+34
Chris Fagan has stepped down as Brisbane Lions senior coach after the club sealed an AFL premiership three-peat with a seven-point grand final win over Fremantle. The 65-year-old leaves after 10 years and 243 games in charge.
Chris Fagan has stepped down as Brisbane Lions senior coach after the club sealed an AFL premiership three-peat with a seven-point grand final victory over Fremantle Dockers at the MCG.
The 65-year-old told the Lions on Thursday he would not return for an 11th season at the helm, despite having a year to run on his contract. Fagan said in a statement that together they had been on a mission to make the Lions the most entertaining and competitive team in the competition and that they had done that.
Fagan cites family reasons for departure
He said the job is all encompassing, that he had given it his absolute all and was so proud of what they had achieved, but that now was the right time to go. He added that he was comfortable that now was the right time for Ursula and him to return to Melbourne to be closer to their family.
He said telling the players and football staff today was one of the hardest things he had done in his life and that he was grateful to be given the role to coach the club, calling it an incredible ride. In the lead up to Brisbane's seven-point grand final victory over the Dockers, Fagan admitted he was considering his future over concerns he did not have the required energy to remain senior coach.
The grand final was played at the MCG in front of 100,000 people, and shortly after the final siren the moment was not a time for rash life decisions, yet Fagan had almost certainly made up his mind to call it a day. Those around him were conscious of giving him space. At first he was utterly wrung out, and it took several minutes to gather himself and actually enjoy himself.
Within half an hour he had reverted to type, deflecting praise, commending the opposition and reminding his players to be humble. He was leaving breadcrumbs. There is a little bit inside of me who would rather walk away when the team is on top, Fagan said. It is sort of the dream way to finish.
Four-peat challenge awaits Brisbane Lions
The temptation to stay for another year was obvious, with a fourth straight flag possible in 2027. If the Lions win again in 2027, they will join the Collingwood side of the Depression era as the only VFL-AFL club to win four premierships in a row. Collingwood achieved the feat from 1927 to 1930. When Leigh Matthews' team chased that honour in 2004, they were limping to the line, old and banged up.
Their opponents Port Adelaide were still smarting after several poor Septembers. This Brisbane side is perfectly placed to contend for years to come, blessed with talented young footballers we have barely seen yet and needing a challenge to get through the winter grind. With the greatest respect to the great Collingwood team of a century ago, it is slightly harder to win four in a row these days.
There are six more clubs for a start and the competition is ostensibly designed to bring down the best. But Fagan was cooked. He hinted at stepping aside after the 2024 premiership and again the following year. The closest he came was probably halfway through the 2024 season, when the team was out of the eight and his health was in decline.
Fagan unlikely coach profile and record
Fagan arrived at Brisbane in 2016 and won just 10 games in his first two seasons. The Lions had 148 wins, 93 losses and two draws across his 243-game tenure, leaving Fagan with a better record than fellow Lions three-peat coach Leigh Matthews, who had 142 wins, 92 losses and three draws in 237 games. Fagan is in many ways the most unlikely multiple-premiership-winning coach we have seen.
He never played the game at the top level, though he had been a very good player in Tasmania. At Hawthorn he was the yin to Alastair Clarkson's yang, pulling him into line and tapping him on the shoulder when he lost control in the box. But the task before him at Brisbane seemed beyond his capabilities. For years it had been a place to get out of as quickly as possible.
They did not just need an injection of talent. They needed pastoral care, and he delivered it with patience. He was forgiving of mistakes and always realistic about where they sat. Even when they spiked they were an infuriating team at times, and he could be a cranky coach.
They were loaded with talent but prone to self-immolation, losing several close finals because of tardy goalkicking. For years they struggled to work the locks at the MCG, but they were always on an upward trajectory. The chart of their progress since he arrived is almost unprecedented: from wooden spoon, to quick spike, to close cutthroat finals losses, to grand final heartbreak, to the three-peat. All through that, Fagan did not look and sound like other coaches.
He was not like Chris Scott or Luke Beveridge, trying to manipulate a game by shifting magnets. He was not like Ross Lyon, with full control of the club. He did not change how the game was played like Clarkson or Damien Hardwick. But his ability to connect with, believe in, push back on and get the best out of players 45 years his junior was remarkable.
There was a hard side to Fagan too. Do not be fooled by the bewildered uncle routine. There was an obsessive side, a brutal side when it was warranted. This was a group that needed a kick up the backside every now and then, and there was a little bit of Clarkson in him right to the end.
Fagan always said he suffered from impostor syndrome, even after he won his first premiership. He is not talking like that any more. He is talking like a man who has done it all and who steps aside with nothing more to prove. His departure means the Lions must find a new senior coach to lead their quest for a historic four-peat, a feat unseen in the VFL-AFL since Collingwood from 1927 to 1930.
Potential coaches for Brisbane Lions role
Brisbane football boss Danny Daly, who left a career in banking to join Collingwood in 2000 before stints at North Melbourne and Richmond, has confirmed a desire to become a senior coach. He has previously knocked back interest from Gold Coast, Collingwood, Essendon, West Coast and Melbourne. Fagan had been talking up backline coach Dale Morris, who was the one to suggest using Wharfie Time to motivate the Lions if the Dockers reached for the button in the grand final.
Daly also floated midfield coach Cameron Bruce as another possible replacement, while pointing to an increasing trend around the league for clubs to select young first-time assistant coaches. Fagan has indicated he will not suggest a replacement to the club and that he wants to stay in football, in some shape or form. The one-word question on everyone's lips following the grand final was HOW.
Five days on, and ten years since he was appointed, there is another question: how the hell can anyone top that?
Please follow us on Google to support usBrisbane Lions AFL Premiership AFL Coaching Three-Peat AFL Premiership Three-Peat Fremantle Dockers Grand Final AFL Coaching Replacement
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Chris Fagan Retires as Brisbane Lions Coach After Third Straight PremiershipChris Fagan has retired as Brisbane Lions coach after leading the club to a third consecutive AFL premiership, ending a tenure that included 148 wins and a historic three-peat.
Read more »
Chris Fagan Steps Down as Brisbane Lions Coach After Third-Straight AFL PremiershipChris Fagan has told the Brisbane Lions he is stepping down as coach after leading the club to a third-straight AFL premiership. The 65-year-old will leave the final year of his contract to return to Melbourne with his family.
Read more »
Chris Fagan Steps Down as Brisbane Lions Coach After Three-Premiership RunBrisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has announced he is stepping down with one season remaining on his contract. The 65-year-old said he had followed a personal 10-year rule for making an impact at a club and felt his message to players and staff had become less effective. Fagan guided Brisbane to three premierships, including the club's first title in 2024, and said the pursuit of a historic fourth consecutive premiership belongs to the club rather than him.
Read more »