Chris Fagan is considering returning to the coaching box in 2023, according to Brisbane CEO Greg Swann.
Fagan has been a mainstay on the bench for the Lions since he joined the club for the 2017 season. He was among the first coaches to use the method full-time which has now been adopted by several across the competition.
Swann admitted to SEN’s Sportsday that Fagan wasn’t the primary strategist on game day given his role on the boundary, but hinted at plans for that to change.
“(Senior assistant) Mark Stone and even Danny Daly our football manager have always been looking at strategy and tactics and things, (but) there’s actually a chance Fages might go back up into the box next year,” Swann stated.
“Just for something different. Probably with the maturity of the group, he originally went down there so he could be closer to the players, with the young blokes coming on and off the ground.
“He just thinks we've got more of a mature group now and it might be time to go back. He hasn't made up his mind, but he's having a think about it.
“He was probably the pioneer initially when he went down there, now quite a few go down and he might come back up.”
The Lions have also appointed Dale Morris as a development coach for 2023, the only change in the club’s coaching structure for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, Swann also suggested that the investigation into Fagan’s conduct at Hawthorn and historical allegations of racism was about to begin.
The process has dragged on since allegations were aired via the ABC more than two months ago, with Fagan and Alastair Clarkson both returning to their respective head coaching jobs after initially stepping back.
The duo have strenuously denied any wrongdoing and Swann says operations at the club have returned to normal.
“I think there’s still some things happening in the background, just getting the panel sorted and everybody’s legal representatives, working out what they’re doing,” Swann stated.
“So I think it’s about to start. It’s something that – I only get filled in a little bit – but for us, he’s back… for us, it’s business as usual and when he needs time off or he has to go and get in front of the panel that’ll happen.”
The AFL initially stated a desire to have the investigation wrapped up by December.