Brisbane Lions add triple premiership defender Chris Johnson to board

Brisbane has welcomed a triple-premiership defender to its board as the club looks to add some more silverware, with the elevation strengthening the Lions’ links to Fitzroy.

Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee (left), former Brisbane triple-premiership player Chris Johnson and Lions small forward Charlie Cameron (right) wearing the club's 2021 Indigenous guernsey. Credit: Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions have added brilliant triple-premiership defender Chris Johnson to their board in another nod to the club’s enduring links with the Fitzroy football club.

The Herald Sun can reveal Johnson, 48, has been elevated as a director in Grand Final week to service on chairman Andrew Wellington’s board.

He replaced Fitzroy’s 1984 best-and-fairest winner and vice-captain Ross Thornton, who passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer.

Johnson’s football acumen is strong and his historic links to Fitzroy as one of only eight players who joined the club after the merger with the Brisbane Bears for the 1997 season.

Johnson began his career with Fitzroy in 1994 and was a Rising Star nominee before he joined Brisbane, along with seven other hand-picked players – Scott Bamford, John Barker, Brad Boyd, Nick Carter, Shane Clayton, Simon Hawking and Jarrod Molloy. Most departed the club quickly, but Johnson was the only one to play in the premiership era of 2001-2003.

Not only is he a triple premiership player, he is part of the Indigenous Team of the Century and also coached the Indigenous All-Stars in 2009.

Brisbane has dedicated plenty of time to the needs of its Indigenous players and meets with a group of its players semi-regularly to ensure it is attuned to their needs.

While there are still some Fitzroy diehards who have fallen out of love with football given the death of the Victoria-based clubs, the merger went as well as possible.

The approval from Fitzroy club great and Brownlow Medallist Kevin Murray went a long way to uniting two clans.

Johnson said on Thursday he was thrilled to be asked to make a contribution at board level.

He will be part of a board that hands coach Chris Fagan a new contract after the Herald Sun revealed last week the 63-year-old would be backed in to coach past his 2025 contract.

“Being appointed a director for the Lions is a real full-circle moment for me,” Johnson said.

“From being drafted to Fitzroy and playing my first game at age 17, to being a part of the team that achieved the three-peat, the club has been a huge part of my life. So to now be involved as a director is a new challenge and a role I’m really looking forward to.”

Wellington said Johnson was the perfect figure to contribute on the board given his broad experience and football history.

“Chris has been around the club for nearly three decades and has a great connection with Fitzroy and pride in the club’s Victorian heritage,” he said.

“He’s worn the Fitzroy guernsey on 59 occasions and was a key part of the triple premiership success running out in Lions colours following the merger for a further 205 games.

“He has served the game in a variety of roles through his work in the AFL and has terrific knowledge of our talent pathways and community football.

“With his understanding of our club, our history and his experiences outside of football I know he will be an asset to the Board and club for years to come.”