THE APPOINTMENT of Cameron Bruce as Brisbane coach was a nod to continuity and not fixing something that isn't broken.
It was a time-consuming process, the six weeks since Chris Fagan's resignation perhaps a little too long, but ultimately one that saw the Lions reach a sensible decision and one that gives them the best chance of continuing to succeed.
As a thorough sporting organisation does, it was right to canvass the market and speak with Nathan Buckley, Adam Simpson and Hayden Skipworth, although this process was probably going one way only.
Bruce has served a 14-year coaching apprenticeship at Hawthorn, Carlton and for the past five years, the Lions.
He has been a development coach, served as a senior assistant, coached on every line and perhaps most importantly learned the successful ways of Fagan since heading north late in 2021.
Bruce is as ready as any coach could be, much like his predecessor who had almost two decades in the system before being given his opportunity.
Having won three straight premierships and been to finals in eight consecutive years, this is a unique situation for any club to be looking for a new leader.
Should they go for a proven performer in Buckley or Simpson who could bring a fresh voice, perhaps shake-up some waning motivation with a new stimulus, or Bruce, who knows the landscape so well and has been part of the furniture during the dynastic run?
Selecting Bruce saves Brisbane an adjustment period that comes with any new coach.
He was quick to point that out during his introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
"I've got five years of relationships with these guys, with the staff, so all those things have put me ahead of the race, and I understand the way the club goes about it and what drives these players," he said.
"So that gives me a chance to pull the levers where I need to use different motivating techniques to get the best out of the players. I don't have to waste that time."
Fagan recently admitted it took him the best part of two years to form the deep-seated relationships that bankrolled Brisbane's culture and success. That is an issue Bruce should not have to deal with.
Having coached the all-star midfield group, he has forged firm friendships with key players, having to juggle egos of some of the biggest names in the competition as they clambered for time onball.
In some ways, taking over from Fagan is a no-win for the new man.
Succeed, and externally it's seen as an extension of the former coach's work – think Chris Scott taking over from Mark Thompson at Geelong in 2011 – but struggle, and the questions quickly arise about your capability.
However, with an untried coach in charge, there will be a certain grace period as he finds his feet in the top job.
"I'm obsessed by getting better, continual improvement," Bruce said.
"If we think we can just roll out what we've done and what we did this year, then the competition is going to go past us."
Brisbane has never been a home and away juggernaut, finishing fifth in 2024 and needing to win final-round matches the past two years to jump into the top four before taking the long road to premiership glory.
What they have done is peak better than any other team, so early-season struggles would be nothing new, particularly with a man going through the gauntlet for the first time.
What Bruce does have is the experiences of Fages to draw on. He played under his tutelage for a decade at Melbourne, coached alongside him at Hawthorn for four seasons and has spent the past five at Brisbane learning the ways of the triple premiership mentor.
"Fages and I are different people. I'm 47. He's 65. So there's obviously an age difference there," Bruce laughed.
"But you know what we do have in common is really strong philosophies about what a successful team and a successful club looks like.
"I do things differently in terms of the way I conduct meetings. I'll probably coach from up in the box.
"My journey getting to coaching was different, so I probably relate to players a little bit differently.
"Those things will be hopefully refreshing for the players, but still understanding that what the philosophy is and what he's put in place, I think we know is a pretty successful recipe for what you need to do.
"We won't be altering that too much. We'll be looking to improve."
When he puts it like that, there was no real option other than Bruce.
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