Chris Fagan is retiring as Brisbane Lions coach after leading the club to three consecutive AFL premierships.
Fagan, 65, confirmed his decision to Brisbane’s leadership on Thursday, having considered leaving if the Lions defeated Fremantle in last Saturday’s grand final.
He said he had been tempted to depart while the team was at the top of the competition.
“There’s a little bit inside me that would rather walk away when the team’s on top,” Fagan said.
His retirement brings to an end a coaching career in which he transformed Brisbane from a team that won only five matches across his first two years into one of the AFL’s most successful sides.
The Lions have now won three successive premierships and are attempting to become the first team to claim a fourth in a row. Fagan joins his mentor Leigh Matthews and close friend Alastair Clarkson as a coach to have secured a premiership trilogy.
Brisbane defender Darcy Gardiner said after Saturday’s victory that the players would be saddened if Fagan chose to leave.
“He’s an amazing coach but an amazing person, he makes you feel so valued. He’s just such an amazing leader and role model for us,” Gardiner said.
Fagan maintained a home-and-away win rate above 63 per cent across eight consecutive seasons. Ironically, that figure was at its lowest in 2024, the campaign in which he guided the Lions to redemption after their 2023 grand final defeat.
Fagan is expected to address the media at Brisbane’s headquarters this afternoon.
