Justin Leppitsch has been sacked as Brisbane Lions coach, with chairman Bob Sharpless saying the AFL club needed to go in a different direction.
Leppitsch was ousted with one year still remaining on his contract, having won just 14 matches in three full seasons at the helm.
The Lions board met on Monday morning, where they determined that Leppitsch's time was up.
"The club needs to go in a different direction and we believe that starts with a new senior coach," Sharpless said at a media conference.
" ... I rang Justin after the meeting.
"He was disappointed.
"I obviously thanked him for his time at the club - but he was disappointed."
Brisbane chief executive Greg Swann said the board had yet to determine whether Leppitsch's replacement needed to have had previous experience as an AFL head coach.
"Ultimately we'll just get the best coach," said Swann.
Leppitsch chose not to join Sharpless and Swann at Monday's media conference.
The Lions ended the 2016 home-and-away season in second-last spot on the ladder with three victories, avoiding the wooden spoon by just half a percentage point.
