Not much was different when Chris Fagan sat down with Leigh Matthews for their routine Wednesday night dinner this week – except for an extra quip as he prepared to take a record from the Brisbane coaching legend.
“We didn’t really talk about it a great deal, other than the joke about how I’ve got his record now, but he’s got a statue,” said Fagan with a laugh.
“Then he told me all the things you needed to get a statue, so I don’t think I’m ever going to get one.”
With Saturday’s clash at the Gabba, Fagan will surpass Matthews’ 237-game milestone at the Lions’ helm.
He said Matthews had been a mentor to him since the day he arrived at the club, and that breaking the record “doesn’t quite feel right”.
But rather than dwell on it, Fagan preferred to focus on the upcoming game against the Gold Coast, which looms as pivotal to their top four ambitions.
A win would put Brisbane in a position to equal Matthews’ triple-premiership feats in the early 2000s.
Before Fagan came to the Lions from Hawthorn in 2017, Brisbane had imploded. Between 2004 and his arrival, they reached one finals’ campaign.
“It wasn’t a good place,” Fagan said. “The team hadn’t won many games of football for many years, membership was pretty low, the attendances at games were quite low, and the club was struggling financially.
“[The players] didn’t have the greatest levels of confidence, and in my first couple of years we only won five games in each of those seasons.
“Ten years on, all those things have gone into absolute reverse.”
There is little left Fagan wishes to achieve.
“Premierships weren’t the aim at the start. The aim at the start was just to get the club to be a good club again, and get a level of respect in the competition,” Fagan said.
“I don’t think our goal’s ever changed – the premierships are a byproduct. I know how hard it is to win them, so I’m not even prepared to talk about the possibility of winning one this year.”
But what he may face come 2027 is another period of transition.
Since Lachie Neale’s recruitment in 2019, Brisbane have become one of the envies of the AFL – a delicate balance of youth and experience transforming them into a powerhouse.
That envy was touched on by Suns honcho Damien Hardwick, whose side arrested a 10-game losing streak against the Giants last week.
Both squads boast 17 players aged 22 or under, but the Suns’ inexperience has shown at crucial stages – losing seven games by 20 points or fewer.
As Luke Hodge, Neale and Dunkley led Brisbane’s youth, the Suns need the same injection, and have been linked to Magpies great Scott Pendlebury.
“We’re trying to emulate what they do. The very best sides show up every year … the sides we’re trying to become,” Hardwick said.
“Taking Scott out of it, I think any player who can add leadership is incredibly important. We want to get better, and the only way to do that is to bring other people to your football club.”
What could be Fagan’s last campaign in 2027 is expected to coincide with Neale’s departure – tipped to join Collingwood – while Zac Bailey is weighing up an Adelaide homecoming.
Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry, Will Ashcroft and Dunkley would remain as midfield leaders.
Levi Ashcroft, Sam Marshall and top 10 draftee Daniel Annable will vie to fill the gaps.
“It’s a bonus when you’ve got a lot of talent, but at the end of the day, it’s not talent that wins premierships, it’s hard work – the two have to come together,” Fagan said.
Annable landed on the radar for his contested ball-winning abilities – the same trait Fagan said attracted the club to Neale’s services.
The 19-year-old’s campaign was derailed by a dislocated shoulder on debut. But after four months on the sidelines ended with a goal against the Hawks last week, he declared he was “ready to make an impact”.
“You do get a bit emotional because all you want to do as a kid is play footy, it doesn’t matter what level it is, and to be told I was going to be out for a fair period was challenging,” Annable admitted.
“But I was quick to accept that and have a growth mindset. I could keep working away in the background and chipping away at my craft without the spotlight on me.”
Asked about the prospect of succeeding Neale, he replied: “Potentially, but I’m just happy to play any role. Whether that’s wing, whether that’s inside, whether that’s forward, I don’t mind.”
Fagan has remained coy on his future beyond next year, with Lions chief executive Sam Graham simply confirming they would “sit down when the time is right”.
The final year of his contract coincides with 10 players in the same position, a group spearheaded by forwards Logan Morris and Kai Lohmann – who have combined for 97 goals this season.
Morris would not be drawn on if his next move would be tied to Fagan’s.
“I’d love for Fages to stay and be coached by him for a long time. I’m not sure what he’s doing going forward, so we’ll see what happens,” Morris said.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of time [to consider my future]. If I just keep playing good footy, there’s no point in rushing into it.”
For now, it’s time to celebrate Fagan, who conceded there were “a few times” he felt ready to walk away.
“It’s doing the job, being with young people, helping them become good footballers, but more importantly helping them become good people,” Fagan said, when asked what had kept him in the hot seat.
“I think people know how I feel about this club, and the opportunity they’ve given to me. Who punts on a 55-year-old football manager from the Hawthorn footy club?”
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