Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews has praised premiership coach Chris Fagan for playing a pivotal role in the club's remarkable transformation. Fagan arrived at the end of 2016 when the Lions had endured seven consecutive seasons without finals football.
Early Struggles and Foundation Building
Under Fagan's leadership, Brisbane won just five games in each of his first two seasons. However, the foundations were laid, and the Lions have not missed the finals since, including winning two premierships from the past three grand finals.
Andrews admitted he was initially cautious about Fagan's appointment, given that Fagan had never previously coached a team. In fact, one particular conversation remains etched in the star defender's memory.
A Memorable First Meeting
"I don't think when he first walked in we thought that, not to say he was a lesser name, but he hadn't coached his own team, obviously a bit of a trap as a younger player is thinking the coach has to be someone that has played at the highest level," Andrews told Hamish McLachlan on Unfiltered.
"So when he walked in, it was introducing yourself, and then something I really admired about what he did was he came in and really wanted to get a lay of the land, of how things were operating and how things were going.
"I still remember my meeting upstairs I had with him at the Gabba when he came in and he gave us three questions.
"It was, what is happening well here at the footy club? What could we improve on? And if you were the coach, what would you come in and do?
"So instantly from that moment you think, wow we've got a guy that wants to first get a feel for how it is, and then he'll obviously have some plans outside of that and that actually might help him dictate those plans to be able to improve the place."
Trust and Collaboration
Andrews added that he was extremely impressed by Fagan's ability to show immediate trust in both players and staff.
"I don't know if it's in world sport but when a new coach comes in they usually get rid of everyone and then bring in their own staff, but his ability to keep everyone on board, get to know people and then get the best out of them, I think he saw a lot of potential there with a lot of people, players but also staff members, and that was super empowering," he said.
"The fact that he had trust in us, he didn't know any of us from a bar of soap, but he had trust that we would be able to come in and do the job, and I guess collaboration rather than just coming in and being a really dominant force.
"I got to know him really well early on, he's such a great guy and someone I am truly grateful I have met."
Andrews' comments highlight the culture of trust and collaboration that Fagan has instilled at the Lions, which has been key to their sustained success.
