Justin Leppitsch says goalposts have shifted for Brisbane coaching job after loss to St Kilda

BRISBANE coach Justin Leppitsch has taken a parting shot at Lions powerbrokers who will meet on Monday to decide his fate.

Lions coach Justin Leppitsch. Picture: George Salpigtidis

BRISBANE coach Justin Leppitsch has taken a parting shot at Lions powerbrokers for shifting the goalposts on what he needed to do to keep his job.

The axe is set to fall on Leppitsch as early as Monday with the club planning to hold a board meeting at 10am to decide his fate.

In the wake of the 58-point loss to St Kilda at Etihad Stadium, Leppitsch said his priority was always introducing, developing and retaining young talent — not protecting the club’s ladder position.

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But he fears he will be judged by his win-loss ratio which stands at 14-52 after three seasons after Brisbane recently conducted a review of football operations.

“I don’t have a gut feel (about the board meeting) … I don’t know,’’ Leppitsch said after finishing 3-19 for 2016.

“I suppose the messaging throughout the year has been long-term from the footy club, apart from three weeks ago.

“Every moment before that to me hasn’t been a win-loss ratio component to me keeping my job.

“But obviously things have shifted the last couple of weeks so I’m uncertain of what has transpired, that’s for sure.

“As a coach all you are asking for is what are you being assessed on, that’s it. If it was win-loss this year, I would (have) traded probably the first pick ... you’d do other things, wouldn’t you?

“You’d do other things that give you a chance of upping the win-loss ratio, but it wasn’t done last year.

“We actually traded picks for future picks. It’s just knowing where you stand and what your KPIs are.

“I presented a case last week about what my job has been the last three years and that has been to introduce and play young talent which we are ‘AFL 1’ at (best in the competition).’’

Leppitsch said he believes he is a better coach than when first appointed at the end of 2013 but suffers from not having the credibility of senior coaches like John Worsfold and Ross Lyon, who have also had three-win seasons in 2016.

Injuries, a diabolic fixture and shameful output from the club’s senior players also conspired against Leppitsch.

Brisbane narrowly avoided winning the wooden spoon by finishing 0.6 per cent ahead of Essendon on the ladder.

At one stage in the second half, the Lions’ percentage slipped below the Bombers, but Brisbane kicked five of the last eight goals to sneak into 17th position on the ladder to earn the No. 2 draft pick in the national draft.

The Lions started strongly with the first two goals of the match but followed the sad and sorry template of 2016 with schoolboy errors and a lack of workrate inviting the Nick Riewoldt-inspired Saints back into the contest.

Originally published as Justin Leppitsch says goalposts have shifted for Brisbane coaching job after loss to St Kilda