Legendary Australian football coach David Parkin has revealed a never told before story regarding the sacking of Michael Voss as Brisbane coach, and how it has all come full circle at Carlton.
The Hall of Famer was part of a three-man panel who came to the decision to move on from Voss at the Lions, and also on the Carlton selection committee who appointed him all these years later.
Speaking on SEN’s Whateley, Parkin revealed a question he asked the Brisbane great during a meeting
“I was part of the three-man panel that sacked Michael Voss at Brisbane. I will never, ever forget that,” he said.
“Probably one of the worst moments in my life was when he made a fantastic presentation, six of the other board members were on the other side of the table and I was sitting with the three of us who had done the review of all the players and the coaching staff and the administrative staff.
“I (asked Voss), ‘Michael how would you feel if half the people on the other side of the table wanted you and the other half didn’t?’.
“Still to this day I don’t know why I asked the question, he looked at me like I’d shot him and packed up his stuff and walked out the door.
“We were all sitting there looking at each other and I thought ‘what have I done’.
“He came back in far enough for me to see him and he said ‘just make sure if they aren’t united totally, I don’t get the job’.
“So that was my departure from Brisbane and I carried that.
“You wouldn’t believe for the last five or six years he’s been my son Anthony’s boss in Port Adelaide and they’ve had a wonderful relationship which is good despite what I did to him.”
Parkin, who then helped appoint Voss at Carlton, could not be happier with what he’s seen from the club so far.
“Then as the somersault happens, who sits on the selection panel at the Carlton Football Club for the appointment of the new coach (me) and who gets the job, it’s Michael Voss,” the former Carlton coach added.
“It’s a fascinating story and there’s no doubt they’ve picked up a magnificent leader and the leadership part of coaching is absolutely crucial.
“The tactical and technical coaching stuff can be done by four or five people in support of you if you’re a good leader, but it doesn’t work the other way around.
“The leadership side more than anything else in that role today because of who you are connected to. It’s not just the playing group, but the staff and the administrative staff of the club and of course the supporters as a whole.
“It’s one hell of a job and to think you can get someone who can do all of those things, including coaching the team specifically, is almost beyond one person’s ability in my humble opinion.
“The decision Carlton has made has been fantastic in that they have a great leader of the organisation.”
Carlton will take on Sydney this Friday night in a huge test for the club after their 7-2 start to the season.
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