Brisbane Lions head coach Chris Fagan has been named the 2024 Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year, an accolade celebrating his exceptional leadership guiding his side from 13th on the ladder late in the season to their second consecutive AFL Grand Final.
The award, announced on Tuesday night at the AFL Coaches Association (AFLCA) Awards, marks the second time Fagan has earned this prestigious honour, having previously won in 2019.
Fagan's ability to steer the Lions through a turbulent 2024 season, which included a 2-5 start, cemented his status as one of the league's top coaches. Faced with injuries, poor form from key players, and doubts stemming from their 2023 Grand Final loss, Fagan led the Lions' 'dancing on ice mantra' to rebound and ink another Grand Final berth.
His 272 votes saw him finish ahead of Sydney Swans coach John Longmire (209 votes) and Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell (161 votes), both of whom also had impressive seasons. Fagan's victory reflects his resilience, tactical brilliance, and the unity of his coaching staff and players, which he was quick to acknowledge in his acceptance speech.
“Being the recipient of the 2024 AFLCA Coach of the Year Award is a great honour,” Fagan said.
“I view it as recognition for everyone who is part of the coaching team at the Brisbane Lions – Cam Bruce, Murray Davis, Dale Morris, Scott Borlace, Ben Hudson, Daniel Lloyd and our GM of Football Danny Daly. Coaching an AFL team is a collective effort and the Senior Coach at all clubs requires the support and expertise of their assistant & development coaches to deliver a quality program to our players. I'm incredibly grateful to all these men for what they do to help me.
“I would also like to thank our players for their efforts – without doubt they make us coaches look better than we are at times.
“Coaching is full of interesting & unique challenges but overall is an immensely rewarding job. I'm thankful to the Brisbane Lions hierarchy for showing faith in an old bloke like me to be their Senior Coach 8 years ago. It's been a fun ride and I'm very proud of the consistent club we have become.
“To be recognised by my peers in this way is something I didn't truly expect but it is something I'm very proud of.
“Congratulations to all coaches at every AFL Club. This season has been more competitive and hard fought than ever and the general public have been entertained to the max. A large reason for this is the professionalism and quality of our respective programs. Hopefully the AFL continues to acknowledge this and provides us with the financial support to keep chasing excellence into the future.”
Following the rocky start, Fagan guided the Lions to a fifth-place finish on the ladder with a 14-8 record. His team then defied the odds in the finals series, notching a stunning comeback win against GWS in the semi-finals and a special preliminary final performance against Geelong.
Fagan emphasised the critical role his players played in this success, stating, “without doubt, they make us coaches look better than we are at times.”
AFLCA CEO Alistair Nicholson praised Fagan's leadership, highlighting the coach's ability to stay true to himself and persevere through challenges.
“Fagan's care, connection, and resilience have shone through during difficult times, and he has continued to perform at the highest level,” Nicholson said.
As Fagan prepares for another Grand Final, his peers' recognition as the league's top coach adds an extra layer of significance to the achievement.
Reflecting on his eight-year tenure with the Lions, Fagan said, “I'm thankful to the Brisbane Lions hierarchy for showing faith in an old bloke like me... It's been a fun ride, and I'm very proud of the consistent club we have become.”