Glaring gap in Lions succession plan — and the seven names who could fill it as Fagan call looms
The Brisbane Lions might start looking at a coaching succession plan for life after Chris Fagan, according to Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph.
The Lions have failed to meet expectations so far in 2024, sitting 13th on the ladder with just four wins and a draw from their first 11 games.
That is in part due to their mounting injury list, but nevertheless, pressure is mounting on senior coach Chris Fagan as a list in its prime heads towards another missed opportunity.
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“Big decisions for Brisbane at the end of the season, do they extend Chris Fagan’s contract, I think early indications are they might just let it drift and both parties would be happy with that,” Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
“They’ve got the chance to bring in the best and the brightest as a new senior assistant. I think quite possibly hire someone who might be their next senior coach,” he said.
The Lions moved on assistant coach Mark Stone in October last year, while Jed Adcock was poached by North Melbourne, despite the Lions wanting to keep him on their coaching panel.
Former Western Bulldogs champion Dale Morris was promoted from development coach to assistant coach, but they never added another coach after Stone’s departure.
“It means they’re one short on a body count. I think they’re thin and I think they’re absolutely thin from an elite standpoint,” Ralph said.
Ralph put forward seven names as the best assistants in the AFL, including James Rahilly, Corey Enright, Andrew McQualter, Shaun Grigg, Ash Hansen, Troy Chaplin and Daniel Giansiracusa.
“Where’s their Ash Hansen, or Shaun Grigg, Andrew McQualter, where’s their bloke?
“Right now, that’s Danny Daly who does so much so much great strategy stuff, he’s a gun, but he’s also the best football boss floating around, he’s spread too thin.”
“So, the question is, do you hire an assistant or does an experienced assistant say, ‘I want to go to Brisbane’ and at the very least, ‘if we pop again next year, look what I’ve done, put myself in the shop window for other clubs’, even better, it may well be at the end of next season Fagan moves on and you’re in the perfect position to take over the role from 2026.”
Earlier this week, North Melbourne champion David King posed on Fox Footy’s First Crack whether it was time for the Lions to try and really maximise the talent on their list by targeting Geelong coach Chris Scott, who played for the Lions dynasty team of the early 2000s.
“This is just a hypothetical. We always wait until teams have finished their opportunity to win a flag before we make a move in any form of coaching,” King began.
“When you look at the Lions’ list and the club being so settled and such a great place – they’ve had a great run with Chris Fagan, who’s set them up for this opportunity of potentially an eight-year window they’re halfway through.
“Would it be too ruthless to put all chips in the basket and go and get Chris Scott?
“Say: ‘We’ve got had four or five chances with Chris Fagan, you’ve done nothing wrong and been a very good coach. But if we can get a great coach, an absolute top liner who’s been there for a long, long time and done it against the odds more often than not. We are doing this, we are not settling, we are not happy, we are not comfortable’.
“(Scott) can come in and we can refresh this message to the list, the new voice and fresh game plan. We can challenge guys plateauing a bit at the moment – Charlie Cameron, Zac Bailey and Hugh McCluggage – still very good players, but are they doing what top liners at other clubs are doing? I don’t think so.
“Reenergise, reinvent and show a different system and be the absolute pointy end of coaching. Give them a chance while they’re still in the window to win that elusive flag. What’s it worth to a win a flag and how aggressive do you need to be?”
The Lions have a bye in round 12 before a clash against the Western Bulldogs under Friday night lights in round 13.
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