Club stalwarts Simon Black and Luke Power have seen their teammates' progress first-hand and both have been glowing in their praise in recent weeks.
In a busy trade and draft period, the Lions landed big fish Brendan Fevola from Carlton and also provided a new home for lost souls Brent Staker, Andrew Raines, Matt Maguire, Xavier Clarke and Amon Buchanan.
As fans, media and the club sifted through the smouldering wreckage of the Lions' 2010 campaign, the finger of blame was invariably pointed at the interstate interlopers, but closer inspection reveals they were targets of convenience.
However, it is useful to reconsider what the Lions gave up for these players in assessing their overall worth; especially given Voss was accused by the more hysterical types of selling the club's future down the river in search of a quick flag.
Irrelevant to this particular argument is the impact of Voss' recruiting on Daniel Bradshaw, Michael Rischitelli, Jared Brennan and Justin Sherman - four key players who have left the club since October 2009.
Fevola was the big ticket item but Victorian youngster Lachie Henderson, who had managed just 15 games in two years and was starting to cast a longing eye south, and pick No.12 was hardly a king's ransom for a 28-year-old reigning Coleman Medallist and All Australian.
Don't forget that the desperate-to-sell Blues threw in pick 27, too.
Staker and Buchanan were seasoned AFL regulars with over 100 games' experience who joined the club in a convoluted trade that basically saw out-of-favour midfielder Bradd Dalziell shipped with pick 28.
Again, not too shabby for two players in their prime.
Granted Raines, Clarke and Maguire were more speculative recruits given their injury issues, but at a cost of picks 44, 60 and 91 those players represented excellent value if the Lions could get them right.
All were in the 25 to 27 age bracket when they were brought in so it was hardly a case of '2010 or bust'.
So how did the first year pan out?
Staker was clearly the pick of the bunch. The utility played all 22 games as Voss desperately tried to plug the holes caused by a shocking run of injuries that tends to get overlooked when the Lions' 2010 season is evaluated.
The former Eagle finished seventh in his new club's best and fairest count and was widely regarded as an excellent pick-up, so he gets a tick of approval.
For all his off-field issues, Fevola still kicked 48 goals in 17 games carrying a dodgy groin. When assessing his first year as a Lion it's easy to be swayed by the various controversies that follow him around like a lost puppy, but in terms of his on-field performances he gets a tick.
Voss will be quietly thrilled with the return he got out of Maguire who was supposed to be washed up. Can you remember the last time pick 91 played 14 games in a key role in his first year at a club? Hmm, didn't think so. Tick.
Raines managed 10 games before being struck down by a quad injury and started to look like the player who had Richmond fans salivating in '06 and '07. He's not going to be the guy who turns a game on its head but he can be a more-than-handy part of the midfield rotation for the next few years. He scrapes in for a tick.
When Voss took a punt on the talented but injury-prone Clarke, he knew he wouldn't find out if the gamble had paid off in 2010 because the ex-Saint would spend a good portion of the season recovering from a knee reconstruction.
The coach expected nothing and got one game out of him. He gets a 'to be advised' mark that will be downgraded to a cross if he spends most of 2011 in the medical rooms.
The Lions had high hopes for Buchanan, who was restricted to 12 games by injury, but the premiership small forward had mixed results working at the feet of Fevola and Jonathan Brown.
On 2010 form, he gets a cross.
On balance, that's a reasonable first-up return from the new boys who were still coming to terms with a completely different environment.
But what they do in the next year or two will show whether Voss was wise or wayward with his post-season recruiting bonanza -- especially with especially given the experience vacuum created by the departure of Brennan, Rischitelli and Sherman.
Apart from Fevola, all are in full training. The signs are promising, but the marking process won't be forgiving if 2011 goes the same way.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
