Coach Fages and the coaching group

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anyone else think the smith over Morris was a very lucky call?

Morris would have made the most of the wind today like he did yesterday and if he needed a rest why play him at all instead of a full rest?

full credit for the Brain over McKenna call:thumbsu::thumbsu:
I wouldn't have chosen a game against the ladder leader to debut Smith. He would have been better against West Coast or even this week against Gold Coast. Morris needed to rediscover form, now he's done that, I have no issues with the coaching panel's decision there.
 
You'll find that many of those who were bringing up those names didn't want Fagan axed this year, they just wanted a succession plan for the end of his contract.
I'm extremely appreciative of what Fages and co have done for our footy club since he came to the club since 2016 as it has been one of the greatest rebuilds on/off-field of any club in recent memory and he 100% deserves to have the opportunity to retire on his own terms or move on, when the time does unfortunately come.

At 2-5 this year, I did start to question if he still had the players and if that external pressure from other issues started to wear him down. But to Fages credit as always, he and the players have stood up to the pressure and amazingly in 3rd with 5 rounds to go, which shows how amazing the culture is ATM but also what can happen if you bring in young blood in the side.

As mentioned by JB above, though, we need to have a Plan B in place when the time does come for a new head coach, which has been said for the past couple of years. Looking at our internal panel exclusively, would Cameron Bruce or Dale Morris have what it takes to become a head coach straight away or would be go more experienced but internally still in Stewie Dew now or even Danny Daly.

Then you have the external names out there that we should be trying hard to get as senior assistant coach / future head coach and possibly still be given we tried to grasp Scott Selwood from Collingwood last-preseason

It does paint an interesting set-up with what happens when the time comes though, but Fages IMO can have as long as he wants if the club continues playing to the way they are.
 

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I'm extremely appreciative of what Fages and co have done for our footy club since he came to the club since 2016 as it has been one of the greatest rebuilds on/off-field of any club in recent memory and he 100% deserves to have the opportunity to retire on his own terms or move on, when the time does unfortunately come.

At 2-5 this year, I did start to question if he still had the players and if that external pressure from other issues started to wear him down. But to Fages credit as always, he and the players have stood up to the pressure and amazingly in 3rd with 5 rounds to go, which shows how amazing the culture is ATM but also what can happen if you bring in young blood in the side.

As mentioned by JB above, though, we need to have a Plan B in place when the time does come for a new head coach, which has been said for the past couple of years. Looking at our internal panel exclusively, would Cameron Bruce or Dale Morris have what it takes to become a head coach straight away or would be go more experienced but internally still in Stewie Dew now or even Danny Daly.

Then you have the external names out there that we should be trying hard to get as senior assistant coach / future head coach and possibly still be given we tried to grasp Scott Selwood from Collingwood last-preseason

It does paint an interesting set-up with what happens when the time comes though, but Fages IMO can have as long as he wants if the club continues playing to the way they are.

It is almost a given imo that we have some sort of plan in place at a Board level re the bold. I'm not a fan of having a formal succession plan in place. Informally, I'm sure it is one option considered, especially if Dew comes on as a fulltime assistance next year.
 
I'm extremely appreciative of what Fages and co have done for our footy club since he came to the club since 2016 as it has been one of the greatest rebuilds on/off-field of any club in recent memory and he 100% deserves to have the opportunity to retire on his own terms or move on, when the time does unfortunately come.

At 2-5 this year, I did start to question if he still had the players and if that external pressure from other issues started to wear him down. But to Fages credit as always, he and the players have stood up to the pressure and amazingly in 3rd with 5 rounds to go, which shows how amazing the culture is ATM but also what can happen if you bring in young blood in the side.

As mentioned by JB above, though, we need to have a Plan B in place when the time does come for a new head coach, which has been said for the past couple of years. Looking at our internal panel exclusively, would Cameron Bruce or Dale Morris have what it takes to become a head coach straight away or would be go more experienced but internally still in Stewie Dew now or even Danny Daly.

Then you have the external names out there that we should be trying hard to get as senior assistant coach / future head coach and possibly still be given we tried to grasp Scott Selwood from Collingwood last-preseason

It does paint an interesting set-up with what happens when the time comes though, but Fages IMO can have as long as he wants if the club continues playing to the way they are.

Do we though? Collingwood just poached McRae, Geelong poached Scott, Goodwin was a succession plan, pretty sure Hardwick and Simpson were poached from other clubs
 
I do not subscribe to a succession plan. In my view it limits options and opportunities that may lay elsewhere. When the time comes in ten years time for Fages to walk away, on his terms then candidates will emerge. Thanks, in no small measure to Chris Fagan, among others, we are no longer a basket case. We are an attractive proposition for any gun aspiring or existing coach to come to us.

Rather than wasting time with succession plans and succession coaches we should be locking Fagan now with a McCluggage type contract.
 
I do not subscribe to a succession plan. In my view it limits options and opportunities that may lay elsewhere. When the time comes in ten years time for Fages to walk away, on his terms then candidates will emerge. Thanks, in no small measure to Chris Fagan, among others, we are no longer a basket case. We are an attractive proposition for any gun aspiring or existing coach to come to us.

Rather than wasting time with succession plans and succession coaches we should be locking Fagan now with a McCluggage type contract.
depends what he wants, I guess. He's already 7 years older than Leigh Matthews was when he retired (and he's older than the current age of each of the head coaches since Matthews)
 
Have been a bit curious about Dew doing some work with us and his relationship with Callum Ah Chee and Jaryd Lyons - I assume there may have been some awkwardness, particularly with Jaryd.
 
I wonder if Fagan might stay as long as Cluggs is here and I say that because basically that will be the retirement class of the start of his tenure here. Would be special to coach a group of draftees from start to finish and hopefully get a premiership or three along the way.
 
I wonder if Fagan might stay as long as Cluggs is here and I say that because basically that will be the retirement class of the start of his tenure here. Would be special to coach a group of draftees from start to finish and hopefully get a premiership or three along the way.

I think he will be 70 in the last year of Hugh’s deal. He would also have been our coach for 15 years at that stage.

Not impossible but would be a fair effort.
 
I wonder if Fagan might stay as long as Cluggs is here and I say that because basically that will be the retirement class of the start of his tenure here. Would be special to coach a group of draftees from start to finish and hopefully get a premiership or three along the way.

Considering what Fagan did with us when he started, AFL must seriously consider smash/grabbing him from us for Tassie.

Fagan will be perfect for moulding a new club with all the draftees. He has that Tassie roots/connection which will be a great story. He'll also be able to drag some of the senior Brisbane players over to Tassie to give the senior cover in the first few years. Exactly like what he did with us by bringing players from Hawks.

Buckley as the first coach of Tassie sounds interesting but with Fagan, AFL knows he's done it before and has the template for how to be successful. It'll be mad for them not to consider pitching it to Fages.
 
Considering what Fagan did with us when he started, AFL must seriously consider smash/grabbing him from us for Tassie.

Fagan will be perfect for moulding a new club with all the draftees. He has that Tassie roots/connection which will be a great story. He'll also be able to drag some of the senior Brisbane players over to Tassie to give the senior cover in the first few years. Exactly like what he did with us by bringing players from Hawks.

Buckley as the first coach of Tassie sounds interesting but with Fagan, AFL knows he's done it before and has the template for how to be successful. It'll be mad for them not to consider pitching it to Fages.
Have heard Fages say before that this will be his one and only Senior Coaching gig.
If he was to be poached for Tassie it would be as the Footy Manager or something other than the Coaching imo.
 

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I wonder if Fagan might stay as long as Cluggs is here and I say that because basically that will be the retirement class of the start of his tenure here. Would be special to coach a group of draftees from start to finish and hopefully get a premiership or three along the way.
I can only see that happening if we win a Premiership this year or in 2025, which would give him an extension (if he wanted it) from there he would have to win another couple in the ensuing 4-5 years(2026-30) to get to the end of McCluggage's contract IMO.

FWIW I think Fages will leave and be involved in the Tassie Devils inclusion in 2028, leave end of 2026 season to help in the last stages of the set up, not as head coach though.... he is Taswegian Royalty.
 
Have heard Fages say before that this will be his one and only Senior Coaching gig.
If he was to be poached for Tassie it would be as the Footy Manager or something other than the Coaching imo.

Money talks and the AFL would be willing to throw a bucket load at him to get that team to be successful as quick as possible.
 
I wonder if Fagan might stay as long as Cluggs is here and I say that because basically that will be the retirement class of the start of his tenure here. Would be special to coach a group of draftees from start to finish and hopefully get a premiership or three along the way.
Think I heard in Sam Reid’s retirement presser the other day him saying that in his whole 14 year career he’d only ever been coached by John Longmire. Pretty rare and special for players with more than 10 years experience to only be coached by one coach. I assume that must be happening at Geelong with him now having been there for 12 years.
 
Just wanted to give a massive shoutout to this guy. Some absolutely ridiculous takes after the first 3 games (that’s 3 after losing a grand final by less than a kick).

To professionally hold it together given the garbage manner the Hawthorn saga has been handled should not be understated. With that over his head, he’s continue to keep the team up, he continued to push the positives and stay calm in the face of a 2-5 ledger and, found ways to win with a mountain of injuries and inexperience.

He’s doing a great job. And, in my view, ridiculously maligned. I’m so glad David King isn’t our CEO.
 
Have heard Fages say before that this will be his one and only Senior Coaching gig.
If he was to be poached for Tassie it would be as the Footy Manager or something other than the Coaching imo.
Yeah but he could also be coaxed to do what Sheedy did for GWS with a plan to handover to Leon Cameron.

I sometimes look back n think that was a smart move in how GWS was started vs GC - a wise old elf who knows the game demographics to hold things together while young ones found their feet.
 
Credit to Fagan for his dogged persistence and patient 7 year, 130 game investment build up of Cam Rayner. I'll admit I gave up earlier this year but the coach never did.

Dare I say it, looks like the No.1 pick has finally arrived to take centerstage and what a time to do it.

Go well Rayner and prove Fagan right this year, time to crack that 30 possession mark as well and lift us to promise land. As Morpheus would say "he's starting to believe" and it's only the beginning.
 
Credit to Fagan for his dogged persistence and patient 7 year, 130 game investment build up of Cam Rayner. I'll admit I gave up earlier this year but the coach never did.

Dare I say it, looks like the No.1 pick has finally arrived to take centerstage and what a time to do it.

Go well Rayner and prove Fagan right this year, time to crack that 30 possession mark as well and lift us to promise land. As Morpheus would say "he's starting to believe" and it's only the beginning.
Nek minnit; "I want to explore my free agency options.":);)
 
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Credit to Fagan for his dogged persistence and patient 7 year, 130 game investment build up of Cam Rayner. I'll admit I gave up earlier this year but the coach never did.

Dare I say it, looks like the No.1 pick has finally arrived to take centerstage and what a time to do it.

Go well Rayner and prove Fagan right this year, time to crack that 30 possession mark as well and lift us to promise land. As Morpheus would say "he's starting to believe" and it's only the beginning.

You aren't the only one who felt this by any means. I think faith is fully restored in Fagan this year, he's been a mastermind.
 
As someone who was critical of our coaching ranks earlier in the year, I have been impressed with the response in the second half of the year. Wins obviously paper over alot of cracks, but the emergence of Rayner and McCluggage, Brain over McKenna, Lohmann over Dev, Morris over Ryan, they have taken a lot of risks and most of them have paid off.

The defensive addition of Ah Chee to the forward line (rather then wing) and moving Berry more inside have also been successful tinkering around the edges.
 
As someone who was critical of our coaching ranks earlier in the year, I have been impressed with the response in the second half of the year. Wins obviously paper over alot of cracks, but the emergence of Rayner and McCluggage, Brain over McKenna, Lohmann over Dev, Morris over Ryan, they have taken a lot of risks and most of them have paid off.

The defensive addition of Ah Chee to the forward line (rather then wing) and moving Berry more inside have also been successful tinkering around the edges.
Huge respect to the coaching staff. There was obviously a lot of internal review after the GF loss about what did or didn't work. Whether their hand was forced due to injuries or not, you can't fault the team for what they have been able to do with some really inexperienced players this season so far. Even if we don't go all the way, the season has been a success because of the new talent that has come into the side, the tinkering with positions and the growth of some of are more experienced players that you mentioned as well.
 
As someone who was critical of our coaching ranks earlier in the year, I have been impressed with the response in the second half of the year. Wins obviously paper over alot of cracks, but the emergence of Rayner and McCluggage, Brain over McKenna, Lohmann over Dev, Morris over Ryan, they have taken a lot of risks and most of them have paid off.

The defensive addition of Ah Chee to the forward line (rather then wing) and moving Berry more inside have also been successful tinkering around the edges.
Same; sure injuries literally played a huge role in us mixing things up but collectively, everyone from coaches to players has stepped up and they spoke about it on one of the shows last night, which I was hoping to post, but nothing has hit the usual channels with a replay of the segment.
 

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Coach Fages and the coaching group

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