COMMENT: The Brisbane Lions board met on Tuesday afternoon to review its football department, conducting interviews with all senior figures as part of CEO Greg Swann's promised top-to-bottom review of its operations. The board will also doubtless be contemplating how it can best handle the exit of its beleaguered coach, Justin Leppitsch.

Leppitsch – along with many of his assistants – is all but certain to coach his last match for the club on Sunday against St Kilda, in a major clean out of the club's coaching and development staff. But there are also other, thornier questions to be resolved at the Lions. And the biggest one is what to do about their captain, Tom Rockliff.

Rockliff is 26. He has had an up-and-down year, but is otherwise at the peak of his career. He is reputed to be asking the Lions for up to $750,000 per season to stay, and apparently he wants to. It's far less clear as to whether the club is as keen on retaining his services.

Moving Rockliff on would represent the nuclear option for the Lions, who have so few senior players. But they also have a shortage of elite talent. Rockliff could command a top-10 draft pick, or alternatively a very good up-and-coming player in the 21-23 age range, plus perhaps a lower pick from another club.