SACKING Justin Leppitsch as Brisbane Lions coach was a decision the club had to make, according to former player Brent Staker.

Leppitsch was fired on Monday after the end of his third season in charge, in which time he had won 14 of a possible 66 games.

Staker was at the Lions from 2010-15, the last two years being under Leppitsch. A calf injury saw Staker miss all of 2014, while he managed only six matches in his final year.

Speaking to EON Sports Radio on Monday, he conceded he had not played much football under Leppitsch but said the Lions board made the correct decision.

"You always feel sad for the coach … but as an ex-player, it's probably the best move for the club," Staker said.

"I say that in respect, because you want to see the Lions get better."

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Staker had heard a rumour that Leigh Matthews could be asked back to serve as the senior man before handing over to a younger assistant, similar to the situation at Melbourne, with Simon Goodwin succeeding Paul Roos.

"I have heard a whisper about that, I heard that a couple of weeks ago," Staker said.

"I like the idea … but they (the Lions) don't need that. You'd back in your head coach, wouldn't you?"

He said Leppitsch struggled with ensuring the players understood the game plan.

"(Leppitsch) definitely understood the game. Maybe he struggled in getting that across to the players," Staker said.

"Whether I'm right or I'm wrong, I'm not sure, but maybe it was the players' fault for not getting his message out on the field and not delivering."

Staker pointed to the success of Adam Simpson (West Coast), Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs) and Brendon Bolton (Carlton), who served an apprenticeship under Hawthorn's Alastair Clarkson, as to what direction the Lions should take when appointing the next person to lead the club.

"The coach they worked under was slightly different to what Leppa worked under and maybe there was a key there that they took out of the game that Leppa may have missed," Staker said.

"There's an ingredient that the Lions need to find that's going to take them forward … whether they've worked at Hawthorn or worked under a famous coach like a (Kevin) Sheedy."

Justin Leppitsch became an assistant at the Lions immediately after he retired before moving to Richmond to work under Damien Hardwick.

Despite the current malaise at the Lions, after a year in which they escaped the wooden spoon by 0.6 per cent, Staker predicted prosperity in the club's future.

"There's some good players there. The key position players I think are fantastic. They are young, they are raw, but they have talent," he said.