Leigh Matthews has vowed to keep a low profile despite the very public and messy path taken in his return to Brisbane as part of the AFL club's new-look board.
The Lions' triple premiership winning coach was on Thursday unveiled as the Lions' new football director as the dust settled on a boardroom brawl that threatened to tarnish the Brisbane brand.
But he made it clear he would not interfere with Justin Leppitsch's work unless asked by the new Lions coach.
Matthews sat alongside Bob Sharpless who emerged as the new chairman after a compromise was finally met in a marathon Lions board meeting on Wednesday.
The infighting ended when chairman Angus Johnson and challenger Paul Williams both agreed to fall on their swords at the five hour meeting.
It gave the green light to a stable board and as a result a much needed $1.84 million injection from the AFL, ending the need for a scheduled November 13 emergency meeting - and the airing of more boardroom dirty laundry.
But it is the return of Matthews that was seen as the big benefit.
Former chairman Tony Kelly had described Matthews putting his hand up for a boardroom position as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" - and Sharpless did not disagree as the Lions looked to rebuild.
"When the opportunity comes to get Leigh Matthews involved with the club again, you just have to make that happen," Sharpless said.
While Matthews admitted he did not have a brief for his new role he made it clear he did not want to meddle with on-field matters unless asked.
"I'm not making a comeback to playing and I'm not making a comeback to coaching - I'm fairly removed," Matthews said.
"I'll do what I can as the football person on the board to link up with the football department (but) my role is very back room.
"I've got an enormous amount of faith in Justin Leppistch.
"You will not see me near the Lions dressing room on match day."
Williams and fellow director Mick Power fell out with Johnson over the sacking of coach Michael Voss and the failure to lure Sydney's premiership winning mentor Paul Roos in August.
Since then the infighting has intensified amid claims of boardroom leaks and Lions lawyers stepping in to unveil a loophole that blocked life member Matthews from joining the board.
A resolution will be made to change their constitution along with restoring the Lions premiership winning guernsey design at a December 18 annual general meeting.
"It's been two months and you'd like it to have been two days," Matthews said.
"But I don't think it's harmed the brand.
"You need renewal, refreshment, rejuvenation all the time. (But) it's not easy."
Sharpless said the majority of the AFL cash injection would be spent on their football department.
And he was confident the proposed new Lions training base at Springfield would go ahead, despite concerns the Coalition federal government would not inject $15 million of the $60 million project promised by Labor.
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