Queenstown-born Chris Fagan has guided the Brisbane Lions to their second consecutive premiership with a convincing 122/75 win over the Geelong Cats at the MCG.
The Lions showcased the determination and skill that has become a signature of Fagan’s coaching career.
For Fagan, the victory represents another achievement in a remarkable coaching career that has taken him from Tasmania’s West Coast to the pinnacle of the AFL.
“Very excited, nervous, but very excited,” Beth Fagan, Chris’s mother, told 7 Tasmania yesterday while boarding a flight from Hobart to Melbourne to see her son coach.
His sister Anne-Maree Fagan was also joining their mum on the trip to Melbourne.
“He knows we’re all behind him so we’ll be there supporting him and giving him a big hug no matter the outcome,” she said.
Speaking after the win, Fagan thanked supporters of the Lions’ for being “absolutely amazing for us all year”.
“We love the way you made a noise for us today and inspired us. Thank so much,” he said.
“To our players, what an amazing group you are. It’s been pretty tough this year at times. And we have found a way. I have total respect for you, well done. Thank you.”
The win follows Fagan’s emotional return to his hometown of Queenstown last year, where he brought the premiership cup back to the gravel oval where his sporting journey began.
“I loved this town when I was a kid. I could play all the sport that I wanted to play,” Fagan said at the time.
“It was always about five minutes away, so mum and dad didn’t have to take me too far to the oval.”
During the homecoming, Fagan participated in a junior football clinic run by AFL Tasmania coaches and attended a barbecue at the local football club.
