‘Am I the right bloke?’ Chris Fagan opens up on his most challenging year as coach of Brisbane

Lions coach Chris Fagan says he would walk away if he felt he was not the man to guide Brisbane to an elusive premiership, as the club attempts to take the long road to glory in September.

Brisbane Lions’ coach Chris Fagan says he would step aside from the top job if he felt he was no longer the best man to help guide the club to a premiership.

Fagan, 63, came under intense scrutiny earlier this year after his Lions stumbled out of the blocks off the back of last year’s narrow Grand Final loss.

Respected analysts David King and Kane Cornes this year both tipped Geelong coach Chris Scott to become Fagan’s replacement at an unspecified time.

Fagan, who is out of contract next year, said he received assurances from club bosses earlier this year about his position in 2024, but would know when the time was right to move on.

“I’m not unrealistic. I know there is expectation around us and we need to deliver,” Fagan said.

Fagan knows his side needs to deliver in September. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“But it is good they (club bosses) had my back, and to be honest with you, if I thought I wasn’t the right man for the job anymore I would call it myself.

“If you felt like it had got to the point where… well, the job is bloody hard.

“You’ve got to be up for the fight. It has got to be something you really want to do because there is a lot of stuff that comes your way when it doesn’t work as well.

“But it makes the winning great when you can overcome these hurdles.”

In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun on the eve of finals, Fagan explained how the club turned around its early season form and put its faith in a group of youngsters to help overcome a horrid run of season-ending injuries to key players.

The Lions will take on Carlton on Saturday night aiming to knock the Blues out of the finals race for a second year in a row, albeit with as many as five new faces from last year’s finals.

But this year was Fagan’s most challenging, he said, as the team faltered early and the Hawthorn racism scandal dragged on.

Fagan is out of contract next year. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It probably tested my resilience as a person more than any other year,” Fagan said.

“You have those moments where you question yourself and say ‘Am I the right bloke to be coaching the group? Am I getting the best out of them?

“But the club was terrific. ‘Swanny’ (CEO Greg Swann) and Andrew Wellington our president were proactive after the Round 7 loss to the Giants which left us two wins and five losses.

“They really explained how grateful the club was to have me and everything we have been able to do together over the last five years.

“There is no doubt the club was in a difficult position when I first arrived.

“But they said they had not lost any faith in me and I appreciated that.”

Brisbane was labelled a basket case amid a series of player departures and a three-win season in 2016 before Fagan arrived, helping restore the Lions as an on and off-field power across eight seasons.

Fagan said he and the club were comfortable with his contract situation heading into September.

“I have got one year to go on my contract, so my aim is to do as well as we can with the team,” he said.

“If we have done well enough that the club still want me then great. But if we haven’t they might look to make change and that is fully understandable.

“I have come through one pressure cooker, and there are probably more ahead.

“I just focus on doing the best job day by day and the future will look after itself.”

Fagan said he remains fiercely driven to lead Brisbane to its first flag in two decades after rebuilding the club on and off the field.

“What would give me the most pleasure would be to see people who were around in tough times work together to achieve something great,” he said.

“Seeing the joy they, and the fans as well, would get from it.

“I have felt it and experienced it. I know what it is like (at Hawthorn).

“That is the motivation, the satisfaction and fun everyone else would have.”

Originally published as ‘Am I the right bloke?’ Chris Fagan opens up on his most challenging year as coach of Brisbane