Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has announced his retirement from coaching days after guiding the club to a historic third consecutive AFL premiership.
The 65-year-old has coached his final game after a remarkable 10-year tenure that transformed Brisbane from wooden spooners into one of the competition’s dominant teams.
The Lions defeated Fremantle last Saturday to claim their third straight premiership, with Fagan confirming on Thursday that he would step down despite having another year remaining on his contract.
Seven News reporter Tom Morris revealed Fagan had told close confidants during the past six weeks that 2026 would be his final season.
Fagan has said he would not offer an opinion on his successor, with assistant coaches Cameron Bruce and Dale Morris among those considered capable of taking over. Football boss Danny Daly has also expressed an interest in coaching.
“That’s something that the club will have to work out if that’s what occurs,” Fagan told SEN on Monday.
“I would be happy to talk … to the club about the kind of person that’s required and my ideas. But I figure, if I decide to go, it’s none of my business really.”
Fagan took over at Brisbane in 2017 when the club was coming off one of the lowest points in its history. The Lions won just five games in his first season and finished with the wooden spoon.
The club’s fortunes changed rapidly. Brisbane won 16 games to finish second in 2019 and returned to the finals, although a premiership remained out of reach for several years.
The Lions reached a breakthrough in 2022, defeating Richmond and reigning premiers Melbourne before losing to Geelong in the preliminary final.
In 2023, Brisbane reached the grand final but lost to Collingwood by four points.
“There are lots of teams in the history of the game that have lost close grand finals and gone on to win premierships in the ensuing years,” Fagan said after the defeat.
“You know me, that’ll be my attitude, what can we learn today to make us a better team next year and I’ll never veer away from that.
“There’s plenty of history around to say that grand final losses don’t have to define you or destroy you — they can make you, so that’s what we’ll be looking to do.”
The Lions went on to win their first premiership since 2003 in 2024, followed by another in 2025 before completing the three-peat last Saturday.
Fagan now departs as just the seventh coach in VFL/AFL history to oversee three consecutive premierships and the second Brisbane Lions coach to achieve the feat.
Image: Today
