brett Voss.If they lost Micheal,then they'd be up shit creek.

 

[Barney]

Brett who ? Like what has he done to deserve being so sought after...nothing. Like how stupid are StKilda for taking him as 1st choice in the pre season draft..only reason could be that they want brother Michael at some stage.

 

[eagleskickass]

Hey Barney, the reason he hasn't done anything is because he hasn't had a chance, they won't play him and like the post above, when he has played he has been one of the best on ground. I think Brisbane should have kept him and used him more. They had N.O.1 draft pick a couple of years ago, they dot Des Headland, how much opportunity has he had, basically none. Do Brisbane want to die or something because they are going the right way about it.

 

[Roylion]

What choice do Brisbane have? They want Voss to stay. Both the chairman Graeme Downie and Leigh Matthews have both made efforts to keep him by speaking to the player himself and his father. But, having been approached by St Kilda, Voss said he wanted to explore 'new opportunities' at a rival club. Voss wants to find out whether the reason he's had limited opportunities the last couple of years is him, or someone else. Fair enough too.

I'd suggest AT THIS STAGE, it is largely him. Factored into this, which isn't his fault, is the embarrassment of riches Brisbane has had in the past few years in the areas where Voss plays. I'd ask those same people who appear to be criticising the club for not playing Brett Voss to perhaps suggest to everyone on here who he would replace in the midfield or a follower position where like Michael he is ideally suited to play. When you have players of the quality of Ashcroft, Lappin, Hart, Michael Voss, Power, etc. and in the recent past, players of the calibre of Clayton, Fletcher, Lambert, Bews and Brad Boyd who would you leave out in favor of Brett Voss?

Secondly since he was recruited, Voss has had a bout of glandular fever, broken his hand and has had ankle problems. Not exactly helping him increase his regular senior appearances is it?

Good luck to Brett Voss if he goes. However I would have thought with the retirements of Lambert, and the trading of Molloy and Lawrence, Brett Voss' opportunities at Brisbane would be much improved in Season 2001.

It's also a bit rich to suggest that Brisbane are going about the right way to die. Who have we lost to justify this.. and how are we any different to any other club anyway? Lambert and Champion have retired. Their best days were behind them anyway. Molloy, Lawrence and B. Voss are gone, or might go to other clubs. Handy players certainly, but hardly pivotal players to the side. Personally I thought Molloy had a pretty ordinary season in 2000 (and I sponsored him!)

 

[sainter]

From the games I watched on TV, Brett seemed like a pretty good player. Blight usually commentated at the Saturday night games up in Queensland so he would have had a good look at him.

I was told by another saints supporter to have a look at the lions forum to see how their supporters felt. Judging by their reaction, he seems to be regarded fairly highly which is good for our fans to know.

Someone said a while ago that the two brothers only wanted to play with each other. Perhaps Brett sees this as an opportunity to move out of Michaels shadow for a while and make a name for himself.

Welcome aboard!

PS - I am also sad to see a guy like Steven Sziller get the chop. He played all 22 games this year so he was dealt with quite severely. I guess the fact that he is not going to win you a match and that as a senior player along with Heatley and Shane Wakelin, will create the necessary room in our salary cap.

 

[Clinton]

sainter,
r u sad to see Wakelin leave?

 

[Drakey]

What about Heatley Sainter?

Is he worth taking a risk on?

 

[Danni]

My understanding is that there is alot of disharmony in the Lions ranks and it has been building since early this year.

The only difference to 1998 is that we didn't finish last and we don't hear what the problems are cos there isn't anyone there with a mouth as big as Noel Gordon's.

 

[sainter]

Clinton,

I am disappointed to see both Wakelin's leave but I think they wanted to go home anyway.

Darryl was contracted for one more year and we were fortunate enough to swap him and pick no 48 to Port for their no 4 pick. We then picked Hamill from Carlton for the no 4 pick + Sam Cranage.

In effect we traded Darryl Wakelin, Sam Cranage and pick 48 for Aaron Hamill and you can't really complain with that.

Especially when you add Gehrig, Lawrence, Capuano, Callaghan, perhaps B Voss and the first two draft picks for the loss of no real stand out players.

Shane was out of contract and was always going to leave when Darryl was traded.

I am sad to see them go but as we have all found out, when players start talking about returning to their home state (and old team in this instance), there isn't much you can do.

Drakey,

I would probably say that Heater is worth taking a risk with. However, I think his time was definitely up with St Kilda.

He had lost all confidence and this showed in his form. I don't think Tim Watson did him any favours by playing him on and off the bench either.

Still, he is one of the best kicks for goal in the competition and may very well return to his 1997 form when given a real chance. Especially if he is able to lead out to a couple of Andrew McLeod passes every weekend.

His inability to take an overhead mark is a bit of a worry. He did play out the last few months in our VFL side as a defender and wasn't too bad. His disposal is first calss.

 

[Visro]

Sainter, just want some info on some players heading west.

Whats sierrakowski and Carr like? I've heard good and bad things about both players and you look like a smart person to answer the query.

 

[amazonstud]

I've heard of a lot of problems at Brisbane and personally I don't think Leigh Matthews is a good coach. He's on $450k a year and demanded and got full control and hasn't delivered. The buck stops with him and this may be his last year at Brisbane. The assistant coaches are leaving, young Headland wants to go home to W.A., Brett Voss felt he wasn't given a go. Heuskes had a lot of off field problems, Martin McKinnon and Stefan Carey didn't set the world on fire, their No 1 ruckman Matthew Clarke was traded whilst his replacement had not yet fully recovered from an operation, Matthew Kennedy struggled at CHB., and Richard Champion who played as a dummy CHF with Keatingon the opposite flank the previous year also struggled.

 

[GoEagles]

I always felt that Brett Voss always had to live up to his family's name standards being his brother is a champion leader/player and a Brownlow Medal winner. I personally think the change to St Kilda - If the deal goes ahead will benefit him.

Just a word on Heatley, there is strong word back west that he's going to return to his former local Westar Club, Subiaco where he won the Goalkicking award twice (and attracted so much attention from the eagles and saints), I think his chance in AFL footy has been used though. Matty Connell from the Crows is also tipped to rejoin Subiaco in 2001.

 

[Roylion]

The Lions have finished fourth and fifth under Matthew's direction. I think the weight of expectation has come from the media and the public and to some extent they have overrrated the Brisbane Lions' abilities. Just remember, essentially the same team collected the wooden spoon in 1998, so Matthews hasn't done too badly. Anyone who suggests he is out of a job at the end of the year needs to get a grip on reality. Any other coach who got their team to finish fourth and fifth in a sixteen team competition in the two years he was at the helm, would be lauded. Why aren't people questioning the talents of Rodney Eade and Terry Wallace whose teams finished seventh and tenth this year? They've been at the helm of their club far longer than Matthews and their records aren't that much better!

The problems raised by Amazonstud. Well let's look at them closely.
1) The assistant coaches are leaving. So what! Assistant coaches at all clubs change all the time. Quite understandably Matthew Armstrong, and Michael McLean want to pursue their own coaching careers. Scott McIvor and Gary O'Donnell are continuing while Craig Lambert and Craig Brittain have been added. Hardly earth-shaking.
2) Young Headland wants to go home to W.A. Players always want to return home to their home state, especially when playing in non-footballing state, such as Queensland. Mal Michael wanted to come back to Queensland and play for the Lions, where his parents are members. I'd would say that if Headland leaving was a criteria for Brisbane being in trouble then North and Collingwood are in dire straits!
3) Brett Voss felt he wasn't given a go. Fringe players at all clubs are disgruntled with their perceived opportunities every year and move on to increase their opportunities. It's almost accepted these days that that will occur. Brett Voss is at the moment is a fringe player, he is uncontracted, just like Aaron Hamill and he has decided to move on.
4) "Heuskes had a lot of off field problems". This is Matthew's fault I take it. I'd suggest that based on Hueskes' former record at Port Adelaide and Sydney that the problems that Hueskes experiences are largely of his own making and not the fault of his three clubs or his three coaches, Williams, Eade or Matthews. He hasn't stayed at any of his three clubs more than two years and his record since leaving Brisbane dosen't inspire one with confidence that the future for Hueskes will be any different.
5) "Martin McKinnon and Stefan Carey didn't set the world on fire." Carey was injured for much of the year and McKinnon was like Brett Voss, a fringe player who was traded from Geelong.
6) "Their No 1 ruckman Matthew Clarke was traded whilst his replacement had not yet fully recovered from an operation." Matthew Clarke had a stellar season for Adelaide didn't he? Described by Gary Ayres as one of the disappointments of the year. One of the major reasons why Clarke was traded was because of salary cap pressures, but also because their was a looming abundance of riches in the rucking department. Carey was recruited to bolster this, while McDonald and Knobel who both had very good seasons, were up and coming. Carey was injured for much of the season as well.
6) "Matthew Kennedy struggled at CHB" because he was injured for much of the year and Richard Champion who played as a dummy CHF was 32 this year and whose best years were behind him. The recruitment of Jon Brown and Mal Michael may alleviate the problem area of CHF.

I think people are being affected by the name "Voss" in this issue. Brett Voss is quite a talented player, but at the Brisbane Lions at the moment he is a FRINGE player. Voss has made the choice to move on NOT the club.

 

[Slim Shady]

Originally posted by Homer
The club is on a one way ticket to no where.

LMAO hahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[GoEagles]

All this moaning about Brett Voss leaving Brisbane is like saying John Hutton was a better full forward than Alistair Lynch.

 

[Roylion]

Yes, most of what was written about a year ago (and even earlier this year!) about Leigh Matthew's poor coaching skills and poor trading deals has proven to be absolutely incorrect and ridiculous.