Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan happy to hear about the AFL’s likely expansion into Tasmania

He loves coaching the Brisbane Lions, but Tassie product Chris Fagan hasn’t ruled out one day becoming involved with an AFL team from the Apple Isle.

Proud Tasmanian Chris Fagan has put his hand up for a role with an Apple Isle AFL club.

The AFL is set to expand into Tasmania after the federal government’s expected announcement this weekend of $240m in funding towards a new stadium in Hobart that is crucial to the state’s hopes of being home to the competition’s 19th team.

While 61-year-old Fagan’s priority is coaching the Brisbane Lions, he would love to be involved with an AFL club based in his home state.

“I saw all reports (about the likelihood of a Tasmanian AFL team) and it brought a smile to my face,” Fagan said on Thursday.

“It’s been long overdue, I think. It’s going to take a bit of work, and you probably won’t see a team until the stadium is built.

“It’ll take a while to build it, so probably it’ll be 2028 before you see a Tasmanian team, but that’ll give a really good amount of time to set it up in the right way.

“I know Hobart pretty well, and I know the (stadium) location they are talking about, and it would be phenomenal if they build that in that spot,

“I’m very happy for the people down there and I’m very happy for all the young footballers down there to have an AFL team hopefully on their doorstep,”

Chris Fagan is happy about the prospect of an AFL team in Tasmania. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images

While Fagan said that he would probably be a bit “long in the tooth” to coach a Tasmanian AFL expansion team when it eventually joined the competition, he kept the door open by saying “you never know what the future holds”.

“I love coaching the Lions,” he said.

“If I’m not coaching the Lions by that point in time, and I could, I’d love to help Tassie out in some way, not necessarily to be the coach, it might be doing something else there.

“You never say never, but I’m totally committed to the Lions and that’s where I see my future until they decide I haven’t got one.”

Fagan, who recently signed a deal that will keep him at the Lions until at least the end of the 2025 AFL season, has the immediate goal of guiding Brisbane to a fourth successive win on Saturday at the Gabba against Fremantle.

“I’m really wary of them this weekend,” Fagan of the Dockers, who have started the season slowly, losing four from six after playing finals football last year.

“We’ve played a few teams this year that have been under the blowtorch in the week leading up to the game.

“You’ve got to respect a team that won a final last year and seems to be on the improve.

“Starts to years can be a bit problematic, depending on who you play, but we know they’re going to bring their best effort this week.

“They’re a team that we respect.”

Originally published as Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan happy to hear about the AFL’s likely expansion into Tasmania