Chris Fagan, a football crusader for the everyday man, notched up a Senior Coaching century in 2021.
He coached his 100th game against North Melbourne in Hobart in Round 14 this year, four days short of his 60th birthday, and came away with a 23 point win.
And in what is an amazing achievement for a man who did not play at AFL level, only a few weeks later he become just the seventh person in League history to coach beyond his 60th.
It was a special milestone moment for Fages after such a long history in football at both Hawthorn and Melbourne, before calling himself a Lion.
It didn't take long for him to make his mark, winning a two-point thriller over the Gold Coast in his first game at the helm in 2017.
Then aged 55 years 275 days, proving the coaching caper is not all about young stars fresh out of the playing ranks, he was the oldest coaching debutant in AFL history.
After finishing 15th in 2018, Chris Fagan lead the club's charge up the AFL ladder finishing 2nd in the 2019 Home and Away season.
It was a long-awaited season of victories for Lions fans, and the on-field turnaround lead to Fages being awarded the AFL Coaches Association Senior Coach of the Year Award.
In his five years at the club, Fagan has well and truely won the hearts of all Lions fans, who have coined the term "In Fages We Trust."
To celebrate Chris Fagans big 2021 milestone, we're looking back at some of his favourite and most important wins in his time at the Lions.
INTERSTATE INSPIRATION
Round 15 2017 V Essendon at Docklands
It was the Lions first interstate win under Fagan. They trailed at every change and were 27 points down early in the last term but won by eight points after two goals from 99th-gamer Rohan Bewick followed by goals to Josh Walker, a red-hot Eric Hipwood, Ryan Bastinac and Ryan Lester wrapped it up. Lester took a huge pack mark and goaled two minutes from the end to seal the first time since 2013 that the club had won after trailing at each change. Dayne Zorko was best afield with 30 possessions and two goals.
THE LUKE HODGE CUP
Round 9 2018 v Hawthorn at the Gabba
The Lions were 0-8 and desperately trying to avoid equalling the club's all-time worst start to a season of 0-9 in 1991. It was dubbed the 'Luke Hodge Cup' as the ex-Hawk skipper played against his former club for the first time, and after trailing 1-0 to 4-0 the home side blew the Hawks away. Up 11 points at half time and 27 at three-quarter time, they banged on 7-3 to 2-4 in the fourth quarter to win by 56 points going away. It was a breakout game for Hugh McCluggage but the most memorable moment was the match-winning first goal from Matt Eagles in the closing minutes of his third game.
A BIG SCALP
Round 1 2019 v West Coast at the Gabba
Brisbane became the first side in AFL history to knock off the premiers in the first game of their premiership defence after having finished as low as 15th the year before. In a sign of things to come, the Lions were 27 points down at quarter-time but kicked 14-7 to 2-8 thereafter to win by 44 points. Lachie Neale, Jarryd Lyons and Lincoln McCarthy played their first game in Lions colors in what old-timers said was the best night of football at the Gabba in 10 years.
Q-CLASH HISTORY
Round 21 2019
On an unforgettable weekend, Brisbane scored it's biggest ever Q-Clash victory, taking Fagan's win - loss record in QClash to 8 - 1. Charlie Cameron kicked a career-best six goals to be best afield as four times in the final quarter the margin topped 100 points. Two late Suns goals meant the coach had to be content with a 91-point margin – still the biggest of his coaching career and in Q-Clash history.
TOP OF THE TABLE
Round 22 2019 v Geelong at the Gabba
It was the second-placed Lions against the ladder-leading Cats and pulled a sell-out Gabba crowd of 35,608 - the biggest at the Gabba since 2010. The Lions were on a seven-game winning streak were behind at every break came back in a fourth quarter thriller win in the last minute. Down by 18 points with 18mins to play they kicked the last three goals and, with about 87sec to play, Lincoln McCarthy leaps onto the back of Jack Henry to pull in a chest mark and converted from 30m. It put the Lions on top of the ladder for the first time since Rounds 1-2 2007. It was the first time Chris Fagan had won against Geelong and the first time the Lions had beaten them since 2013. Chris Fagan ran onto the field as the siren sounded to celebrate with his team and was join by Leigh Matthews in the rooms after for the first time since he stepped down as coaching to give Fagan a huge hug.
THE BEST WIN
Qualifying Final 2020 v Richmond at the Gabba.
It was Fagan's most significant win with the Lions, our first finals win in a long time. The Lions beat the reigning premiers by 15 points to end a 15 game, 11 year, drought against the Tigers and complete the Fagan ‘kill sheet’ – a win against every opposition. Down by a goal at quarter time, the Lions won by 15 points to post the club’s first finals win since 2009 and put them into their first preliminary final since 2004. Daniel Rich was best afield from Hugh McCluggage, Charlie Cameron and Harris Andrews. It was a win no Lions fan will ever forget.
THE DOUBLE CHANCE
Round 23 2021 v West Coast at the Gabba.
It came right down to the wire in round 23 at the Gabba, when Fagan's troops claimed a top-four spot - just - leapfrog the Western Bulldogs and locking in the double finals chance in a pulsating finish at the Gabba. Needing to make up 0.1 per cent to jump into the four, the Lions still trailed the Bulldogs on the live ladder in the dying seconds against West Coast. Enter Linc McCarthy! The forwards left footed snap scraped through for a much needed behind that moved us ahead. The home crowd of 21,845 knew exactly what that point meant and let out a deafening roar as a Charlie Cameron post-siren goal sealed it. Chris Fagan also couldn't hold in his excitement on the bench as the clock counted down, throwing his headseat in the air and celebrating a massive finished to the home and away season.
