The Lions traveled to pre-season camp in Tasmania for a fourth consecutive season under the leadership of Queenstown’s Senior Coach Chris Fagan. However, he’s not the only Tasmanian in the ranks, with six of the team’s players and staff hailing from the Apple Isle. 

Senior Coach Chris Fagan

Fagan started playing Aussie Rules on the infamous gravel ground at Queenstown, in the state’s north. The midfielder went on to play 263 senior games in the Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) and Tasmanian Football League (TFL) with Hobart, Sandy Bay and Devonport and kicked 430 goals. He won two premierships in his time – Hobart in 1980 and Devonport in 1998. In 1995 Fagan became the inaugural coach of the Tasmanian Mariners who competed in the TAC Cup. He was inducted into the Tasmanian Hall of Fame in 2007.  Fagan was appointed Senior Coach of the Brisbane Lions in 2016.

General Manager of Football David Noble

General Manager of Football David Noble is a two-time TFL premiership winner with North Hobart (1987 and 1989). He was a lively and skillful rover and played for Tasmania twice in State of Origin (1989 and 1991). He was drafted to Fitzroy with Pick No. 111 in 1989 and played two AFL games for the Lions. He was inducted into the Tasmanian Hall of Fame in 2016 and appointed General Manager of Football the Lions that same year.

Zane Littlejohn, Development Coach, Midfield

Zane Littlejohn, the Lions’ Development Forwards Coach, is from Launceston originally. As a junior he played alongside and skippered recruit Grant Birchall in a North Tasmania representative team. He played 50 senior games for the North Launceston Bombers in the TSL before deciding to focus on coaching. In 2010, Littlejohn won a flag coaching the Under 18 North Launceston team. He went on to coach the senior Bombers and led them to two premierships in 2014 and 2015. Littlejohn was offered his development coaching role at the Lions in late 2016.

Grant Birchall

Grant Birchall grew up in the state’s north and played his junior football for the Devonport Magies. His talent was noticeable early, with Birchall regularly playing bottom-age in representative teams. He was drafted to Hawthorn via the Tassie Mariners with Pick No. 15 at the 2005 NAB AFL Draft. He would go on to win four premierships with the Hawks and was an All Australian in 2012. Birchall was traded to the Lions in 2019.

Luke Licht

Luke Licht has been a physiotherapist with the Lions since 2013 and was previously a student with the Club in 2011. Originally hailing from Penguin in the state’s north, Licht was a talented junior footballer for the Penguin Two Blues and even played alongside Grant Birchall for Tasmania in Under 16s.

Mitch Robinson

Mitch Robison hails from the Tasmanian capital of Hobart and played football for Lauderdale Football Club. After a year in Adelaide, Robinson returned to his home state in 2008 as an 18-year-old and played eleven games for the Tasmanian Devils in the VFL before being drafted to Carlton with Pick No. 40. The wingman signed with the Lions in late 2014. 

At this week’s camp, the Lions have focused on engaging with emerging coaches and players here in Tasmania. At Tuesday’s match simulation Fagan spoke to up-and-coming coaches before play started, with Noble talking them through the game plan while the match was underway.

Robinson attended an Under 18 Tassie Devils training session and spoke to the players beforehand.