Brisbane Lions premiership coach Chris Fagan has returned to his roots on Tasmania’s West Coast to share his success with former schoolmates, teammates and neighbours.
Fagan, who grew up in Queenstown, brought the AFL premiership cup back to the gravel oval where he first fell in love with the game on Saturday.
“I loved this town when I was a kid. I could play all the sport that I wanted to play,” he said on Saturday.
“It was always about five minutes away, so mum and dad didn’t have to take me too far to the oval.”
“We played footy up here, we played cricket up here, basketball. I was a bit of a swimmer as well, believe it or not.”
Fagan said it was the first time he had seen the gravel in more than two decades.
“People sort of talk about this place that they haven’t been here like we’re all Martians,” he said.
“We’re actually normal people, good people. And that’s what I experienced in my time here.”
Fagan’s Queenstown visit included a junior football clinic run by coaches from AFL Tasmania and a barbecue at the local football club.
