FORMER Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss doesn't believe a reported rift between forward Jonathan Brown and coach Leigh Matthews is keeping the spearhead from re-signing with the club.

There has been widespread speculation that the relationship between the Lions' most prolific player and their almost 10-year coach has become frayed in recent times.

But Voss wasn't reading anything into a possible disagreement between the club's two king pins, and said emotions were probably running high at the Lions anyway owing to their recent dip in form.

"Tensions go up and down, and you can be the favourite player one week and not so favourite the next," he told SEN on Tuesday.

"Those things can be taken with a grain of salt to be truthful because the side has been struggling for probably the last four or five weeks.

"I would have thought players don't always see eye to eye with their coach during those periods."

But Voss said the burden of Brown's uncommitted status to the Lions would be contributing to any anxieties at the club, and believed it was important for the services of the triple premiership player to be confirmed sooner rather than later.

"It is important for the Brisbane Lions to be able to sign up Jonathan Brown, and not just because it's Jonathan Brown; just because he's the leader of the club, spiritually or otherwise," he said.

"He holds the culture in his hands.

"It sucks being the leader, that you hold that, but you do, and everyone else around him is waiting to see what Jonathan Brown does, and a lot of other contracts go on hold until what Jonathan Brown does."