DANNY Daly will not coach Brisbane in 2027 after pulling out from the race to replace Chris Fagan.

Daly has been the Lions' football manager for the past six seasons and was seen as a frontrunner alongside assistant coach Cameron Bruce to take over from the three-time premiership mentor.

However, following another physically and mentally taxing campaign, the 60-year-old will not be part of the process to replace Fagan, instead retaining his current role next season.

It's a change of heart for Daly, who on the morning of Brisbane's Grand Final win against Fremantle, told SEN he had desires to be a senior coach.

"I'm a bit like Fages in terms of, you still battle a little bit with belief and the fact that you haven't played the game at the highest level," he said.

"I'd like to think that I potentially could be, but the way that footy is working at the minute – it goes around in roundabouts.

"There was a stage there where it was all about, Fages has set the trend, let's go for the older guy. But it seems to be now that it's all about going for the first-time young assistant coaches into the coaching role.

"There is a little bit of a desire there, yeah."

Daly has been a somewhat unheralded lieutenant in Brisbane's three-peat, as the man in the box who Fagan speaks to during matches.

He has been involved in full-time roles at AFL clubs since 2003, when he joined North Melbourne as an assistant coach under Dani Laidley. 

He spent seven seasons at the Kangaroos before heading to work at Richmond under Damien Hardwick. Daly headed north to join the Lions in 2013 to work with then-senior coach Justin Leppitsch. 

Daly took over the general manager of football role at Brisbane at the end of 2020 when David Noble departed to join North Melbourne as its senior coach.  

The Lions are expected to formally announce the parameters and panel to decide on their next coach in the next 24 hours.