Chris Fagan resigns as Brisbane Lions coach after third straight AFL premiership

Chris Fagan has stepped down as senior coach of the Brisbane Lions, ending a 10-year tenure immediately after leading the club to a third straight AFL premiership and with one year left on his contract, according to AFL.com.au.

The decision came days after Brisbane sealed the premiership three-peat with a 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) win over Fremantle in the 2026 AFL Grand Final on Sept. 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The crowd for the decider was 100,023. Three consecutive premierships are a rare feat in VFL/AFL history, and Brisbane completed it at the end of a season that confirmed its place at the top of the competition.

AFL.com.au reported that Fagan “opted not to see out the final year of his contract,” framing the move as a choice to leave at the peak rather than coach on into 2027. Fagan made clear he had been wrestling with whether he wanted to continue in a role he described as relentlessly demanding.

“It might sound like a strange thing for me to say after we just won a premiership, but I don't really want to be that guy who hangs around until we fail,” Fagan said, via AFL.com.au. He also said: “I've just got to work out whether I've still got the energy required to do that relentless responsibility and pressure that comes with being an AFL coach.”

The contract detail matters because Brisbane had previously announced, in an earlier club release, that Fagan had signed an extension running through at least the end of 2027. That is the basis for reporting that he had one year remaining on his deal when he chose to step aside now, rather than serve out the full term.

The possibility of an early exit had already surfaced publicly during Brisbane’s post-premiership celebrations. ABC News reported on Sept. 29 that Fagan was openly questioning whether he should continue, even in the immediate aftermath of the club’s latest flag. “Whether I've still got the absolute energy you need to do this job, because you do need a lot… I've been doing it for 10 years now…,” Fagan said, as quoted by ABC News.

His departure closes one of the most successful coaching runs in the club’s history. Over a decade in charge, Fagan guided Brisbane from a rebuilding side into a sustained contender and then a premier, with flags in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The timing of the decision — coming directly after the third of those premierships — means he leaves having completed the job at the highest possible point, rather than waiting for the decline he said he did not want to coach through.