Coach Fages and the coaching group

[BangyBangy]

Every coach's capacity gets doubted SL . Norm Smith got sacked after 6 flags and a flag the year prior.

I'm happy to say some of us stood up for him immediately the Hawthorn saga broke in the midst of that total pile on. It's a credit to his character that he hasn't spoken a word of the real truth publicly but hopefully it all comes out ultimately.

Lol, that was 60 years ago Marty.

 

[martinson]

Lol, that was 60 years ago Marty.

History is your eyes into the future Bangy. It's been an immense comfort and education in all facets of my life over a long time.

I was 10 years old when Norm Smith got sacked. But I remember it all. Tony Charlton breaking the news on Channel 9., Norm breathing fire on the box ,the press going nuts. It taught me a lot.

We know it's all different now. But not radically different.

 

[Viceregal]

Every coach's capacity gets doubted SL . Norm Smith got sacked after 6 flags and a flag the year prior.

This reminded me of this not-a-classic song ...

 

[Crusha]

Great Musical Theatre. Love it.

Terry Serio as John Howard still breaks me up.

Rewatch it often.

 

[Sunny Land]

Every coach's capacity gets doubted SL . Norm Smith got sacked after 6 flags and a flag the year prior.

I'm happy to say some of us stood up for him immediately the Hawthorn saga broke in the midst of that total pile on. It's a credit to his character that he hasn't spoken a word of the real truth publicly but hopefully it all comes out ultimately.

Again, not every coach’s capacity gets doubted. Generalising across the board isn’t correct because I am sure there are plenty who think differently.
When you summarise Fagan’s time at the Lions, his performance as head coach to date has been simply impeccable. Any other summary is wrong in my opinion. Adding to this, his professionalism & the respect he has from everyone at the club, his score is on the scoreboard and it’s pretty impressive. We are very very fortunate to have such a quality person in the job he’s in.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Again, not every coach’s capacity gets doubted. Generalising across the board isn’t correct because I am sure there are plenty who think differently.
When you summarise Fagan’s time at the Lions, his performance as head coach to date has been simply impeccable. Any other summary is wrong in my opinion. Adding to this, his professionalism & the respect he has from everyone at the club, his score is on the scoreboard and it’s pretty impressive. We are very very fortunate to have such a quality person in the job he’s in.

Do you know what the meaning of impeccable is?

 

[HereIGoAgain]

I retain the right to potshot Fagan occasionally from the comfort of my lounge. It doesn't take anything away from his achievements and he wouldn't give a toss about my opinion. Deifying individuals doesn't sit right with me.

 

[Sunny Land]

Do you know what the meaning of impeccable is?

Probably not by your question. I'll go look it up.

 

[Elixuh]

I retain the right to potshot Fagan occasionally from the comfort of my lounge. It doesn't take anything away from his achievements and he wouldn't give a toss about my opinion. Deifying individuals doesn't sit right with me.

Even if you don’t believe in Fagan, he believes in you.

 

[Sunny Land]

I retain the right to potshot Fagan occasionally from the comfort of my lounge. It doesn't take anything away from his achievements and he wouldn't give a toss about my opinion. Deifying individuals doesn't sit right with me.

Agree with that. Having a potshot is not what I am talking about. There is not anyone in this world of mine that hasn't/doesn't make mistakes. Thats does not make me doubt their capabilities in any standing they have at the time....Like i've said in previous posts, I've never doubted Chris Fagan's role at our club & to date, in my opinion, have no reason to do so given what he started with and what he's achived so far. In adition, it's more than just winning a flag. It's the culture of the club he & others have changed & made Brisbane a club to be respected and wanting to play for & support. Not sure any other current coach (Maybe Fly) has those qualities on top of knowing footy the way he & his team do.

 

[HereIGoAgain]

Agree with that. Having a potshot is not what I am talking about. There is not anyone in this world of mine that hasn't/doesn't make mistakes. Thats does not make me doubt their capabilities in any standing they have at the time....Like i've said in previous posts, I've never doubted Chris Fagan's role at our club & to date, in my opinion, have no reason to do so given what he started with and what he's achived so far. In adition, it's more than just winning a flag. It's the culture of the club he & others have changed & made Brisbane a club to be respected and wanting to play for & support. Not sure any other current coach (Maybe Fly) has those qualities on top of knowing footy the way he & his team do.

Good post and I agree with most of this. I had doubts during last season around his stubbornness with selection but injuries forced his hand and all's well that ends well. It would be a boring forum if we all couldn't express our reasonable opinions though.

 

[Sunny Land]

Good post and I agree with most of this. I had doubts during last season around his stubbornness with selection but injuries forced his hand and all's well that ends well. It would be a boring forum if we all couldn't express our reasonable opinions though.

Every post on here is an opinion & I get that. Same as mine.
His stubborness has created a hard shell around players who now have an unconditional trust and faith with him. That has been a critical secret to his success in our club again in my opinion a main reason we have been so respected. Agree that his hand being forced has been a blessing in disguise. You look at players like Rayner/Bailey/Answerth/Berry/Hipwood who supporters here have called for them to be dropped (& justifiably in some cases) but Chris has always been loyal which significantly assists the players to stay focussed and be the best they can. His method in coaching has been awesome.

 

[M Malice]

James Hird who I don't mind too much in the media, in that he is not near the bottom of a bad bunch.

However last night in a segment on Footy Classified said "Craig McRae

Craig Mcrae

Age

52

Ht

176cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.9

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

16.2

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.2

3star

G

1.4

5star

is the best coach in the competition by a long way at the moment".

WTF, Fages > Most recent Premiership coach. Has won the most games of any coach over the last 2-3 years. Won 6 of last 7 finals games and the loss was by under a kick. Made finals last 6 years.

Fly's Pies missed Finals altogether last year.

 

[GenericUsername202]

It depends on how you look at it. Personally, i would say McRae is the best coach in the league, because his team isn't nearly as talented as ours, yet he has them performing on the same level or even above us. I really think his application for coaching is super modern, and the way he rests and brings in players from the 2nds is very similar to soccer/football, yet somehow this isn't something thats done in the AFL. He's a very forward thinking person, while Fagan is a lot more traditional. The only time Fagan tried to break his rules was last season when he was forced too, and ironically, Fagan looked like a better coach the moment he started taking more risks. If Fagan is considered traditional by nature, and stubborn. Then McRae has to be considered the opposite of that. Taking that in mind: one coach can be perfect for one club, and not as perfect for another. Fagan, perhaps, should have achieved another GF with our club, and perhaps, he's too strict with his selections. And there's question marks over his sub choices. But he was the perfect man to join this club back in 2018 (and i believe he was the only man who could have turned us around). I feel like what Fagan has over McRae is that he really is a culture changer, and for a club like us, he was the perfect man. I also think McRae inherited pretty good foundations at collingwood, and i doubt he would have turned us around like Fagan did. So while i agree that McRae is the best coach in the league, i still think the best coach for our club was/is Fagan. Because of where he took us from, and to where we are now. He can be a little frustrating (especially with his selections) but i wouldn't want another coach at the lions, because he's more than a coach, he's a man-manager, a culture changer, and so many more things. McRae is the better coach, but the biggest difference between these two is that Fagan is more than a coach, and our club needs someone like that.

 

[Happy_Neale]

Let McRae have coach of the year in May tbh. We can check back in September

 

[M Malice]

It depends on how you look at it. Personally, i would say McRae is the best coach in the league, because his team isn't nearly as talented as ours, yet he has them performing on the same level or even above us. I really think his application for coaching is super modern, and the way he rests and brings in players from the 2nds is very similar to soccer/football, yet somehow this isn't something thats done in the AFL. He's a very forward thinking person, while Fagan is a lot more traditional. The only time Fagan tried to break his rules was last season when he was forced too, and ironically, Fagan looked like a better coach the moment he started taking more risks. If Fagan is considered traditional by nature, and stubborn. Then McRae has to be considered the opposite of that. Taking that in mind: one coach can be perfect for one club, and not as perfect for another. Fagan, perhaps, should have achieved another GF with our club, and perhaps, he's too strict with his selections. And there's question marks over his sub choices. But he was the perfect man to join this club back in 2018 (and i believe he was the only man who could have turned us around). I feel like what Fagan has over McRae is that he really is a culture changer, and for a club like us, he was the perfect man. I also think McRae inherited pretty good foundations at collingwood, and i doubt he would have turned us around like Fagan did. So while i agree that McRae is the best coach in the league, i still think the best coach for our club was/is Fagan. Because of where he took us from, and to where we are now. He can be a little frustrating (especially with his selections) but i wouldn't want another coach at the lions, because he's more than a coach, he's a man-manager, a culture changer, and so many more things. McRae is the better coach, but the biggest difference between these two is that Fagan is more than a coach, and our club needs someone like that.

By a "long way"?

 

[GenericUsername202]

By a "long way"?

Not really. I would say they're close, but i'm happy we have Fagan. That's all that matters. He's been the best thing to have happened to this club, maybe more than leigh.

 

[dlanod]

It depends on how you look at it. Personally, i would say McRae is the best coach in the league, because his team isn't nearly as talented as ours, yet he has them performing on the same level or even above us. I really think his application for coaching is super modern, and the way he rests and brings in players from the 2nds is very similar to soccer/football, yet somehow this isn't something thats done in the AFL. He's a very forward thinking person, while Fagan is a lot more traditional. The only time Fagan tried to break his rules was last season when he was forced too, and ironically, Fagan looked like a better coach the moment he started taking more risks. If Fagan is considered traditional by nature, and stubborn. Then McRae has to be considered the opposite of that. Taking that in mind: one coach can be perfect for one club, and not as perfect for another. Fagan, perhaps, should have achieved another GF with our club, and perhaps, he's too strict with his selections. And there's question marks over his sub choices. But he was the perfect man to join this club back in 2018 (and i believe he was the only man who could have turned us around). I feel like what Fagan has over McRae is that he really is a culture changer, and for a club like us, he was the perfect man. I also think McRae inherited pretty good foundations at collingwood, and i doubt he would have turned us around like Fagan did. So while i agree that McRae is the best coach in the league, i still think the best coach for our club was/is Fagan. Because of where he took us from, and to where we are now. He can be a little frustrating (especially with his selections) but i wouldn't want another coach at the lions, because he's more than a coach, he's a man-manager, a culture changer, and so many more things. McRae is the better coach, but the biggest difference between these two is that Fagan is more than a coach, and our club needs someone like that.

I think this is underselling a big part of Fagan's credentials.

McRae is very good tactically - the system he installed can cover a lot of ills.

However if you're arguing that their team isn't nearly as talented as ours - the reason our team is as talented as it is is because of Fagan's developmental work with nearly every player on the list. There are not many players who have gone backwards under Fagan. There's a handful that didn't progress as well as hoped, but Fagan has absolutely developed and positioned guys like McCluggage, Berry, Payne, Hipwood, Oscar, Lohmann, Fletcher and even guys like Charlie into having more strings to their bows, raised their ceilings and got them to hit them more consistently.

If you put McRae on top of our list now, possibly we'd be better. But the reason we have the list we have is because of Fagan.

 

[GenericUsername202]

I think this is underselling a big part of Fagan's credentials.

McRae is very good tactically - the system he installed can cover a lot of ills.

However if you're arguing that their team isn't nearly as talented as ours - the reason our team is as talented as it is is because of Fagan's developmental work with nearly every player on the list. There are not many players who have gone backwards under Fagan. There's a handful that didn't progress as well as hoped, but Fagan has absolutely developed and positioned guys like McCluggage, Berry, Payne, Hipwood, Oscar, Lohmann, Fletcher and even guys like Charlie into having more strings to their bows, raised their ceilings and got them to hit them more consistently.

If you put McRae on top of our list now, possibly we'd be better. But the reason we have the list we have is because of Fagan.

But i think it also goes with my point, that while i rate McRae higher than Fagan as a coach, I also think Fagan is a lot more than a coach, which is why i said Fagan is better suited for a club like ours. Admittedly, I would like McRae to come up here after Fagan retires considering he's a brisbane legend, but our club was built around on Fagan's style, and we're here because of what he was able to build up.

 

[dlanod]

Development is part of coaching...

 

[GenericUsername202]

Development is part of coaching...

It's not a knock against Fagan, but this collingwood team has the worst injury list in the league, and they have still been able to recycle players through the seconds and they're on top of the ladder. I'm just giving the man the respect he deserves. Not to mention we can't even beat collingwood these days haha

 

[Sunny Land]

James Hird who I don't mind too much in the media, in that he is not near the bottom of a bad bunch.

However last night in a segment on Footy Classified said "Craig McRae is the best coach in the competition by a long way at the moment".

WTF, Fages > Most recent Premiership coach. Has won the most games of any coach over the last 2-3 years. Won 6 of last 7 finals games and the loss was by under a kick. Made finals last 6 years.

Fly's Pies missed Finals altogether last year.
View attachment 2327070

Think Hirdy and all the others say the most politically correct things in times when they need to get footy supporters on side. Talking good things about Collingwood is one thing that our credible media do often to highten their profiles in popularity.

Any way you look at it from a common sense perspective, what Fagan has achived thus far in his coaching career is well above anyone else. Fly would be second but ***'s definately on top in my opinion and several other of my friends (not Lions Fans) agree. We have a talented team no doubt, but that talent has been nurtured and brought on by him. There's plenty of other teams in the competition that have talent but can't complete the jigsaw puzzle the way ***'s does to achieve success.

 

[Sunny Land]

But i think it also goes with my point, that while i rate McRae higher than Fagan as a coach, I also think Fagan is a lot more than a coach, which is why i said Fagan is better suited for a club like ours. Admittedly, I would like McRae to come up here after Fagan retires considering he's a brisbane legend, but our club was built around on Fagan's style, and we're here because of what he was able to build up.

I seriously think our current list of players are on the cusp of being legends theirselves under Fagan's coaching. As much as I admire McRae, he's not close to a manager of young men like ***'s is.

 

[martinson]

I dunno how anyone knows who's better.

It depends on what the criteria is. I think Fagan started with less , especially in terms of money and support , and basically built the club and the list from the ground up. He was smart enough to get the right people into the club and improve with what he had . Then it snowballed from there.

Collingwood had quite a few very good players when McCrae started and he completely changed the way they played . It's impressive how disciplined they are in sustaining the gameplan and having every player on the list buy into it. McRae's only into his 4th year so comparisons aren't overly relevant just yet.

A showdown could be looming this year because we've both won the one flag and bragging rights might be decided in September.

 

[p4p1]

Think Hirdy and all the others say the most politically correct things in times when they need to get footy supporters on side. Talking good things about Collingwood is one thing that our credible media do often to highten their profiles in popularity.

Any way you look at it from a common sense perspective, what Fagan has achived thus far in his coaching career is well above anyone else. Fly would be second but *'s definately on top in my opinion and several other of my friends (not Lions Fans) agree. We have a talented team no doubt, but that talent has been nurtured and brought on by him. There's plenty of other teams in the competition that have talent but can't complete the jigsaw puzzle the way *'s does to achieve success.

Just a reminder that Alastair Clarkson, 4 x premiership coach and Damien Hardwick, 3 x premiership coach and Chris Scott, 2 x premiership coach are still coaching.