THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO A PREMIERSHIP
A total of 105 players have been through the Brisbane Lions in Chris Fagan’s eight years at the helm in what has been a copybook exercise in recruiting and list management.
To the end of last year 70 players had come into the club in eight years, and 68 players had gone out, with premiership heroes Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko, Ryan Lester, Eric Hipwood and the injured Darcy Gardiner the only ‘survivors’ from the pre-Fagan era.
Already five have departed since the grand final – the retiring Joe Daniher and Jarryd Lyons, Irishman Jimmy Madden, who has gone home, and injury-prone delisted pair of Carter Michael and Kalin Lane.
There will be more during the 2024-25 off-season because that’s how the football world works, but the premiership, secured with the most ruthless and complete team performance in Fagan’s 187-game rein, has put a gold star on the journey from ruin to redemption.
It has transformed a club in disarray in October 2016 to the benchmark club in the League in October 2024.
After the golden era of 2001-02-03, when the Lions fielded arguably the greatest team in modern football, three years in a row beating a powerhouse Melbourne-based club at the MCG in the grand final, it ended a 21-year wait for another flag.
And as the historic first flag of 2001 did, it has set a challenge to all concerned to do it again.
At a time of celebration and reflection, here is a year-by-year flashback on the Fagan years and the building of the 2024 premiership team on and off the field.
2017 – FAGAN TAKES CHARGE
The Lions were at rock bottom at the end of 2016. They’d finished 17th with a 3-19 win/loss record under coach Justin Leppitsch, a meagre 0.6% ahead of an Essendon side devastated by a 12-month suspension handed down in January 2016 to 34 players past and present in relation to the club’s supplements saga.
With nowhere to go but up, they brought in Fagan to rebuild the club. David Noble replaced Matthew Francis as football manager as the club added Danny Daly, ex-captain Jed Adcock, Dale Tapping, Paul Henriksen and Zane Littlejohn to the coaching panel after club legend Simon Black, Gary O’Donnell and Shane Woewodin chose to move on.
Importantly, they retained Damien Austin, who had joined the club as High Performance Manager in October 2015 after four years in the conditioning team at the Sydney Swans, and Stephen Conole, Recruiting Manager since 2013, and brought in 44-game Adelaide player and ex-AFLPA regional manager Andrew Crowell to head the player welfare team.
Eleven players moved on. Daniel Merrett (200 games) retired and Justin Clarke (56 games) was forced into retirement by recurring concussion issues. Pearce Hanley (129) was traded to Gold Coast and Josh Green (81) to Essendon as Jackson Paine (10), Hugh Beasley (6), Billy Evans (7), Jaden McGrath (3), Josh Watts (0) and Josh McGuiness (0) were delisted.
They traded in Sam Frost, a 54-gamer at Collingwood, swapped picks #2-31-51-60 in the National Draft for picks #3-16 in an important deal with GWS, and went to the draft.
In Round 1 of the National Draft they nabbed Hugh McCluggage at #3 and Jarrod Berry at #17, before adding #23 Alex Witherden, #55 Jacob Allison and #71 Corey Lyons. In the Rookie Draft they snared GWS one-gamer Jake Barrett at #2, Mitch Hinge at #20 and Oscar McInerney at #37, and Category B rookies Blake Grewar and Matt Eagles.
Eagles had been thrust upon the club by the AFL as the winner of ‘The Recruit’, a reality television show that offered a guaranteed AFL list spot to players aged 20-plus who had not previously been listed by an AFL club or played at State League level in the previous two years.
That Eagles, easily identified with his long dreadlocks, had four years on the list, played six AFL games, was a NEAFL premiership player and a hugely popular clubman, was a bonus. Because he was essentially a ‘gimmick’, not seriously expected to play, he started out as an extra not included in the official list count.
After long-time Bulldogs and Gold Coast recruiting/list management specialist Dom Ambrogio took on the key role of List Manager in February 2017 the Fagan journey began. The Lions jumped from three wins in 2016 to five wins and boosted their for-and-against percentage from 61.6% to 74.3% but fell one spot on the ladder to collect the wooden-spoon.
2018 – THE START OF THE BUILD
At the end of the 2017 season 10 players moved on. Ex-captain Tom Rockliff (154 games) was traded to Port Adelaide and former #2 draft pick Josh Schache (27) was sent to the Western Bulldogs. Josh Clayton (2), Michael Close (27), Jono Freeman (14), Blake Grewar (0), Matt Hammelmann (12), Ryan Harwood (81), Jarrad Jansen (8) and Reuben William were delisted.
And, with 12 months behind them, the Fagan ‘team’ started moving forward.
The legendary Luke Hodge, who had enjoyed a close relationship with Fagan at Hawthorn, was lured out of retirement at 33 to effectively become a playing assistant-coach. He would go on to play 42 games in two years in a chapter of the rebuild more important than most understand.
They also recruited one-time Brisbane schoolboy Charlie Cameron, who wanted to come ‘home’ after 73 games in four years at Adelaide.
And, armed with a strong draft hand, they claimed Cam Rayner with the coveted #1 pick before adding Zac Bailey at #15 and Brandon Starcevich at #18 late in the first round, plus #41 Toby Wooller, #43 Connor Ballenden and #53 Jack Payne, and Irishman Cian Hanley, brother of Pearce Hanley, as a Category B rookie.
In 2018 they repeated the five-win season of 2017 but jumped from 18th to 15th on the ladder and improved their percentage significantly again from to 74.1% to 89.1%.
2019 – A RETURN TO THE FINALS
Things were starting to move. No longer were the Lions an outcast of the competition. Although the results were nothing special word around the League was positive. They’d regained lost respect and after a busy summer than quickly become something of a destination club.
In a busy post-script to Chris Fagan’s second year at the helm the Lions traded Dayne Beams back to Collingwood after four years and 58 games at the Gabba. Sam Mayes, a well-performed 101-gamer asked for and was granted a trade home to Adelaide, where he joined Port Adelaide.
Recurring concussion issues sent Sam Frost (2 games) into retirement, and Jake Barrett (22), Claye Beams (54), Tom Bell (21), Rohan Bewick (103), Liam Dawson (18), Marco Paparone (55) and Cian Hanley (0) were delisted.
In one of the recruiting coups of the 21st century, the Lions landed Lachie Neale after he’d played 135 games and seven years at Fremantle.
Remarkably, it was deal that followed the signing of long-time close friend Lincoln McCarthy, who, after 29 games in seven injury-plagued years at Geelong. Having secured a fresh start under the highly-rated medical and conditioning team at the Lions, he suggested the club have a chat with Neale, who had won the best & fairest at the Dockers in 2016-18.
After a swap of draft picks with the Gold Coast, the Lions traded picks #6, #19 and #55 in the 2018 National Draft for Neale and pick #30 – a bargain in anyone’s language.
They signed ex-Adelaide and Gold Coast midfielder Jarryd Lyons as a delisted free agent under a deal negotiated by Ambrogio, who had originally been part of Lyons’ move to the Suns, traded for 27-game Western Bulldogs defender Marcus Adams, and landed international junior basketball star Tom Fullarton and Irishman James Madden as Category B rookies.
And in the National Draft they nabbed Ely Smith at #21, Tom Berry at #36, Tom Joyce at #40, Australian junior cricketer Connor McFadyen at #42 and Noan Answerth at #55.
After five wins in 2017 and 2018 they skyrocketed to 16 wins in 2019 to share top spot on the home-and-away ladder with Geelong and Richmond, finishing second on percentages.
In a measurement that should never be under-estimated, their percentage had climbed from 61.6% in 2016 to 74.3% in 2017, 89.1% in 2018 and 118.3% in Fagan’s third season, when the Lions returned to the finals for the time since 2009.
They lost by 47 points to Richmond in a Gabba qualifying final and by three points to GWS in a Gabba semi-final heartbreaker when they led in time-on in the fourth quarter. A disappointing end, but a wonderful campaign.
2020 – A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Luke Hodge retired – again – at the end of 2019. No fuss or fanfare. After the semi-final loss to GWS he delivered countless dozens of ‘high fives’ to fans over the fence post-game and told coach Chris Fagan he was finished. A-plus. A critical part of the puzzle.
So what does Fagan do when he loses one Hawthorn star? He brings in another. After 248 games and four flags at the Hawks fellow Tasmanian Grant Birchall headed north as a free agent. Cam Ellis-Yolmen, a 39-gamer at Adelaide, did likewise.
They also pulled off a coup in snaring a trade for Callum AhChee from the Gold Coast. Having originally gone to the Suns as pick #8 in the 2015 National Draft, ahead of Carlton Coleman Medallists Harry McKay (#10) and Charlie Curnow (#12) and Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood (#14), he was another bargain-plus. It was Ah Chee and a future fourth-round pick for a future second-round pick.
In the 2019 National Draft they picked up #22 Deven Robertson, #33 Brock Smith, #37 Keidean Coleman and #59 Jaxon Prior, having de-listed Ben Keays (30 games), who was subsequently picked up by Adelaide, Nick Robertson (73), Josh Walker (52), later to join North Melbourne, and Ryan Bastinac (43), and traded Tom Cutler (66) to Essendon and Lewis Taylor (112) to Sydney.
It was a football year like no other. The season was shut down on 22 March after one round of matches due to the national Covid-19 pandemic, and was reduced to 17 home-and-away matches when it resumed on 11 June, with most clubs making their base in Queensland.
In a campaign in which they played 14 H&A games in Queensland – nine at the Gabba, four at Carrara, one in Cairns – and one each at the MCG (Round 1 v Hawthorn), SCG (Round 6 v Geelong) and the Sydney Showgrounds (Round 7 v GWS), the Lions finished equal top with Port Adelaide at 14-3, and second behind Port Adelaide with a percentage of 124.9%.
With the grand final set to be played at the Gabba due to Covid, they had an opportunity that will most likely never be repeated - to play at ‘home’ for the premiership. But after a 15-point Gabba qualifying final win over eventual premiers Richmond they were eliminated by Geelong by 40 points in a Gabba preliminary final.
2021 – A HEART-BREAKING EXIT
Suddenly, the Lions were a destination club. Or at least Essendon key forward Joe Daniher thought so. Having tried unsuccessfully to get to Sydney 12 months earlier, the 108-game key forward, part of a family that is football royalty at Bomberland, headed north. And he did so as a free agent.
The Lions also traded in Geelong forward Nakia Cockatoo, originally pick #10 in the 2014 National Draft, for a future third-round pick. He’d played 34 games in six injury-plagued years at the Cats but was an undeniable talent.
Allen Christensen, a Geelong premiership player who played 68 games with the Lions, retired as the club traded Stefan Martin (133) to the Western Bulldogs and Alex Witherden (59) to West Coast, and delisted Jacob Allison (10), Cedric Cox (13), Matt Eagles (6), Mitch Hinge (3), Corey Lyons (0), Sam Skinner (3) and Toby Wooler (0).Hinge was subsequently picked up by Adelaide and Skinner by Port Adelaide.
Off the field there was an important re-shuffle. With David Noble leaving to become North Melbourne coach, Danny Dale took over as Football Manager to begin a key partnership with coach Fagan, and Mark Stone, former assistant-coach at West Coast, Sydney and Fremantle, joined the coaching group.
At the 2020 National Draft the Lions, encouraged by the class of Keidean Coleman, took younger brother Blake at #24 before Harry Sharp at #43 and Henry Smith at #48 before claiming two Category B rookies – Irishman Deividas Uosis and Academy product Carter Michael. And in June 2021 they signed Kalin Lane in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
Coming off back-to-back finals appearances in 2019-20, the Lions finished fourth on the home-and-away ladder at 15-7, pulled off a stunning 33-point MCG qualifying final win over minor premiers and eventual premiers Melbourne before a heart-breaking one-point semi-final loss to the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba, when they led by 10 points at the last change.
2022 – TWO FINALS WINS
In the trade period of 2021 the Lions did a deal the significance of which wouldn’t be fully understood for going on three years. They sent pick #50 in the 2021 National Draft and a future third-round pick to Geelong for pick #41 and Darcy Fort.
Grant Birchall, later to stay at the club as the AFL runner and then an Academy coach, retired after two valuable seasons, while one-time basketballer Archie Smith did likewise after 16 AFL games and three NEAFL premierships in eight years at the club. Connor Ballenden (3 games) was delisted with Tom Joyce, Brock Smith and Mitch Cox, who didn’t play at AFL level.
Cam Bruce, a 234-game player with Melbourne and Hawthorn who had been an assistant-coach at Hawthorn and Carlton, joined Brisbane after Dale Tapping moved back to Melbourne for family reasons and eventually joined Essendon. It was an important move – two years later Bruce would be Fagan’s chief off-sider in the premiership year.
At the 2021 National Draft, armed with two first-round picks, the club secured Darcy Wilmot at #16 and Kai Lohmann at #20 before claiming James Tunstill at #41. They added Mitch Cox to the list as a Pre-Season Supplementary Selection in March 2021, and Kalin Lane in the Mid-Season Draft in June 2021.
In September 2022 the Lions went into their fourth consecutive finals campaign, having finished sixth on the home-and-away ladder at 15-7. They won two finals for the first time under Fagan, eliminating 2017-19-20 premiers Richmond via a two-point Gabba elimination final win courtesy of a late goal from Joe Daniher, and 2021 premiers Melbourne in a 13-point MCG semi-final win after they’d trailed by 22 points at halftime and scores were level at three-quarter time. But the torrid schedule took its toll and they were hammered by Geelong by 71 points in the preliminary final at the MCG.
2023 – OH SO CLOSE
The trade period of 2022 saw two players switch clubs. Dan McStay went to Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent after 161 games in Brisbane colors, and Tom Berry was traded to the Gold Coast after 20 games in four years. He was offered a fifth season but chose a path of greater opportunity.
Mitch Robinson, a 147-game Lion after 100 games at Carlton and part of a four-way tie for the Merrett/Murray Medal in 2015, retired, while the injury-prone Connor McFadyen, Ely Smith and Deividas Uosis were delisted without having played at AFL level.
But the good news more than compensated, led by a monster coup in which the Lions snared 2016 Bulldogs premiership player and 2022 B&F winner Josh Dunkley in the last hour of the trade period.
Having tried to get to Essendon two years earlier while still under contract, Dunkley got his wish via a complicated deal in which Brisbane sent pick #21 in the 2022 National Draft, plus their future first, second and third round picks, and a future fourth-round pick tied to Geelong, for the star midfielder, plus two future third-round picks – one of which was tied to Melbourne. Complicated? Yes. Value? Absolutely.
Having had such success with Luke Hodge and Grant Birchell from Hawthorn, they also signed triple Hawks premiership star Jack Gunston before taking a strong hand to the National Draft to secure highly-rated father/son pair Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher.
In a mini win Ashcroft, who captained Vic Metro at the Under 18 Championships after his family had moved to Melbourne, slid to pick #2 in the National Draft after GWS, knowing the Lions would match any bid on the star midfielder, preferred Adam Cadman at #1.
But there was no such luck with Fletcher, who had captained the Lions Academy and later the Allies at the Under 18 Championships, went at #12 after an early bid by the Western Bulldogs.
Darryl McDowell-White, son of Darryl White and a one-time US college basketball hopeful, was signed as a Category B rookie with Academy product Shadeau Brian. And in the Pre-Season Supplementary Period the Lions picked up two Irishmen - Conor McKenna, who had had two years back home after six years and 79 games at Essendon, and Darragh Joyce, who had five years and 13 games at St.Kilda.
There was air of confidence in the camp despite the late-season loss of boom first-year player Will Ashcroft to a knee reconstruction, and a feeling that it was ‘time’. And it very nearly was. After going 17-6 through an extended home-and-away season they’d finished second, a game behind Collingwood, and beat third-placed Port Adelaide by 48 points in a Gabba qualifying final. And in a tight and low-scoring Gabba semi-final against Carlton they conceded the first five goals before kicking 10-11 to 4-8 after quarter-time to win by 16 points.
In their first grand final since 2004 they trailed by 10 points, six points and four points at the breaks but hit the front 19 minutes into the final stanza via Charlie Cameron. The Pies kicked the next two to take back the advantage, and a late goal from Joe Daniher was not quite enough. They lost by four points.
In five years they’d slowly climbed the football mountain. It was 16 wins and two finals losses in 2019, 14 wins in a 17-game season and a 1-1 finals split in 2020 and 15 wins and a 1-1 finals split in 2021. After 15 wins and a 2-1 finals split in 2022 it was 17 wins, two finals wins and the narrowest of grand final losses in 2023. There was only one more step to the very top.
2024 – THE FULFILLMENT OF A DREAM
In the off-season of 2023 the Lions farewelled 275-game champion Daniel Rich and 15-game Lion Nakia Cockatoo to retirement, lost Marcus Adams after 46 games to a concussion-forced retirement, and after 17 games in his only season in Brisbane bowed to a late trade request from Jack Gunston to return to Hawthorn.
After years and 19 games basketball convert Tom Fullarton was traded to Melbourne as he sought greater opportunities as 72-gamer Rhys Mathieson was delisted with the untried Blake Coleman and Darryl McDowell-White.
Rich took on a role in development coaching and welfare as Jed Adcock switched to North Melbourne and Mark Stone moved on. Dale Morris, a 253-game Bulldogs defender and 2016 premiership player joined the senior coaching panel, and GWS 101-gamer Daniel Lloyd bolstered the development coaching ranks
Tom Doedee, an 82-game star at Adelaide once seen as a future captain, sought a free start after two reconstructions was the big off-season and headed north as a restricted free agent.
Having invested in advance in Josh Dunkley, the Lions didn’t feature in Round 1 of the 2023 National Draft despite the fact that with free agency compensations, Academy selections and father/sons choices it swelled to 29 players.
Later, they snared Logan Morris at #31, Luke Lloyd at #42, Zane Zakostelsky at #51 and Reece Torrent at #64, exchanged Gunston for Hawthorn’s Brandon Ryan amid a swap of picks, and took Academy product Bruce Reville as a Category B rookie.
There was heartbreak before the season started. In January Nicole Duncan, Football Administration Manager for 31 years, died after a short illness. A dark cloud fell over the club. But they moved on because that’s what you do. There is no alternative. After a reshuffle ex-Suns football staffer Scott Pyle, who had been running the Lions Academy, stepped up into a new football administration role.
Ordinarily, the draft period of November 2023 would have completed the playing list for the 2024 campaign, but when Keidean Coleman, Doedee, Lincoln McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner had joined Will Ashcroft in recovery from knee reconstructions by Round 8 the club sort reinforcements. In the Mid-Season Rookie Draft on 29 May they added Will McLachlan at pick #6, Luke Beecken at #17 and Darcy Craven at #21.
As so often happens, adversity brought opportunity. Kai Lohmann became a regular after being the substitute in the first three rounds, Logan Morris became a regular ahead of schedule, and Bruce Reville, Shadeau Brain and Henry Smith had a taste of it.
After a 2-5 start and 4-1-6 record at the mid-point of the season they won nine on the trot, lost two after leading by 30 points, and finished fifth on the ladder at 14-1-8 with a percentage of 121.9.
Then, for the first time in club history, they won four finals in a row, and for just the second time won three in a row interstate. And they were very special wins … from 44 points down in the semi-final against GWS in Sydney and from 25 points down against Geelong in the preliminary final at the MCG before a 60-point grand final demolition of minor premiers Sydney in front of 100,013 at ‘headquarters’.
Fagan, voted Coach of the Year by his peers in grand final week, was the oldest premiership coach in history and the only premiership coach who had not played at the elite level. The 63-year-old Tasmanian Hall of Famer became a living legend of the Brisbane Lions. The job was done.
