AFL Finals 2024: How Chris Fagan steered Brisbane through tumultuous season into another preliminary final

Too old. Not tactically aware. The critics have come for Brisbane coach Chris Fagan this year. CALLUM DICK explains why the Lions coach deserves credit for the club’s recovery from mid-season malaise to a preliminary final.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 11: Chris Fagan, Senior Coach of the Lions addresses his players during the 2024 AFL Round 05 match between the Melbourne Demons and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 11, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Is Chris Fagan the master coach? Maybe not.

But he is the master motivator. Of that there can no longer be any doubt.

Brisbane’s come from the clouds victory over GWS on Saturday night was the latest proof of concept in what the Lions have been trying to tell us for years: this is our man.

After a 0-3 start to the season was punctuated by reports an off-season trip to the United States had created a rift in the playing group, Fagan got on the phone to his co-captains. When they said there was no problem, he trusted them.

Chris Fagan has overseen Brisbane’s climb to another preliminary final.

A round 11 loss to Hawthorn sent the Lions into the mid-season bye at 4-6-1. It would have been easy, almost expected, at that point to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

But Fagan trusted his men to step up.

When woeful goalkicking cost them against GWS and Collingwood, ending their top-four hopes, social media was flooded with calls for change.

Fagan agreed it was an issue – but declared they would fix it, in their own way.

A lesser club, with a lesser leader, would have succumbed to the pressure.

The pressure that came with losing a grand final by a kick. That came with entering the season as premiership favourites.

"That's probably the best win I've been a part of."

Lachie Neale shares his thoughts on the Lions' unbelievable semi-final win.#AFLFinals | #AFLGiantsLionspic.twitter.com/snT3PnjM3i

— AFL (@AFL) September 14, 2024

That came with starting poorly and losing a host of key players to long-term injuries. That came with being 44 points down in a semi-final away from home.

Instead the Lions are back to a familiar place, into their fourth preliminary final in five years. They have won the most games of any team over that period. That is not by accident.

Fagan’s philosophy through all the ups and downs has remained constant: trust in your players and they will trust in you.

“My philosophy well, there’s a lot to it I suppose but it’s basically built around building relationships with players (and) having great trust in them,” Fagan told AFL360 this week.

“Because I think trust is the highest form of human motivation. I know myself in my life, whenever I’ve felt trusted by those I work with I do better work, so that’s been a pillar of what we try to do.

“And loyalty is the other thing. I hang in with guys because I know this game is tough and hard and it takes a lot of experience to be good at it.”

Chris Fagan entrusted Jack Payne with the big job on Jesse Hogan and was rewarded late. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

There was no better example of that trust and loyalty than the historic comeback against the Giants.

Any other coach would have moved Jack Payne from Jesse Hogan long before his final quarter feats helped clinch victory for the Lions.

The entire football world assumed Harris Andrews would go to Hogan after halftime. Instead it was Payne who returned to front up for the most difficult defensive challenge in the AFL, having been comprehensively outplayed to that point.

JOE DANIHER 🤯#AFLFinals | #AFLGiantsLionspic.twitter.com/onTKFq7f34

— AFL (@AFL) September 14, 2024

At the turn for home Hogan had five goals and could have had more, but for some uncharacteristic missed shots. The Giants led by 25 points.

Hogan did not touch the ball in the final quarter. Brisbane went on to win by five points.

“I mentioned to him (Payne) at three-quarter-time, I said ‘mate, I know you’ve not had the best night but there’s a quarter to go’ – and I thought he was pretty good,” Fagan revealed.

“I’m a coach who trusts my players. I’ve done that since the day I arrived and I think that can take you far. The time to trust sometimes is when you’re not going that well.

“Hopefully Jack has learned a good lesson and will be a better player for the experience he had.”

Chris Fagan and Ryan Lester. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Payne was not the only player who stood up in the final quarter.

Dayne Zorko suffered through perhaps his worst half of football for the season.

Adam Kingsley had drawn up the perfect plan to quell the All-Australian’s influence, playing James Peatling as a negating forward.

Peatling kicked two goals in the first quarter directly opposed to Zorko, while completely stifling his influence across halfback. To halftime, Zorko was directly culpable for four GWS goals.

By the final siren, he had two goals to his name and was a major reason why the Lions’ comeback was a success.

Fans’ favourite whipping boy, Eric Hipwood, had been a non-factor for three quarters. But when his team needed him most, he bobbed up with a crumbing goal to kick start the Lions’ comeback.

Charlie Cameron had barely sniffed the footy all night until he too showed up with a crucial goal in the final term.

A week after barely touching the footy against the Blues, second-year winger Jaspa Fletcher showed nerves of steel to kick truly from 48m out and set the stage for Joe Daniher to kick the winning goals.

Nobody has backed Joe Daniher more than Chris Fagan. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

At Essendon, Daniher’s career was at a crossroads. In Brisbane he has been reborn. On Saturday night, he was the match winner.

For Fremantle, Lachie Neale was a talented midfielder with scope to be great. The Lions have wrung every ounce of talent out of him in a double Brownlow-winning career that still has some chapters to write.

Josh Dunkley felt underappreciated at the Western Bulldogs. At Brisbane, his coach and teammates remind him every day just how important he is.

If Cameron was still at the Crows, his middling form might have seen him spend some time in the twos. It would not shock to see him play a big part against the Cats.

Fagan is why these superstar players chose Brisbane when they had suitors at stronger, bigger and more successful clubs.

Fagan’s trust and loyalty is why those players — and others — have gotten the best out of themselves under his guidance.

And if the Lions go on to win the premiership this month, it will be because Fagan steered them to it.