Lions suffer $1.78m hit in AFL

Brisbane say one of the reasons for their big financial loss was having to pay out sacked coach Justin Leppitsch.

Brisbane's horrific AFL year has blown a $1.78 million hole in their bottom line.

The Lions have blamed some of the big net operating loss on having to pay out sacked coach Justin Leppitsch.

Declining membership and crowd numbers also hurt, and the club they say they pumped an additional $500,000 this season into their football department.

Only Essendon's makeshift team saved the Lions from this season's wooden spoon.

They sacked Leppitsch, replacing him with Chris Fagan, and also lost Pearce Hanley to Gold Coast.

Chief executive Greg Swann said Brisbane continued to work with the AFL to boost their finances.

"As a club, we want to become relevant again - that involves a lot of hard work and we are up for the challenge," he said.