Voss Acts Swiftly And Decisively

The Sunday Age

Sunday November 2, 2008

CAROLINE WILSON

THERE was a brief period late in the winter of 2007 when Michael Voss' tough, uncompromising image took a hit. Two of the AFL's biggest clubs wanted the triple premiership captain to be their coach and Voss was not quite sure that he wanted either job.

Denis Pagan and Kevin Sheedy had been sacked within days of each other and the timing of those decisions appeared to have plenty to do with Voss, who had uncharacteristically - at least according to some who knew him well - declared he did not believe he needed a coaching apprenticeship before jumping into the big time.

Carlton and Essendon approached Voss to be their coach and, in fairness to him, he declared himself out of the running relatively quickly. But his sudden unavailability, coupled with his earlier confident declaration and Essendon's handling of its legendary coach, were grouped, with Voss being described by at least one senior commentator as a goose. This year, Voss again became the No.1 most wanted man. This time the AFL and its new Gold Coast franchise were targeting him, although there was doubt over his tenure. Voss reportedly wanted a five-year commitment but the AFL would give him only three - in other words, only one year as a senior coach of an AFL club after two years in lesser competitions.

Most industry observers understood Voss' reluctance to plunge in but doubts resurfaced about his ability to make a decision and whether he truly believed he could coach at senior level without time as an assistant. And then he signed a two-year deal to join West Coast's coaching panel.

But any doubts about Voss' ability to make a decision were dispelled when Leigh Matthews ended his coaching career one year before his contract had expired. The Brisbane Lions board had decided even before the halfway mark of 2008 that its former captain was to be pursued at all cost as the club's next coach and when Matthews surprised the Lions by going early, Voss was immediately employed.

It is said the best coaches philosophically mirror their clubs and vice versa. If eyebrows were raised at the speed of Voss' appointment, the prevailing picture remained one of decisive professionalism. The day after the Lions' season ended, Matthews quit and Voss was offered the job.

The next day, Voss told West Coast he might have to pull out of the deal and the day after that Voss was appointed by Brisbane. Matthews was made a Lions life member. His handling of what could have become a problem next season had the club started badly was an unselfish act.

Sheedy said all coaches are sacked eventually but Matthews proved him wrong.

Voss immediately began redesigning the club's football structure. He asked Nigel Lappin to reconsider his retirement - a reversal could have proved tricky in salary cap terms, and could have been accommodated but never happened - removed two assistant coaches and rapidly replaced them.

It is ridiculously early to judge Voss as a coach but his handling of these early stages of the job and understanding of tough decisions that needed to be made seem reminiscent of when Malcolm Blight took over at Adelaide.

And more significant than the decision to appoint Jonathan Brown as sole captain was the speed with which Brown was announced in the job. You always got the feeling that many of the older guard at the Lions, including Voss, believed in one captain but his move was stunningly swift unlike so many clubs, which spend an entire summer and even move into March before making such a crucial appointment.

Still, not every club has such an obvious individual candidate as Brown. And not every club ends a decade-long relationship with a coaching legend so cleanly with an obvious replacement living just around the corner.

Perhaps that is why Voss struggled to make up his mind those other times. Perhaps he was waiting for the Lions all along.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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