06 December 2006 Herald-Sun
David Hastie
TRIPLE Brisbane Lions premiership captain Michael Voss says he is disappointed with the way former teammate Mal Michael has handled his move to Essendon.
Voss, who yesterday embarked on his new career as the AIS-AFL Academy assistant coach, said the Lions could have traded Michael for a first-round draft pick but instead were left empty-handed.
"I'm not disappointed that Essendon went after him and did it," Voss said yesterday.
"They saw a window there and that's fine.
"But I'm a bit disappointed that the Lions weren't able to get anything from his move. (ie Bowers is a Dickhead)
"From the club's point of view it puts them behind, I believe, because they could have got a first-round draft pick for him.
"They could have got a 10-year player rather than nothing. From that point of view it hurts."
However despite the Lions missing out during trade week, the 1996 Brownlow medallist said it was Michael's handling of the the move after announcing his retirement from AFL football that was most disappointing.
"I think he could have handled it with a lot more grace," Voss said.
"He could have said, 'I've appreciated my time in Brisbane, you've been fantastic to me. There's been a loophole that's existed in the program and I want to play again. Thanks for everything you've done for me but I'm now an Essendon player'.
"That would have been a much better way to handle it.
"At the end of the day Essendon's done nothing wrong and I think Mal's intentions were honourable at the beginning so I don't necessarily doubt that.
"It's just . . . that the Lions now get nothing and (I'm) just a little bit disappointed about how Mal decided to go about things."
With his playing days now behind him, Voss said he was looking forward to helping the next generation of footballers hone their skills at the AIS.
"We are dealing with young guys at the very beginning of their careers," he said.
"We only have them for a short period of time but just to give them a bit of a snippet of what they can expect and where they need to get their game to in order to be able to make AFL football.
"From that perspective it's pretty exciting because you see them develop and that's a hugely rewarding experience."
Despite his enthusiasm for the new role, Voss said it was just a part-time commitment and he was still undecided on whether he would pursue a senior coaching job at AFL level in the future.
"This is just a way for me to be able to put my toe in the water and still look at the elite level," he said.
"I just want to be able to have that period of time away from a football club to be able to enjoy something else."
I reckon Voss will make a great coach....after Sheeds hangs up his whistle.
