ONE, TWO or three?
That is the captaincy question at Brisbane ahead of a season where the Lions will aim to emulate the famous three-peat under Leigh Matthews at the start of the century.
Brisbane is making a leadership change after Lachie Neale's decision to step down as co-captain at the start of January, following the well-documented issues in his personal life.
Harris Andrews has established himself as one of the best leaders in the game across the past few years and could do the role on his own as sole skipper at 29.
But the Lions will go to a player vote in the next fortnight and then two-time premiership coach Chris Fagan and GM Danny Daly will present to the board.
Brisbane's leadership group will look different this year with Brandon Starcevich departing, Oscar McInerney retiring and Charlie Cameron stepping back to focus on his own form.
Fagan wasn't a fan of co-captains until the Lions appointed Andrews and Neale as co-captains in 2023 and it worked.
Since then, Brisbane has played in three consecutive Grand Finals. Andrews and Neale became the first ever premiership co-captains in 2024. And then did it again in 2025.
With history now on his side, Fagan is open to retaining a co-captaincy model in 2026 and has two ready-to-go options in Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley.
The challenge is splitting them. If it's not one skipper, it might end up being three. There have never been three premiership co-captains, but there is a first for everything.
Last week, AFL.com.au spent time inside Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield and spoke to Andrews, McCluggage and Dunkley about leadership, among other topics.
Andrews understands why Brisbane's culture has been questioned over the summer, but doesn't believe it's justified given the sustained success built under Fagan that has resulted in seven consecutive finals series appearances.
"We've got a great culture. We've had plenty of people come from other footy clubs who have really embraced the way that we are up here, really enjoyed the culture that we've created. Clearly, there's been a lot of talk about our culture. I don't think that's necessarily justified at the end of the day," Andrews said.
"I'm not going to go into specifics about Lach, but we're always going to support our guys. We're always going to make sure that we wrap our arms around our guys and people within our culture. I feel as a group we've moved on really quickly. We've just gotten back into work and Lach's been awesome in the sense that he's just come and wants to work hard.
"It's been a very interesting couple of months, obviously, with the amount of traction that's gotten across the media. But from a footy perspective, we've just gotten on with the job and we're really excited about what we can achieve this year."
Andrews won the Merrett-Murray Medal in his first year as co-captain in 2023 and collected his third All-Australian blazer last year, weeks before winning the Jim Stynes Award for his extensive work supporting survivors of domestic violence and promoting respectful relationships.
Born in Fitzroy, but raised in Brisbane, Andrews will do whatever works best for the Lions this year when it comes to leadership. One thing is certain; the 200cm key defender will be captain in some capacity.
"I'm not too fussed," Andrews said. "Obviously, there's a little part that would love to be captain of the footy club, but at the end of the day, I just couldn't be happier to do whatever's best for the team.
"I think the co-captain model is a great model. It allows a little bit of flexibility, a little bit more balancing. We'll do that in the next couple of weeks, we'll sit down and discuss what it looks like. And if the playing group and the coaches and the staff think that co-captains is the way to go, then I couldn't be happier to do that."
McCluggage was the very first pick of the Fagan era – pick No.3 in the 2016 Telstra AFL Draft – and represents the generation that stayed in Brisbane in the aftermath of the 'go home five'. That draft class and the one that followed are crucial puzzle pieces in the dynasty.
The 27-year-old was appointed vice-captain in 2023 and has developed into a future captain across the past few years after first arriving in Queensland as a reserved character. Now the 2025 All-Australian is considered the player that connects the old and the young at the Lions.
"I'd love to be captain. That's another step in my personal development. 'Dunks' would be in the same boat. Harris has been there for a while now, but he's still improving. I think what we do really well is we have a lot of different personalities that all contribute to that leadership group, so it's very well-rounded," McCluggage said.
"I think my strength is knowing the people in the environment and having a finger on the pulse with the younger boys, with the older boys, with everyone; I sit in that middle age gap where you know what's going on and how the group's feeling. I think we have plenty of discussions us three with Lach as well in the past and then with all the other leaders about the group and what we're constantly talking about is where everyone sits, not just from a footy perspective but also with life. I think that's how we've been able to get through those hardships that we've faced. It hasn't been smooth sailing, we've had seasons where we've been under pressure.”
Dunkley has proven to be one of the most impactful recruits of this era. He hasn't won Brownlow medals like Neale or All-Australian blazers like Cameron, but since arriving at the end of 2022, the former Western Bulldog has become the heartbeat of Brisbane's midfield, winning last year's best and fairest in a premiership campaign.
Fagan talks about him like a son and rates his emotional intelligence. The now three-time premiership player and two-time best-and-fairest winner is 29 and believes the move north has developed him into a more rounded leader.
"I feel like I've grown enormously over the last three years. It's funny, if you asked me when I was 16 years of age whether I would ever want to be a club captain…. I was the shyest kid going around mate, my leadership style was leading through actions. I've developed over time the words and being able to speak and influence guys outside of the ones that are closest to you," Dunkley said.
"Simple answer, I'd love to be captain; I love being vice-captain; I love being a part of the leadership group here. To be honest, would I change? Probably not. I'm just going to be who I am, who I have been for a long period of time.
"I'm a bit of a believer in, if you see it, say it. If you ask 'Fages', in leadership meetings and stuff like that, I'm always sort of telling him or everyone else, how I'm feeling and what the group's feeling and what I feel like is good for us. So I'm a bit of a challenger, but at the same time, I'm a good listener. If that role does come my way, it's not going to change. It'd be great to lead a footy club, but I feel like I'm already leading the footy club in my role at the moment, so whether that changes and you get the title doesn't really bother me, to be honest. At the end of the day, it's all about leading this group forward, and I'll do that whether I'm captain, vice-captain, leadership group, or just on the list."
Andrews, McCluggage and Dunkley. One, two or three. We will wait and see. But rest assured, Brisbane has two options ready to step up if called upon. And beyond that, many more young leaders developing for the role down the track when they need someone else to step up.