TRIPLE-premiership coach Chris Fagan has joined Carlton in a new role as director of coaching.
Fagan stepped away from the Lions after guiding the club to a third successive premiership in September, despite having a year left on his contract.
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The 65-year-old coached the Lions for 10 seasons, having worked at Melbourne from 1999-2007 under Neale Daniher and then at Hawthorn from 2008-2016 with Alastair Clarkson and current Carlton CEO Graham Wright.
Carlton said in a statement that Fagan would be "a trusted advisor and sounding board" to new senior coach Josh Fraser in his first full year in the role, and would also mentor the Blues' coaching staff.
Fagan said he was looking forward to taking on a new challenge at Ikon Park.
“While I loved my 10 years as a senior coach, this is a role I am passionate about and where I know I can have a real impact in this next phase of my football career,” Fagan said.
“Supporting people to get the absolute best out of themselves is what I love most about football, so the chance to now be able to do that on a full-time basis is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to connect with each person in the football department, and in particular work closely with Josh to help every coach and player be the best Carlton person they can possibly be."
Carlton GM of football Chris Davies said Fagan's recruitment showed the Blues were serious about attracting top talent to the club in all positions.
“We want to build our football club around good people and they do not come any better than Chris Fagan,” Davies said.
“Few in the game have his wealth of experience and ability to connect with and get the best out of those around him. Most importantly, he is a proven winner who knows what it takes to build a consistently high-performing environment.
“Chris and Josh have built a connection in recent weeks over a shared philosophy of putting people first and building a program the right way. With Chris on board, Josh will be well supported, our coaches will be well developed and our program will continue to build the clarity and discipline required to be truly elite."
