Michael Voss Biography

Michael Voss performs a citizen's arrest while getting coffee after he saw two teenagers trying to flee from a stolen car.

A Mercedes-Benz lost control and flipped on Barton Street in Hawthorn outside a busy cafe near a school crossing just before 9am. Two people emerged from the car before taking off.

Voss was getting his morning coffee when the incident unfolded and he chased after the pair, along with cafe owner James Laskie.

Michael Voss signs a new contract with Carlton to remain coach of the club for an additional two years, effective until the end of the 2026 season.

"A coach of great intellect, who inspires those around him and every Carlton person to not just hope, but believe in what is possible if we remain committed and true to who we are, together," Carlton president Luke Sayers said of Voss.

Carlton coach Michael Voss returns from the AFL's health and safety protocols after watching the Blues' game against the Bulldogs while wired into the coaches' box from his home as assistant coach Ash Hansen led the side in his absence.

"It wasn't the greatest, sitting there watching. I had everything available, the deluxe version of watching football, but when it got into the last quarter and the result was on the line it wasn't the best experience I've ever had in my life," Voss said.

Carlton will spend the next 48 hours working through the finer details of how isolated coach Michael Voss will communicate with players and staff members during their clash against the Western Bulldogs.

Voss, along with player Jack Martin and four other members of the club's football department, have been forced into the AFL's health and safety protocols over the weekend after returning positive COVID-19 test results.

Michael Voss hopes his reappointment as head coach of the Blues will help change the perception of the recycled coach.

For eight long years after he was sacked from his position as senior coach of Brisbane, Voss sought second opportunities to lead an AFL side elsewhere. But for eight long years, such opportunities weren't forthcoming before he was appointed as senior coach of Carlton.

"There were certainly moments where you felt you were close and it got ripped away, and there were certainly plenty of moments where I thought maybe it's just gone," Voss said.

"Maybe, as an industry, we weren't quite ready for the second-time coach who had gone back and had to work on some of his shortcomings and imperfections and went to work on his craft and took his time and hopefully got another opportunity. I feel like I'll play an important role in terms of how it's perceived moving forward."

Carlton appoints Michael Voss as its 35th senior coach heading into season 2022.

"There's some good talent here and that's one of the real exciting parts of being able to coach this football team. I won't step away from embracing expectations," Voss said.

"We've got a rich history and have had some great success as a football club and we'll embrace those expectations. But hopefully we can also shift the narrative a little to how we can actually play for an even greater purpose, which becomes even bigger than the result itself."

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has whacked assistant coach Michael Voss, calling on him to not meet with other clubs until season's end.

Voss met with Carlton earlier this week regarding the Blues' senior coaching vacancy, and on Friday morning, Koch expressed his annoyance with the situation on Sunrise.

"People go for better jobs. That's great, but do it at the end of the season," Koch said.

"Focus on the job at hand. We're paying you at the moment. Do your job. Show your interest (in other jobs), but hey, get focused."

Michael Voss admits his reputation as a player played a role in securing his first coaching role but says he now has the skills to back up his famous name.

"The roles have changed over a period of time and you develop a skillset over time. If more my name won me my first role, I'm hoping that the skillsets win me my second," Voss said.

"There's no doubt clearly that my name was an influencing factor to the last time around. The time's been spent to try and go back and better yourself and make yourself better at what you do."

Port Adelaide re-signs assistant coaches Michael Voss and Chad Cornes, while senior assistant coach Matthew Nicks and development coach Aaron Greaves will leave the club at the end of the 2018 season.

Casey Voss, son of triple premiership captain Michael Voss, is currently in Brisbane for two weeks training with the Lions and will play for their NEAFL team on Saturday.

The 18-year-old has graduated from Sturt's under-18 team to its SANFL reserves outfit in the past month and has been granted permission to head north for two weeks.

Voss has improved nicely this year and is a possible father-son selection, although the Lions would like to see his development continue over the next few months.

Port Adelaide assistant coach Michael Voss admits he has a burning ambition to be a senior coach again.

"(I'm) never one to shy away from a big task. I still think that obviously burns deep for me," Voss said.

"Whether another opportunity exists there or not, that will play out.

"The best thing I can possibly do right now is to continue to work on my own craft but purely with the interests of making our group better (at Port Adelaide)."

Power assistant coach Michael Voss says he still has the fire in his belly to be a senior coach again but insists he's committed to Port Adelaide for the foreseeable future.

"I have very long-term aspirations of being a coach again but that's not my agenda here," Voss said.

"My agenda here is to do the role exceptionally well – the midfield manager's role – work with a group of young men that hopefully can build towards the ultimate success.

"I've always been of the belief that whatever you're committing to, you're 100 per cent involved in that."

Michael Voss says one of his roles at Port Adelaide as midfield coach will be to foster a strong culture at the club.

"It's just about creating a really strong football club," Voss said.

"You look at teams like Hawthorn just recently and the Sydney Swans over the last decade and also Geelong, they're the sort of environments you want to try and create.

"If we can try and make some way towards that and I was invested in a small way in that, I would be immensely proud."

Michael Voss joins Port Adelaide as its midfield manager on a multi-year deal to take the place of new Adelaide coach Phil Walsh.

"Joining Port Adelaide is a chance to be part of a fantastic journey with a group of exciting young players," Voss said.

"The brand of footy played under Ken Hinkley and the continued growth of the club over the last two years has been very impressive and I am looking forward to contributing to that journey.

"I was committed to media for another 12 months, but in the end Port Adelaide presented me with an opportunity too good to refuse and after several family discussions, we agreed it was the right time for us as a family."

Brisbane Lions legend Michael Voss has lashed out at the AFL, labelling as "a joke" the League's trading ultimatum to the Sydney Swans.

The AFL has told the Swans they cannot trade players into their club in the next two years unless they bring an immediate end to the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

Voss was clearly outraged by the AFL's decision and tweeted his dismay at the Swans' trade ban.

"Debate COLA if you like but to penalise the Sydney Swans from trading is a joke!" Voss tweeted.

"The Swans operated within the rules given to them by the very group that is penalising them. What are they guilty of breaching?"

Michael Voss has categorically ruled out returning to coaching in 2015 despite media speculation linking him to roles at Adelaide and Gold Coast.

"When I stepped away from coaching last year I thought it would be years before I even thought of getting back into coaching and I love what I'm doing," Voss said on SEN radio.

"If anything it's showed me in the last 24 hours the reasons why I'm not in there because it's exceptionally brutal. You've got to be 100 per cent in it, it's so consuming.

"Right now as I sit here, no way had I thought that I would be sitting there in a coaching capacity or even in clubland next year."

Jed Adcock says he still talks to former Lions coach Michael Voss about his footy.

"I chat to him every now and then, I'll give him a call," Adcock said.

"I worked pretty closely with him the last few years as a leader of this footy club.

"We've got a good relationship and we'll continue to have that. We'll talk when we need to talk and talk footy when we need to talk footy.

"I think early it was important for him to let 'Leppa' be the coach and let him take this footy club in the way he needed to, and Vossy definitely took a step back for a while, but he'll remain good mates to a lot of us."

Michael Voss is elevated to Legend status at the Brisbane Lions' Hall of Fame dinner at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"If I was picking a side from scratch, Michael Voss would be the first player I would pick, of any player that I've seen play in my time in football. He's a winner," former Lions premiership coach Leigh Matthews said.

Michael Voss says he was sacked as Brisbane Lions coach because the club decided to step up its ultimately futile pursuit of Paul Roos.

"Here was a definite play for the club to go after Roosy and he was well down the track for another football club," Voss said.

"The club was very keen to have him on board, and to do that I needed to not be in the position. They made that decision, and I only knew bits and pieces of what was going on."

Lions forward Jonathan Brown says new Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch has been swapping notes with former coach and friend Michael Voss.

"He's helped Leppa out with identifying where the list is at. They've been through a hell of a lot obviously premiership teammates," Brown said.

"It wasn't like Leppa's come in and 'white-anted' him or anything like that."

Michael Voss says he intends to step away from coaching for at least 12 months.

"I've had a long time to think about it. I just think, I'm 38 years of age, it's not a time to push the fast forward button," Voss said.

"I'm more than willing to be patient. Some things that might eventuate are doing a little bit of study abroad, I might even entertain writing a book as well as doing some stuff in the media."

Michael Voss joins AFL.com.au and the AFL Record as a finals analyst to share his insight into the season's finals series.

As part of the role, Voss will break down the finals match-ups and dissect how they unfold as part of a post-game wash-up.

Lions chairman Angus Johnson says the lure of Paul Roos was not the catalyst behind coach Michael Voss' dismissal.

"His availability or non-availability played absolutely no role in the decision making process with Michael Voss," Johnson said.

"I know there's been comment contrary to that, but I was in the board meeting, I was heavily involved in the process, and there was absolutely no way in the world we were going to make a decision on Michael Voss on the belief we could appoint Paul Roos to be senior coach, when he's said on more than one occasion that he's not interested in coaching."

Brisbane key defender Daniel Merrett says the playing group are shocked at the sacking of coach Michael Voss.

"We're all pretty shattered for Vossy and just shocked by the announcement yesterday," Merrett said.

"But we've just got to move on pretty quickly and be united as a group to finish off the year and show what Vossy's done for this group."

Lions chairman Angus Johnson confirms that the club will be making contact with Paul Roos following the decision not to renew Michael Voss' contract as coach.

"We're going to be contacting Paul Roos, but Paul is not the only person we'll be speaking to," Johnson said.

"We felt we needed a fresh approach. We took the decision Vossy had taken the group as far as we believed he could and it was time to make a change."

Michael Voss says he never lost the Brisbane players but is happy the board told him now it did not have faith in him.

"The question had to be asked was I the person who was going to get them to the next level?" Voss said.

"We are at this level and to go to the next level is a much bigger one ... and they've made that decision that I'm not that person, that it will be someone else.

"From my position, that's good to know. I'd rather know that now than find out later."

Michael Voss' stint as coach of the Lions is over after the club chose not to extend his contract beyond this year.

"I don't know how I feel to be honest," Voss said.

"Tomorrow I'll wake up and I don't go to work, and that's all I know.

"The club's dear to me, but what I get a kick out of is I've gone every day and there's been something to improve in our players.

"I think that's what I'll miss the most."

Following Melbourne coach Mark Neeld's sacking, Michael Voss ponders his own mortality as coach of the struggling Brisbane Lions.

"They're the hazards of the job. You know there's potential around the corner for something like that to happen," Voss said.

"You probably sit back and get a chance to reflect on what your stint's been like.

"When you're the coach and in the moment, you're just trying to see where can get better next week and have you got the right mix and is that the way you want to go forward."

Michael Voss says he won't be affected by speculation surrounding his position as coach of the Lions.

"That's a world (speculation) you guys live in. I don't live in that world. We live in the performance space," Voss said.

"That means you'll cast forward, that's not my job. My job it to try and get this team ready, look at what we had and didn't achieve this week, get the most out of the players and go about doing it next week.

"That's what we'll continue to do."

Lions CEO Malcolm Holmes says coach Michael Voss' position is safe until the end of the year.

"The Brisbane Lions have consistently stated that the club's senior coaching position will not be reviewed until the end of the season," Holmes said.

"As such we will not be providing a running commentary on the matter."

Jonathan Brown says he understands how hard it must be for Lions coach Michael Voss to make a call on Simon Black's future.

"It's hard for Vossy because he has been our captain and is a great mate of ours," Brown said.

"But he has got a job to do for the footy club and he has to be honest as a coach to us players about how we are going with our performance."

The Brisbane Lions are keen to appoint Mark Harvey as a senior assistant to head coach Michael Voss.

"No doubt he would add a significant amount of experience and knowledge to our coaching team, and being a senior coach would be a terrific help to Vossie," Brisbane football manager Dean Warren said.

"He is very strong on strategy and analysis and will bring great match-day strengths. Our discussions have been pretty positive."

Michael Voss has inked a new contract with the Brisbane Lions, extending his deal through the next two seasons.

Voss says he never let his contract situation affect his performance as coach.

"I think there's always periods as a coach when you think you're on shaky ground," Voss said.

"It's incredibly good to know you have the support of the club that they're willing to see that through no matter what happens. As a player I never sat back and worried about contracts and never focussed on it, and I wasn't going to do that as a coach."

Nathan Buckley, James Hird, Mark Ricciuto and Michael Voss are inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.

Michael Voss says the Brisbane Lions made a mistake to recruit Brendan Fevola and it would be a mistake to keep him.

"Whenever you recruit a player, you recruit them on the premise that they can make you better," Voss said.

"That's what we hoped to get and clearly we didn't get that, so for us, I can't sit here and say it wasn't a mistake because he's now left our football club."

Former Brisbane assistant coach Wayne Brittain condemns the management structure at the Lions and says Michael Voss has problems communicating with his players.

Brittain asserts that the appointment of Olympic canoeist Dan Collins as Voss's right-hand man has caused fractures within the group.

"Dan Collins' structures put Vossy in a position where he's so busy he doesn't get enough time to recover the little things you need to get your people performing well," Brittain said.

"In a footy club you have to genuinely care about the people who are giving for you and then they are prepared to give a bit more."

Embattled Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has given little credence to recent criticism levelled at him by former assistant Wayne Brittain regarding the management structures implemented by former Olympic canoeist Dan Collins.

"I don't know why I have got to answer questions for people who aren't here when they are the past and not the future," Voss said.

"It's quite clearly a personal reference to one person, it's a personal conflict. Sort it out one on one, go catch up, get a coffee, do it that way, there are better ways to do it."

Michael Voss has hit back at critics of his recycled list consisting of several players acquired via trades during the off-season.

Voss believes the club's new recruits have filled important gaps and were not part of a drive towards a premiership.

"I actually don't believe that was the motive, the end outcome was hopefully that would happen, but I don't think that's the premise of what we recruited for," Voss said.

"The guys that we recruited were never meant to be part of our core but in essence because of some of the injuries we have had they have become that."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says former teammate Daniel Bradshaw has lost respect for him after the key forward left the Lions for the Swans via the pre-season draft.

"I think Daniel's lost a fair bit of respect for me, which is disappointing," Voss said.

"I played in premierships with Daniel and it was unfortunate that he ended up moving on. In my limited experience as a coach that is absolutely the most difficult thing to be able to do, and how you do it is not always done exactly how you'd like to, but you also know it's part of the job."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says he was sad to hear of the passing of former Brisbane Lion Brent Green who drowned on the Gold Coast recently while surfing.

"I grew up playing football either with or against Brent since I was 11 years-old, from the Queensland junior ranks to our time together in the AFL," Voss said.

"He was a gentle giant but showed some serious aggression out on the footy field.

"Our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly tough time."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says he has moved on from full forward Daniel Bradshaw leaving the club.

"As a coach you make decisions on what you think the best direction of the football club is and we've chosen this direction and Braddy has moved on," Voss said.

The Brisbane Lions will be missing five key players in their elimination final against Carlton.

Daniel Merrett (hamstring), Daniel Bradshaw (quad) and Jed Adcock (knee) will all be sidelined for at least another week, and are likely to be joined by Simon Black (hamstring) and Josh Drummond (quad) who were injured in their final regular season match against the Swans.

''All those players are probably registered down as 'test' but are fairly likely to be unlikely to play, so we've got to plan ahead without them there,'' Lions coach Michael Voss said.

''Normally I'd sit here and say they're 50:50 but they're probably less than that so there's no real point dragging out that process any longer than we need to. If they come up then good, but we're not expecting them to.''

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says Josh Drummond is carrying an injury but won't reveal details.

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says any AFL coach that deliberately loses games by tanking should be banned for life.

"I would be very confident to suggest there's never been a coach who has come into a game and said 'we want to lose this game'," Voss said.

"If there is, they should ban him for life."

Injured Brisbane Lions ruckman Jamie Charman says his teammates are playing for rookie coach Michael Voss and will improve even more before September.

"I think we're only going to improve because I don't think we've really put together four solid quarters yet, except for maybe against the Sydney Swans," Charman said.

"There's plenty of improvement there for us, and we're only going to get better as the years go on."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says draftee Daniel Rich would be the 'unluckiest person in history' to miss out on the NAB AFL Rising Star award after the young midfielder tallied 31 disposals and played a key role in the Lions defeating Fremantle by 15 points at Subiaco Oval.

"The way he's been able to conduct himself this year and the way he's played has belied his age," Voss said.

"I think he's grown into his role. I think he's grown into the club and he feels like he belongs there. He's making a valuable contribution.

"I'm not really tremendously into individual awards, but Daniel Rich would probably have to be the unluckiest person in history not to win the rising star this year."

Essendon assistant coach Gary O'Donnell has ruled himself out of taking on a senior coaching role next year despite vacancies at North Melbourne and Richmond.

"No and I am not in the running for any of those jobs," he said while adding that potential coaches did not necessarily have to serve as assistants before assuming a senior role.

"Each individual is different. We saw Michael Voss virtually didn't have an assistant coaching role anywhere. Some guys can go straight in to it. It's horses for courses," he said.

"You get the right person for the right club at the right time it doesn't matter what they've done in their past."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss remains hopeful of regaining ruckman Matthew Leuenberger later this year after Jamie Charman was ruled out for the season.

Charman was due to undergo an ankle reconstruction on Monday after battling to overcome the injury he sustained against Collingwood in round four.

Coach Michael Voss said the medical and coaching staff made the decision to have surgery on Friday after Charman failed to respond to treatment.

"He couldn't change direction and he was obviously still having a problem with his ligaments, so it was just too unstable and too risky for him to come back and do some serious damage to himself," Voss said.

"Eventually you've got to make a call and for his own interests we had to make that on Friday, he wasn't making any progression."

Lions coach Michael Voss says Nathan Buckley has the right stuff to make it as a senior coach.

"He's had the pressure of being the captain of the Collingwood Football Club and he's had that constant pressure since the day he walked into the Brisbane Bears back in 1992," Voss said.

"If there's anyone who's able to step up ... it will be Nathan."

A sickening head-knock continues to take its toll on Troy Selwood.

"He is just going through a stage of testing," Brisbane coach Michael Voss said.

"We are obviously quite careful about head knocks and when guys have concussion.

"For his own interests it would be better if he could come back in (the reserves), get his confidence back, see the ball without the pressurised environment of the AFL."

The Brisbane Lions have finally had enough of Jason Akermanis, and have said so publicly with Brisbane coach Michael Voss demanding that Akermanis explain comments about the Lions made to the media.

Akermanis accused former teammates Justin Leppitsch and Mal Michael of being petty and snubbing his 2001 wedding because they felt he didn't deserve his Brownlow that year.

"Our fundamental philosophy is that our club is our people - eventually you have to sit there and say `you can't possibly take that'," Voss said.

First-year coach Michael Voss urged Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley to follow his instincts and take a senior role next year.

"He will have a very definite thought about what he thinks the right way to go about it is. If he thinks that's next year, then go for it," Voss said.

"If he's ready to do it, go for it. You have to back yourself in eventually. You don't want to do it flippantly without any background at all. But if you have got a belief you can do it, then back yourself in, because that takes courage also to be able to do that."

Brisbane has picked its least experienced side under Michael Voss with midfielder Matt Austin named to make his debut against Adelaide.

Simon Black has praised Michael Voss's ability as coach of the Brisbane Lions.

"I know a lot of people have doubted whether he would be up for it because he hasn't coached before," Black said about Voss as coach.

"But his knowledge of the game, personal and communication skills allow him to do the job fantastically well.

"The guys sit on every word he says.

"He's got that pull with the playing group.

"From the oldest guy to the youngest guy, everyone is rapt with having him at the club."

Brisbane coach Michael Voss was impressed with his team rallying around Troy Selwood who suffered from a sickening collision with Tiger Alex Rance after their win against Richmond.

"Every now again as a coach you get goose bumps about different things, and I got goose bumps when I saw that," Voss said on Monday.

"I thought 'that's what teamwork is all about' - when one of your mates puts his body on the line for you and is willing to hurt himself for the greater cause.

"When you see all the guys go over to him after the game and acknowledge that effort, it is spine tingling."

Brisbane fullback Daniel Merrett received a timely compliment from Michael Voss.

"Rog is a powerful and agile unit and is actually one of the quickest players on our list," Voss said.

"I have no hesitation in plonking Daniel at the top of the goal-square whether he is playing on a tall or small opposition forward.

"He is versatile in that he can match the physical strength of Barry Hall one week and can also play on a medium-sized opponent playing out of the goal-square."

The loss of a player like Brisbane's Matthew Leuenberger for up to three months would usually be shattering for a coach.

However, rookie coach Michael Voss is still finding plenty of positives as he counts down to a rare Friday night Gabba showdown with Collingwood.

New Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says his team still has plenty of work to do to learn the new game plan.

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says his team has to be prepared for Carlton's tackling ferocity this weekend.

Michael Voss engineered a second-half revival to launch his coaching career and snuff out a determined West Coast at the Gabba.

As he begins a new career as coach under an intense spotlight, Michael Voss won't be able to fall back on his reputation as a player.

Experiments in game styles among AFL teams means a learning curve particularly steep for new Lions coach Michael Voss.

Jed Adcock says friendships remain strong between new Brisbane Lions Michael Voss coach and his former teammates.

Michael Voss tells Caroline Wilson that he walks that fine line between self-belief and arrogance.

Brisbane Lions vice-captain Jed Adcock says new coach Michael Voss has brought a "fresh" approach to coaching after Leigh Matthews' 10 years in charge.

Coaching legend Wayne Bennett has questioned rookie Michael Voss's capacity to cope with the demands of coaching Brisbane.

Michael Voss is appointed coach of the Brisbane Lions for three years after the departure of Leigh Matthews.

Voss secured the senior coaching position at Brisbane after being released from his role as an assistant coach at the Eagles.

"I'm here to get results," Voss said.

"What the player 38th on the list does and what Johnathan Brown does, I expect the same.

"Everyone stands on the same line whether I've played with them or whether I haven't.

"For me to compromise myself in any way would fly in the face of everything I ever stood for."

Michael Voss accepts a two-year position as assistant coach of the West Coast Eagles, thereby rejecting an offer from the AFL to serve as foundation coach of the new AFL Gold Coast club due for entry in 2011.

"If I was going to accept the Gold Coast job I wanted to know I was going to be able to have a really good crack at it. I asked for an extended period but it wasn't to be. I understand and accept that," Voss said.

"I have made a decision to pursue a coaching career and after two years out of AFL football I'm really excited about the prospect of joining the Eagles. This is an exciting journey and one we think will set a number of young Queensland kids on the road to a career in the AFL."