Cairns City Lions president Wayne Keegan has blasted his senior squad in the wake of a coaching takeover, refusing to play the blame game despite his side sitting on the bottom of the ladder.
Second-year coach Jason Roe has been replaced by player Marc Harbrow and Keegan hopes the older brother of Gold Coast Sun Jarrod will be able to press his claims to continue in the role next season.
The Cairns Post understands it was a mutual parting of the ways between the club and Roe, although the idea of the coach stepping aside was initially raised by the playing group.
In the end Roe did not fight the current when the prospect was raised.
But both Keegan and Roe insist there is no bad blood, Keegan in particular blasting the current playing group for not performing to their potential this year.
"Marc will take over, but I'm not making any excuses for the season," he said.
"We've underperformed really badly and I'm really disappointed in our efforts because we've got a good side there.
"It's like we've started inventing ways to lose. I've told them that, and more."
Roe said when fronted with the proposition of leaving his post it wasn't a tough call. "I was just tired and frustrated and we just don't have the help around the club we needed,' he said.
"It probably could have been handled better, but I'm happy with how it's panned out in the end. I can still come down and watch a game, there's no bad blood."
Keegan hoped Harbrow, a junior coach at Lions, would help to forge a better partnership between juniors and seniors.
And despite Roe's connections - he was on the Adelaide Crows coaching staff for their 1998 premiership - they would not lose much in recruitment.
"We probably made the same mistake twice in looking for Northern Territory recruits and anyway, we don't need a whole heap of players because our junior depth is very good," Keegan said.
"The only criticism I had of Jason was that he didn't blood enough juniors at the right times this season."
The club will advertise for a new coach next year, but Keegan said Harbrow had a perfect chance to prove himself worthy of reinstatement in the final two months of the season.
His first test will come against leaders North Cairns on July 20.
Last Modified on 09/08/2013 13:53