Latest news with #ChrisFagan
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions brace for 'daunting' run home to AFL finals
Chris Fagan has narrowed his focus as the Brisbane Lions face a make-or-break stretch of their AFL premiership defence leading into the finals. On a three-match winning streak, the second-placed Lions face five top-eight rivals over the last six home-and-away rounds as the fight for ladder positions nears its climax. The difficult test starts in a huge clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. "Every game's important. We have a particularly hard run, so I'm not looking too far ahead," Lions coach Fagan said on Thursday. "We're just wholly and solely focused on tomorrow night because that's about all you can think about at the moment, otherwise it seems too daunting. "One week at a time, big game tomorrow night against a really good opponent who have got a lot to play for as well." The Bulldogs (10-7) sit ninth after a home loss to Adelaide last round and remain firmly in the finals hunt, but have won just one game so far this season against a side currently above them on the ladder. Despite that record, Fagan is wary of an opposition midfield unit led by renowned ball-winners Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli. "That's what you need to address," he said. "(Luke Beveridge's) teams have always been able to score and generally speaking they've been good defensively, albeit that's the criticism of them at the moment. "But I reckon they would've done a bit of work on that this week, so I'm expecting a good all-round game from the Dogs." Fagan will want a better start from Brisbane than in their previous encounter with the Bulldogs, when they trailed by 39 points early in the third quarter of their Gather Round clash at Norwood Oval. The Lions roared back with 13 of the last 16 goals to win by 21 points in one of the most entertaining games of the season. "I haven't really looked back but all I know is we were probably fortunate to win that game, coming from that far behind," Fagan said. "We wouldn't want to find ourselves in that position tomorrow night." Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy kicked 2.3 from 16 disposals and had eight marks in that previous clash, opposed to Harris Andrews. Fagan will again send his co-captain to mind the 205cm target, who has kicked 17 goals in five appearances since returning from a knee injury. "You probably wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that's who Harris is going to play on," Fagan said. "The rest of our defenders aren't quite tall enough to play on Sam Darcy. "Harris will have that job and I know he's looking forward to it. It will be a great clash." Fagan was tight-lipped on who would replace injured defender Noah Answerth (achilles), but ruled out Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee. In-form forward Zac Bailey will also miss through suspension after receiving a one-match ban for his high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. "I've moved on because the bottom line is he's got a week," Fagan said of Bailey's ban. "My personal view is a little bit harsh, but that's probably all I want to say about it."
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Another umpire collision with a player left Carlton coach Michael Voss clear what should happen
A ball-up should always be the outcome when a player collides with an umpire in open play, and should be standard at centre bounces according to coaches Michael Voss and Chris Fagan after another incident at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. The Carlton and Brisbane coaches reacted after an umpire ran into Carlton's Lachie Cowan on Thursday night with umpire contact in the spotlight. It happened during the first quarter of the Brisbane Lions' 37-point win over the Blues when umpire Andrew Heffernan obliviously ran backwards into the thick of the action and clashed heavily with Cowan. The coming-together floored the unattended Cowan and prevented him from taking a regulation mark in defence. Issie can't work out why umpires set up in the corridor after Lachie Cowan's collision resulted in a Brisbane goal 😵â€�ðŸ'« — Triple M Footy (@triplemfooty) July 10, 2025 From the resulting spillage, Brisbane star Cam Rayner mopped up and dished it off to Charlie Cameron who snapped truly from 20m out, much to the chagrin of the Blues faithful. The incident occurred just five days after Essendon coach Brad Scott blasted the umpires' on-field positioning after his young charge Nate Caddy was involved in a similar clash against Gold Coast. 'If you're interrupting the passage of play, I would've thought it's common sense to make that a ball-up,' Voss said. 'Maybe that's something they need to make an adjustment on in the future if there's a different interpretation on that … so there's no advantage to any other team.' Despite the recent spate of hard clashes between players and umpires, and Scott's unambiguous criticism of the umpires, Voss wasn't concerned about where they were positioning themselves. 'They're pretty detailed in the way they position themselves and I think generally we get it right,' Voss said. 'When you watch the four umpires, there is a way they move around the ground so we back in that that's coached and it's coached really well. 'We don't get it perfect and I suspect they won't either.' Lions coach Chris Fagan was bemused at how the Caddy and Cowan incidents happened in such quick succession. 'Isn't it funny in footy how suddenly something becomes a topic and then things keep happening to keep it going as a topic,' Fagan said. 'We've got to look after the umpires and protect the umpires but sometimes accidents happen.' Voss stressed that the league's recent crackdown on careless umpire contact, which could mete out suspensions to repeat offenders, had been clearly relayed to his players. 'It's been something that we've all been really mindful of within the industry,' Voss said. Fagan had his own view on how contact between umpires and players could be radically reduced. 'The things that the AFL are talking about that we've now put in place, I think they're good,' he said. 'But I'm a fan of not bouncing the ball. I think that would help some of those collisions that happen at centre bounces. 'If the ball-up is predictable, then it makes it so much easier for the umpire to get out, for players to read the ball. 'As soon as you bounce it, it could go anywhere, players are watching the ball, they're not even looking at the umpire because they're under pretty strict instructions to get that ball out of the centre as often as you can so I think we need to talk about it a little bit more.'
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan shows support for embattled Carlton counterpart Michael Voss following death threat
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has slammed 'faceless armchair warriors' in sympathising with his Carlton counterpart Michael Voss, who has been the target of a death threat in the wake of the Blues' poor form. Carlton's preparations for Thursday night's clash against the Lions at Marvel Stadium have been rocked by the threat, which reportedly referenced a 'brutal end' to Voss's life. Extra security measures for Voss – who captained Brisbane to a hat-trick of premierships from 2001 to 2003 and later coached the Lions – and Blues staff are being reportedly considered by the AFL. 'There are lots of armchair warriors out there that think they can say anything, anywhere, anytime,' Fagan said on Wednesday. 'Faceless people, lack of courage … that's pretty average. 'Us coaches, we try to brush those things off. I've got no doubt he (Voss) would be doing the best job that he can, but that's just the world AFL coaches live in.' Voss is under pressure to keep his job, with Carlton having won only six of its 16 games this season. The Lions, who are chasing a third successive win, are therefore expecting a desperate Blues performance. 'They'll bring their bring their best game, and we have to bring ours. That's just the bottom line,' Fagan said. 'They're a proud footy club, so we know what to expect. 'It'll be a fierce game. They've been under a lot of pressure, and we've got high ambitions.' The reigning premiers are in second spot on the ladder on 46 points, but three teams – Adelaide, Geelong and Hawthorn – are just two points behind them. Another four clubs – the Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants and Fremantle – are only a further four points adrift. 'We haven't qualified for the finals yet. You're going to have to win 14 or 15 games to get there … so there's a lot of work to be done,' Fagan said. 'I just feel like it's one of those years where you can't (look too far ahead), other than (first-placed) Collingwood. They've got themselves into a great position. 'The rest of us, we're in a fair old fight for positions in the top eight. 'You've just got to stay calm and not get too excited when you win and not get too downhearted when you lose. 'We've been in good form. We just need to keep building on that.' Fagan said ruckman Oscar McInerney, who has missed Brisbane's past seven top-flight games, was a chance to return on Thursday night.
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
The Beauty & Strength In Solitude
Imagine being dropped at the edge of Antarctica, the launch point for a 570-mile ski expedition to the bottom of the world. That's where Chris Fagan and her husband Marti found themselves in 2013, beginning a grueling, 48-day, unguided journey to the South Pole–one that would ultimately earn them a Guinness World Record. Along the way, they faced periods of profound silence: on good days, a serene connection with nature; on bad days, an overwhelming sense of isolation. Chris joins Ben to unpack the paradox of solace and loneliness in an extreme environment like Antarctica, the mental and physical toll of the trek, and how the journey inspired her to write her award-winning book, 'The Expedition'. Follow Benjamin on X: @BenjaminHallFNC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions coach responds after whispers about huge retirement backflip for Joe Daniher
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan says recent texts with Joe Daniher have left him convinced the veteran won't be coming out of AFL retirement. Rumours have been swirling in recent days that the former premiership winner could make a stunning retirement backflip, having finished his career by helping Brisbane win last year's grand final against Sydney. The former All-Australian forward - who booted 395 goals in 204 AFL games for both Essendon and the Lions - has been linked with a move to the Sydney Swans in recent days. But Fagan says he's been keeping in touch with Daniher while the 31-year-old holidays in Europe and would be 'very surprised if Joey ever plays footy again', let alone with one of Brisbane's rivals. Speaking before the Lions' clash with Port Adelaide at the Gabba on Saturday, Fagan emphatically shut down the prospect of Daniher making a comeback when asked by reporters. "I'm nearly 100 per cent sure, 99.99 per cent sure," Fagan said about the 31-year-old remaining retired. "Joe is enjoying life at the moment and the other thing I'd be confident with is if he did (come back), he would play with us. I've been texting him a little bit while he's been in Portugal and Spain, enjoying life, so I don't think he'd be in great nick right now. "I'd be very, very surprised if Joey ever plays footy again." Daniher was an integral part of Brisbane's charge to the premiership last year but retired with a year still to run on his contract, citing amongst other things, business interests outside of footy. It was the perfect way to bow out as Daniher ended his glittering career by booting Brisbane's final goal in the 60-point grand final thumping of Sydney. And despite recent links to the Swans, veteran AFL reporter Jon Ralph echoed Fagan's comments by insisting the veteran is 'not making a shock comeback'. "The market is so thin that clubs are asking about him,' Ralph told Fox Footy's Midweek Tackle. 'He's been linked to Sydney in the last week or two, of course they were the club that were really interested in him initially and then he found his way to Brisbane. 'Sydney's asking everyone including Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, but Daniher's really set up financially, he's not interested in the money. I think if he was a one per cent chance he'd come back to Brisbane anyway, people close to him say he is a zero per cent chance." Fagan's second-placed Lions host the 10th-placed Power on Saturday fresh off a bye. But while Brisbane have lost just two games on the road since last season's mid-year bye, their 4-3 record at home this season is something Fagan is keen to fix after they went all of the 2023 regular season unbeaten at home. "We've been a very good team on the road and we haven't been a very good team at the Gabba," Fagan said about the Lions' form in 2025. "(This week's been about) a bit of the why, but mostly what are we going to do about it. It's pretty important when teams come here teams they feel really uncomfortable." RELATED: AFL slammed over mid-season move that could change Brownlow winner Vision emerges of sneaky Zak Butters act he copied from Nick Daicos AFL responds to rival coach's concerns over 'unsafe' surface at SCG The Power (7-8) are two wins outside a crowded top-eight but Fagan knows how quickly things can change in the league and won't be allowing complacency to creep into their game. "You can have a loss and tumble three or four spots," the Brisbane coach said. "We shouldn't feel comfortable ... and we play a team this weekend that's still a live chance to play finals, sort of where we were at the same stage last year. They'll be coming in all fired up, thinking they're a chance because of the way we've played at the Gabba." with agencies
