CHRIS Fagan's resignation as Brisbane's senior coach on Thursday, following his third successive premiership, brings to an end one of the most decorated careers in football.
From his playing days in Tasmania that reaped two state-league premierships, to assistant AFL coaching and administrative roles at Melbourne and Hawthorn, before taking the top job at Brisbane, Fagan has done it all in almost 50 years in the game.
Here's a snapshot of the key moments in one of the most significant careers that modern footy has seen.
1978-1990 – Played 263 senior games and kicked 430 goals as a midfielder and small forward in the Tasmanian Football League with Hobart, Sandy Bay and Devonport. Represented Tasmania 11 times and won premierships with Hobart (1980) and Devonport (1988).
1991-92 – Assistant coach at North Hobart in the TFL.
1993-94 – Senior coach at Sandy Bay in the TFL.
1995-97 – Inaugural coach of the Tassie Mariners in the TAC Cup under-18 competition.
1998 – Moved to the mainland to join Melbourne as an AFL assistant coach under Neale Daniher.
2000 – Helped Daniher guide the Demons to the 2000 Grand Final, where they lost to a powerful Essendon team by 60 points.
2007 – Daniher sacked by Melbourne in his 10th season at the helm. Fagan departs to join Alastair Clarkson's team at Hawthorn as head of coaching and development.
2008 – Hawthorn stuns Geelong in the 2008 Grand Final to claim the premiership in Fagan's first year as part of the Hawks' coaching team under Clarkson.
2013 – Fagan is appointed general manager of football, working alongside senior coach Clarkson. The Hawks go on to win the Grand Final against Fremantle by 15 points, making up somewhat for their 2012 loss to Sydney in the season decider.
2014 – Hawthorn finishes second after the home and away season behind Sydney before winning the Grand Final by 63 points against the Swans.
2015 – The Hawks finish third after the home and away season and lose a qualifying final to West Coast before winning their way back to the Grand Final, where they complete their three-peat with a 46-point win over the Eagles.
2016 – The Hawks again finish third but lose their first two finals, including a semi-final against the Western Bulldogs to miss the Grand Final for the first time since 2011. Brisbane finishes second-last with just three victories for the year. The Lions sack coach Justin Leppitsch and appoint Fagan, who has never played football at VFL/AFL level. Brisbane picks Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry with its first two selections at the draft.
2017 – Brisbane finishes last in Fagan's first season at the helm but wins five games, two more than in 2016. The Lions draft Cam Rayner with the No.1 pick.
2018 – Another five wins, but the Lions finish 15th of 18 teams with a percentage of 89.1, 15 percentage points better than the previous year. Brisbane trades in Fremantle midfielder Lachie Neale and pick 30 for picks six, 19 and 55. Hawks legend Luke Hodge also joins Brisbane in a trade.
2019 – Fagan's Lions have lift-off. Brisbane wins 16 games and finishes second after the home and away season, but loses its two finals to go out in straight sets.
2020 – Brisbane finishes second after a COVID-impacted 2020 season and defeats Richmond in a qualifying final to earn a home preliminary final at the Gabba, where the Grand Final will be played the following week. However, the Lions lose to Geelong in the prelim, with the Tigers eventually claiming a third flag in four years. Lachie Neale wins the 2020 Brownlow Medal.
2021 – The Lions finish fourth in another COVID-affected season, before again going out in straight sets with losses to Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. Key forward Joe Daniher joins from Essendon as a free agent.
2022 – Brisbane wins 15 games but only finishes sixth before wins over Richmond and Melbourne pave the way for a preliminary final against Geelong. The Cats prove far too strong, winning by 71 points. Days after that loss, allegations of historical racism at Hawthorn are made public, with Fagan and Clarkson named in the report. Both strenuously deny any wrongdoing. Father-son prospect Will Ashcroft joins the Lions at pick No.2 in the draft.
2023 – The AFL closes its investigation into the Hawthorn racism allegations in May, with no adverse findings against either Fagan or Clarkson. The Lions finish second and win their way to the Grand Final with victories over Port Adelaide and Carlton in their first two finals. However, they fall just short of Fagan's first premiership as senior coach after a four-point loss to Collingwood. Lachie Neale wins his second Brownlow Medal.
2024 – Brisbane finishes fifth, half a game outside the top four, and defeats Carlton in the elimination final before an incredible comeback win over GWS in the semi-final from 44 points down in the third quarter. The Lions beat Geelong in a preliminary final classic at the MCG before thrashing the Swans in the Grand Final, winning by 60 points. Will Ashcroft wins the Norm Smith Medal.
2025 – The Lions finish third behind Adelade and Geelong, before losing its first final to the Cats. Wins over Gold Coast and Collingwood send Brisbane back to the Grand Final, where they smash the Cats in the second half to claim their second flag by 47 points. Will Ashcroft wins his second Norm Smith Medal.
2026 – With a historic third premiership in their sights, the Lions again finish third and, for the third successive year, take the long way to the Grand Final with wins over Adelaide and Hawthorn following a qualifying final loss to Sydney. During Grand Final week, speculation arises that Fagan will consider resigning as coach if the Lions win a third straight flag. Brisbane stages an incredible comeback, kicking four goals in four minutes to stun Fremantle in a Grand Final classic. Fagan acknowledges retirement talk after the game and, on the Thursday after the season decider, announces his retirement from senior coaching with a year left on his contract. He is given the keys to the city by Brisbane's Lord Mayor at the premiership celebrations.