A drought-breaking premiership, back-to-back, then a three-peat to cement their names in football immortality, along the way creating three years of magical memories which supporters of the Brisbane Lions will never forget.

One premiership, let alone three, was but a pipedream in 2016 when the Lions finished second-last, sacked their coach, had poor home crowds, couldn’t attract quality free agents and were struggling to retain their best players.

Enter 55-year-old Chris Fagan, the unlikeliest of senior coaches, particularly given he had never played an AFL game, a feat all other premiership coaches before him had achieved. When the Lions won just five games and claimed the unwanted ‘wooden spoon’ in his first season, the monumental task ahead of him was laid bare.

But guided by mentor Leigh Matthews – the only man to lead the merged club to the holy grail, winning a famous three-peat in 2001-03 – and backed by CEO Greg Swann and chairman Andrew Wellington, Fagan instilled belief in his players, teaching them resilience and implementing a game style that would soon reap rewards.

That resilience was tested when the Lions suffered repeat finals failures before finally breaking through in 2024. A second flag in 2025 put them on the cusp of greatness, and their 2026 premiership – equalling Matthews’ record – was testament to a mighty club.

Once again, they are the pride of Brisbane town.