Football Department Watch

[Hollow Knight]

Coaching Staff for 2008
* Senior Coach – Leigh Matthews
* Assistant Coaches – Justin Leppitsch, Paul Hudson, Adrian Fletcher
* Development Coaches - Craig Lambert, Chris Johnson
* Ruck Coach - Clark Keating
* Strength & Conditioning Manager - Lachlan Penfold
* Strength & Conditioning Coaches – Matthew Kennedy, Alex Moore
* Reserves Coach - Craig Brittain
* Tackling Coach – Ian Mellor
* Sprint Coach - Cliff Mallett
* Mental Skills Coach – Phil Jauncey

Football Operations Staff for 2008
* Head of Football Operations - Leigh Matthews
* Football Manager – Graeme Allan
* Football Operations Manager - Marcus Ashcroft
* Player Welfare Manager - Craig Lambert
* Football Personal Assistant - Nicole Duncan
* Football Administration Assistant - Paige Fitzpatrick
* Video & Statistics Manager – Jarrod Harkness
* Property Manager - Ian Hawke
* Property Assistant – David Kelly

Recruitment
* National Recruiting Manager - Craig Brittain
* Recruiting Assistant Manager - Paul Brodie
* Interstate Recruiting Assistants - Adrian O'Dea (SA), Ian McRae (QLD), Graeme Hadley (WA)
* Advanced Scout - Nick Vasilopoulos

 

[Grimreepah]

The Adrian Fletcher Thread

 

[danielcan]

The scariest of them all isn't Lethal. It's Hawkey.

 

[Grimreepah]

Interesting to see that Marcus Ashcroft has stepped into the role of defence counsel.

He's off to a good start clearing Charman of a striking charge.

 

[_Gin]

Mental skills coach? Sprint Coach? Strength & Conditioning Manager? Strength & Conditioning Coaches?

Be questionable from what I've seen from the lions fade outs, but I don't know what they actually do other than a vague idea.

Anyone want to shed some light for me?

 

[Hollow Knight]

If Jauncey goes, I go.

 

[_hyphy]

A new recruit to the coaches box?

http://news.realfooty.com.au/sport/another-afl-staffer-leaves-port-adelaide-20080903-48t7.html

 

[kimp]

Sounds promising. I'd like to see some diversity in the coach's box.

 

[Grimreepah]

Link

Lions Football Department changes

8:40 AM Wed 10 September, 2008

The Brisbane Lions wish to advise that Assistant Coach Paul Hudson and Football Operations Manager Marcus Ashcroft will be leaving the Club under Michael Voss' new Lions Football Department.

Paul Hudson's two-year contract has finished after the former Hawthorn premiership player and All-Australian joined the Lions at the end of 2006, from his coaching role with the Gippsland Power in Victoria's TAC Cup.

Hudson worked closely with the Lions' forward division and coached the Suncoast Lions Reserves as part of his responsibilities on the match committee and coaching panel.

New Senior Coach Michael Voss is currently formulating his Football Department and his Coaching Staff as part of the Club's preparations for Season 2009.

In another change, Graeme (Gubby) Allan will move from his current role of Football Manager - Head of Recruiting / List Management to Head of the Football Department.

Unfortunately, this new role results in Marcus Ashcroft's position of Football Operations Manager being redundant.

Ashcroft joined the Football Department in 2006 after a stellar playing career that included 318 games for the Bears and Lions, three premierships and Lions Life Membership.

Both men leave with the utmost respect. The Brisbane Lions AFC thank both men for their strong dedication, professional skills and enormous contributions to the Club.

Paul Hudson

Marcus Ashcroft

Link

Voss has yet to finalise his wish list, but it is understood his preferred option is to draw on experiences from other clubs rather than recruit former teammates. Under the restructure Ashcroft's position had become redundant with veteran football administrator Graeme Allan's return to the football department as football manager.

Allan had spent the past two years focusing on recruitment and list management as the Lions sought to fast track the necessary rebuilding stage that followed the club's extended run at the top between 2001 and 2004.

Despite a shortage of top draft picks over the past seven years because of the club's run of four successive grand finals, the Lions have managed to build a core of youngsters who have reached the 50-game mark. Allan and Voss met yesterday when the former skipper outlined his plans for a restructure of his football department. It is understood he will create a new high-performance position.

"Michael Voss has proposed a restructure of the football department that we believe can take the club forward," Allan said.

"Voss is our coach, he is the man in charge and we have full confidence in the proposal."

Ashcroft, who played a club record 318 games for the Lions, is sure to come into calculations for a job at the new Gold Coast club, which will be granted the AFL's 17th licence in October and will field a side in the TAC Cup next year.

Ashcroft is a Gold Coast local and a favourite of the AFL, having played a key support role to Port Adelaide's Mark Williams for the Dream Team in the Hall of Fame tribute game.

It is standard practice for a new coach to bring his own people with him when taking on a senior position, but Voss looks set to make just two key additions, not wholesale changes.

There are two reasons . . . Lions chairman Tony Kelly had already decreed that any existing contracts would be honoured.

And Hudson aside, the rest of the club's assistant coaches, Craig Lambert, Justin Leppitsch and Adrian Fletcher, as well as ruck coach Clark Keating and development coach Chris Johnson, are former teammates and friends.

Hudson had been a popular member of the department during his two years at the club, but he has no previous history with Voss and, because he was the only assistant out of contract, was always likely to be the man to make room for a Voss appointee.

He was an unsuccessful applicant for the head coach position at the Gold Coast, won by Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna.

 

[Grimreepah]

Link

Lions coach Michael Voss recruits Olympic kayaker
Article from:
Andrew Hamilton.
September 11, 2008 12:00am

MICHAEL Voss has proved he will not be shackled by traditional thinking in recruiting Olympic kayaker Daniel Collins to recharge the Brisbane Lions.
Collins, a high-performance guru, brings with him a world-class resume - he competed at four Olympics for silver and bronze medals in the K5 kayak and has filled high-performance positions with Ricky Stuart in the Sydney Roosters' 2002 NRL premiership campaign, the Australian Institute of Sport and the International Rugby Board.

"He has a fair portfolio, he is a good get for us," a clearly elated Voss said of his first big signing.

The rookie coach said a key component of Collins' brief would be to monitor and critique Voss' own performance.

"He is there to work out whether I'm doing my job, communicating effectively with the players and getting the most out of them, he is there to keep me honest," Voss said.

"It is quite simple. My theory is that we are expecting more from the players. If they get feedback on how they are going then I should too.

"Performance is on every line, players, coaches and staff - we all have to be big enough and bold enough to accept it if there is a better way."

Collins met Voss in 1996 when they were both based at Australia Post on an Australian Sports Commission program for elite athletes.

Collins still has contractual commitments with the IRB where he has been charged with implementing development programs to bring the tier-two rugby nations, such as Fiji, Argentina and Samoa, into line with the sport's superpowers.

He will split his time between the Lions and the IRB for 12 months before joining Brisbane full-time in 2010.

"What I'm here to do is put a system in place so Michael can coach the coaches," Collins said. "So everyone can perform at their maximum capacity.

"Athlete development, data collection, game analysis, opposition analysis, strength and conditioning, every aspect of what we do we can do better."

Collins intends to enforce a rule that every player has a part-time job, business interests or studies, and has warned there will be a complete upheaval in the football operations.

"We all need to be more accountable, the results of the last coupe of years are not what the club would like and it is sure as hell not what fans would like," he said. "If the level of performance we can get out of everyone in the organisation increases, so will the results."

He insists his lack of a football background would not be a disadvantage, and drew a comparison with chief executives, saying they didn't need to be accountants to run businesses.

"I'm not making our kids kick better or get fitter, I am making sure our coaches can teach and achieve that effectively," Collins said. "I'm here to set up a structure and then the experts come in and drive it."

WINNING way ... Australia's Andrew Trim (right) and Daniel Collins (left) after winning their Men's K2 semi-final at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Link

Lions appoint High Performance Manager
8:40 AM Thu 11 September, 2008

The Vodafone Brisbane Lions are pleased to announce the appointment of four-time Olympian and dual Olympic Medallist Daniel Collins as the Club’s High Performance Manager – a newly created role within the Lions Football Department.

Collins represented Australia in kayaking at four Olympic Games – Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004 – before retiring from the sport in 2004.

He won an Olympic bronze medal in the K2 500-metre Kayak Pairs at the Atlanta Games before winning silver in the same event at Sydney in 2000. Collins also won gold medals in kayaking events at the 1997, 2003 and 2004 World Championships.

Collins has a Bachelor of Business from Griffith University, however - his main areas of study have been associated with the field of human performance.

Collins has worked with top sporting organisations such as Cycling Australia, Triathlon Australia, Netball Australia and Tennis Australia. In addition, he has worked with the Sydney City Roosters NRL team and been an adviser to the International Rugby Board.

His skills at developing high performance results have helped organisations such as AMP and the Australian Defence Forces to increase their performance as individuals and teams.

Senior Coach Michael Voss believes that Collins’ experience with elite sports will strongly benefit the Lions players' preparation and performance.

“Daniel brings a wealth of knowledge to the Club,” Voss said.

“We look forward to being able to tap into that knowledge he brings from the Olympic field – and we know how cutting edge that particular area of sport is.”

“He knows what is genuinely required to climb to the top of the tree and how important it is to be able to achieve that extra 100th of a percent that could make all the difference."

“He’s going to be a wonderful addition to our Football Club,” Voss said.

Collins will commence his role as the Club’s High Performance Manager immediately.

Link

Olympian Daniel Collins added to Lions backroom staff
September 11, 2008

IT takes a lot of character to make an Olympic Games but to make four requires an amazing commitment to fitness and hard work.
That's why the Brisbane Lions have turned to quadruple Olympian and dual medallist Daniel Collins as the man to help new coach Michael Voss mould his players into the fittest unit in the AFL next season.

Collins - who represented Australia in kayaking in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004 - has been appointed the Lions' high-performance manager.

Voss said today Collins would be a valuable asset to the Lions because his Olympic experiences always had him on the cutting edge of advancements in sport.

“He knows what's genuinely required to climb to the top of the tree and how important it is to be able to achieve that extra 100th of a per cent that could make all the difference,” said Voss.

Collins won a bronze medal in the K2 500-metre kayak pairs in Atlanta and backed it up four years later with a silver medal in the same event in Sydney.

He has a Bachelor of Business degree but his specialty and passion are with the field of human performance.

He joins the Lions having already worked with many of Australia's leading sporting organisations such as Cycling Australia, Triathlon Australia, Netball Australia and Tennis Australia.

Collins boasts an impressive football resume also having worked closely with the Sydney Roosters in the NRL, advised the International Rugby Board and worked with the Australian Defence Force.

He took up his new role as high-performance manager this week.

Elite althete ... Daniel Collins paddling in 1993.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Wow... some pretty exciting stuff in that article.

I gleamed two major things from it...

- Michael Voss is not short on ideas
- Michael Voss is not too proud to ensure he is accountable and transparent as a coach.



The one bit that really stood out though was that Collins would ensure that every player has a part time job, studies or business interests. Anyone willing to hazard a guess why?

 

[Grimreepah]

The one bit that really stood out though was that Collins would ensure that every player has a part time job, studies or business interests. Anyone willing to hazard a guess why?

Probably a few reasons. Firstly, if your whole focus is on football then you may be vulnerable when things aren't going well, but if you have other things to focus on and a broader perspective it's probably easier to ride the bumps. Also clubs these days put an emphasis on helping the players become better people. Getting a 'normal' job would presumably help them stay grounded, improve problem solving skills, coping skills, independence, social responsibility, social networking and so on. Clubs also try to prepare players for their lives after footy. This means that players are not in a state of total despair when they hang the boots up, and even if they want to do something different they have some general skills as a base to work from.

As an aside (and this was probably not in Collins' thought process) the more players are integrated into their current environment, the less attractive the go home factor would be for them.

 

[Warwick]

Link

So what's his actual job?

 

[Grimreepah]

So what's his actual job?

His job title is "High Performance Manager" which is a role that many businesses use these days. These people can get called different things (eg. organisational psychologists) but basically their job is to improve efficiency within the organisation as a whole and on an individual level. There are many segments of a football club - players, coaches, medicos, admin, accounts, etc and he'll be analysing how functional and cohesive they are. He'll also probably ask each employee for job descriptions, what their strengths and weaknesses are as employees, what their ambitions and goals are, etc and use that information to try and improve output on an individual level. He'll then probably set up monitoring processes to ensure standards are being maintained.

To some it may sound like a bit of a wank but having someone understand how people work on an individual level (eg. job satisfaction) or in a group (eg. social loafing) can help see where the cracks are. These people tend not to be very popular as people don't really like being evaluated and can often bring about lost jobs as the dead wood becomes exposed.

That's my understanding anyway.

 

[The Golfing Lion]

IMO this is a great step. From what I have read about Vossy is that he is very good in the development of players. As a first time coach, it is great to have someone oversee the logistics of managment overall to make sure that there is nothing missed or unravells. This will allow Voss and his other coaches etc. to get in to the main job of coaching and development.

 

[Grimreepah]

Link

Brisbane role could suit Wayne Brittain
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun
Craig Hutchison
September 14, 2008 12:00am

ONE of the men touted as a strong chance of joining Michael Voss on his new-look Brisbane Lions coaching panel has confirmed he would consider taking a role with the three-time premiership captain.
Former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain said week he had yet to receive anything concrete from the Lions, despite mounting speculation he is Voss's choice for an assistant-coaching role.
"I haven't made up my mind and I'm trying not to think about it until something concrete comes up but, it's not something I would generally say no to," Brittain said.
Now Brisbane based, he said he was confident Voss would make an outstanding coach.
"I have full confidence that Michael will do a great job and part of doing a great job is getting the right team around you," he said.
"I am sure Michael will be thinking it will be great when the actual footy starts."
Currently helping out with his daughter's hockey team, Brittain said he expected to hear from Voss soon if an offer was to come.
"I think any approach would be made in the next couple of weeks, once he's moved on who he wants to. They'd want to have a team in place before the trade period."
One of the advantages of a job with the Lions, Brittain would be staying in Brisbane.
"I've had a couple of offers in the WAFL but the family haven't wanted to move, so I've stayed in Queensland," he said.
"I've always acted on instinct and once I've spoken to who I need to and if my gut feeling is that I think I can help then I will.
"There's a fair bit to think about because there is nothing concrete yet."

 

[Grimreepah]

Link

Wayne Brittain joins Michael Voss at Brisbane
Article from:
Andrew Hamilton
September 15, 2008 12:00am

MICHAEL Voss has added senior coaching experience to the Brisbane Lions' match committee with the signing of former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain.
Voss met Brittain at the weekend and convinced him to return to the AFL system as an assistant coach.
His key responsibility will be Brisbane's midfield.
After four years away from a full-time role at AFL level, Brittain said it had not taken much convincing to lure him back.
"I'm excited. Just to be involved in a new era at a club with someone like Michael Voss is a great opportunity," he said.
Brittain began his coaching career at Brisbane under Robert Walls. He was appointed Carlton coach in 2001 and took the Blues to the finals in his first year, but was replaced by Denis Pagan after a poor 2002.

Link

Voss wins battle for Brittain
By Ben Broad
10:14 AM Mon 15 September, 2008

Former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain has been appointed assistant coach at the Brisbane Lions
Related content

NEW BRISBANE Lions coach Michael Voss has moved to dispel theories of a lack of experience in his coaching box by appointing Wayne Brittain an assistant from 2009.

Brittain, who coached Carlton in 2001 and 2002, met Voss for breakfast on Saturday and said he needed little time to be convinced of re-entering the AFL scene.

“As soon as I felt that we were on the same page and I felt that the club was heading in a good direction, it was just a formality then, just to say yes,” Brittain told SEN on Monday morning.

“Once we’d spoken for about five minutes I said ‘look whatever I can do to help you I will, whether that be a full-time role or a part-time role’, it didn’t worry me.

“He’s just a good type of person.”

Brittain’s appointment as an assistant coach comes less than a week after Voss gave club stalwart Marcus Ashcroft (club football operations manager) and Paul Hudson (forwards coach) their marching orders.

Brittain, who has been based in Brisbane for some time, will primarily be working with the Lions’ engine room, and he acknowledged his vast experience may come in handy for the first-time coach.

“It’ll be looking after the midfield sort of first-up, which is busy enough now with all the rotations and that going on, so I’ll have my hands full,” he said.

“But I suppose it’s just to add a little bit of experience to the coaching panel.

“I’ve sort of been around for a little while, not just at the top level but I’ve coached for a long, long time.”

While some have questioned whether Voss – or any former player – could step straight into a senior coaching role with little experience, Brittain said the former Lions’ champion and Brownlow medalist's superb playing career would hold him in good stead.

“People always say ‘He hasn’t done an apprenticeship’ but as a captain, his last three to five years of his footy career he thought like a coach,” Brittain said.

“It’s the same as Nathan Buckley at Collingwood and Craig Bradley was like that under me at Carlton.

“They thought like a coach in the last four to five years of their career, so they were actually assistant coaches while they were still playing.

“So I think he’s done that part of his role anyway and I think he’s quite ready to step in and take the role".

Brittain did not dismiss the idea of trying to persuade recently-retired Lion Nigel Lappin out of retirement.

Voss recently made a call to his former teammate and flagged the idea of a comeback, and while the champion midfielder only managed four matches in 2008 after a serious achilles injury, Brittain said the door remained ajar for Lappin.

“That’d depend on him,” Brittain said.

“He’d have to want to play and his body would have to be able to get right.

“If those two things come together, you’d only be too happy to try to help get Nigel back out on the park and hopefully, if he did that, finish his career as a gun player that he’s been.”

 

[Hollow Knight]

Its an interesting appointment.

He's been out of footy for a while, so I don't think he is being recruited for tactics or strategic insight.

He's a solid, unglamorous, honest citizen though, with a touch of the oldschool about him (worked under Walls and Parkin), and he will help to forge a strong culture among the playing group.

I think Leppitsch, who is regarded as a pretty deep thinker will be Vossy's right hand man when it comes to tactics etc.

 

[notting18]

He may have been out of the AFL system for a few years but he seems to compliment Voss and his original team in most areas that were supposedly lacking. He would have some interesting insight into the pressure Voss will feel as a rookie AFL coach though.

 

[Panthera]

Its an interesting appointment.

He's been out of footy for a while, so I don't think he is being recruited for tactics or strategic insight.

He's a solid, unglamorous, honest citizen though, with a touch of the oldschool about him (worked under Walls and Parkin), and he will help to forge a strong culture among the playing group.

I think Leppitsch, who is regarded as a pretty deep thinker will be Vossy's right hand man when it comes to tactics etc.

Craig has a massive reputation down here for thinking outside the square; he just didn't have the cattle/support during his time at the Blues.

He was just on SEN, sounded pumped to be part of the new brigade.

He's the new midfield coach who will assist Voss in tactics as well as the transition into Full Time coaching - excellent appointment in my view.

One thing he said was very impressive, yet so simple when explained:

He wants to change our training/tactical awareness across the ground, stating that football now is not played across the whole ground at one time, more closer to 50% or 75% of the ground space used and that the Lions have to become better in traffic and need to train/prepare accordingly


Very impressive 1st up interview

 

[lionbear]

Very smart move by Voss.

An experienced AFL coach to really help him through the first twelve months. He has Leppa for the tactics and Brittain for the advice on being in the top role. I think this is a good mix in the coaches box for 2009.

 

[Tassie4ever]

If this bloke is as good as his reputation, he will be an excellent addition. One thing's for sure, we badly need an injection of tactical nouse- I for one am sick of us snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and if Brittain can help us in this area, great. In addition, Brittain has been through the mill and knows the ropes, coaching-wise.

 

[Grimreepah]

Link

Voss to chase best of Brittain
By Andrew Hamilton
September 15, 2008

MICHAEL Voss has added senior coaching experience to the Brisbane Lions' match committee with the recruitment of former Carlton boss Wayne Brittain.
Voss met Brittain at the weekend and convinced him to return to the AFL system as an assistant coach.
His key responsibility will be Brisbane's midfield.
After four years away from any fulltime role at AFL level, Brittain said it did not take much convincing from Voss to lure him back.
"I'm excited. Just to be involved in a new era at a club with someone like Michael Voss is a great opportunity," he said.
Brittain began his coaching career at Brisbane under Robert Walls and served an apprenticeship as senior assistant to David Parkin at Carlton before taking over the reins as head coach for 2001-2002.
After he took the Blues into the finals in 2001, the side slumped in 2002.
He was replaced for 2003 when dual premiership-winning Kangaroos coach Denis Pagan switched camp after a decade at the Roos.
Brittain then joined Richmond, where he worked under Danny Frawley until he returned to Brisbane at the end of 2004.
For the past two seasons he has helped the Lions identify their first selection in the national draft.
Brittain was considered a brilliant tactician, and it was widely known that he ran the Blues on match day even when he served under Parkin.
He says the wealth of experience he has gained from stints at several clubs should be an asset to the Lions' coaching panel.
"I think that is what they are looking for and I have obviously got that," he said.
"I might be older than the rest of the match committee, but I am still passionate about the game. Being involved with footballers becomes infectious.
"I'm there to be part of a coaching group that will help the players play the game a bit better.
"It is about what we can get out of the players, how we can help them improve."
Brittain has been back in Queensland for four years but says he always knew he would have to wait until there was a change of head coach at the Lions before getting a start, because he had knocked back several approaches from the club in the past.
"I had a few opportunities when Leigh Matthews first started but I had been at Carlton for a few years and I chose to stay there," he said.
"Leigh isn't the sort of bloke who asks twice so I knew there would have to be a change at the club before I was a chance of becoming involved."
Voss's coaching team is now complete.
Brittain joins former Voss teammates Justin Leppitsch, Craig Lambert and Adrian Fletcher as assistant coaches.

Link

Britts bobs up in Brissy
15/09/2008 4:03 PM
Sportal

Former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain has been appointed to assist Michael Voss at the Brisbane Lions.

Queensland-born Brittain enjoyed great success as head coach of Brisbane side Windsor-Zillmere before accepting an assistant's role under Robert Walls with the then Brisbane Bears in 1994.

He headed to Carlton as an assistant in 1996 where he quickly gained a reputation as a fine tactician and communicator.

He succeeded David Parkin as the Blues' senior coach in 2001 and led the club to the AFL semi finals in his first season at the helm.

However, he was replaced by Denis Pagan a year later after a disappointing finish to the 2002 season.

Brittain spent two seasons at Punt Road under Danny Frawley before returning to Queensland at the end of 2004 to coach the Zillmere Eagles.

 

[Tim the Toolman]

Reading all of that including the SEN interview I'm more than happy with this appointment and is definitely a move in the right direction!

 

[dlanod]

Is Fletcher still around? The midfield was originally his responsibility when he got picked up...