HEAR HIM ROAR
FAGAN NAMED 2024 MONJON ALLAN JEANS SENIOR COACH OF THE YEAR
Brisbane Lions coach CHRIS FAGAN’s ability to return his side to back-to-back Grand Final appearances, despite facing enormous obstacles throughout this season, has seen him claim the coveted 2024 Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year award announced on Tuesday night.
Fagan’s Lions absorbed an enormous amount of adversity throughout 2024, with the coach resurrecting his team’s season following a 2-5 start which saw many question his coaching future.
The Lions coach won the prestigious award for the second time in his coaching career (2019) with 272 votes, ahead of Grand Final combatant and Sydney coach John Longmire (209 votes), while Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell (161 votes) was also recognised for his side’s stunning season with third place in the voting.
“Being the recipient of the 2024 AFLCA Coach of the Year Award is a great honour,” Fagan said.
“I view it as recognition for everyone who is part of the coaching team at the Brisbane Lions – Cam Bruce, Murray Davis, Dale Morris, Scott Borlace, Ben Hudson, Daniel Lloyd and our GM of Football Danny Daly. Coaching an AFL team is a collective effort and the Senior Coach at all clubs requires the support and expertise of their assistant & development coaches to deliver a quality program to our players. I’m incredibly grateful to all these men for what they do to help me.
“I would also like to thank our players for their efforts – without doubt they make us coaches look better than we are at times.
“Coaching is full of interesting & unique challenges but overall is an immensely rewarding job. I’m thankful to the Brisbane Lions hierarchy for showing faith in an old bloke like me to be their Senior Coach 8 years ago. It’s been a fun ride and I’m very proud of the consistent club we have become.
“To be recognised by my peers in this way is something I didn’t truly expect but it is something I’m very proud of.
“Congratulations to all coaches at every AFL Club. This season has been more competitive and hard fought than ever and the general public have been entertained to the max. A large reason for this is the professionalism and quality of our respective programs. Hopefully the AFL continues to acknowledge this and provides us with the financial support to keep chasing excellence into the future.”
The well-deserved accolade comes for Fagan following a challenging start to the season where key players were lost to injury, many of his side’s star players were struggling for form and questions lingered about whether the heartbreaking Grand Final loss of 2023 had sapped his players’ belief.
“Since being appointed as the AFL Reserves coach at Melbourne in 1998, ‘Fages’ has had a huge impact on the many people he has coached in the AFL,” AFLCA CEO Alistair Nicholson said.
“While his care and connection are well known, it is his resilience and leadership that have shone through in recent times, and he has continued to be true to himself while performing at the top level.
“We wish him and his coaching panel all the best for the Grand Final this week.”
The 2024 AFL Coaches Association Awards announced throughout the night, included the Neale Daniher Lifetime Achievement Award, AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year, Development Coach of the Year, Career and Education Award and Media Award.
Neale Daniher revealed the winner of the 2024 Neale Daniher AFL Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award as former West Coast Eagles Premiership Captain and Coach, Essendon coach and a man who has left an indelible mark on the game, JOHN WORSFOLD. (See below for background on John Worsfold).
JOHN WORSFOLD TRIBUTE VIDEO featuring Mick Malthouse, Guy McKenna and Ben Cousins, and Don Pyke interviewing John.
The AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year Award went to DANIEL PRATT for his work in his first season as backline coach at the Western Bulldogs in the 2024 season.
Before his time at the Western Bulldogs, Pratt had spent the past decade in a variety of roles at the West Coast Eagles, most notably as the backline coach during the 2018 Premiership season.
North Melbourne’s Jed Adcock finished in second place and St Kilda’s Corey Enright was third.
The 2024 AFL Coaches Association Development Coach of the Year Award was awarded to North Melbourne’s MICHAEL BARLOW in his first season with North Melbourne.
In 2023, prior to joining the Kangaroos, Barlow was named the VFL coach of the year after leading Werribee to a 17-game winning streak and the side’s first Grand Final appearance in almost two decades.
St Kilda’s Damian Carroll was in second place with Geelong’s Nigel Lappin third.
Essendon Assistant coach DALE TAPPING was awarded the 2024 AFL Coaches Association Career and Education Award, being recognised for furthering his coaching credentials through study and career development.
Twelve months on from his Myeloma diagnosis, Tapping is a worthy recipient who has shown real commitment to work on himself personally and professionally during his career.
Tapping holds a Diploma in Business and is currently undertaking a Graduate certificate in Sports Coaching at University of Queensland.
Over the years tapping has participated in numerous Leadership and Development programs like Aleda Connect, ‘Coaches as Performers’ by University of Queensland, Leaders in Learning and Management by Harvard University Online, has a Graduate Certificate in Sports Coaching as well as his AFL Level 3 accreditation.
For an eleventh-straight year, GERARD WHATELEY was the coaches’ pick for the 2024 AFL Coaches Association Media Award for his work on Fox Footy’s AFL360 and SEN 1116 in 2024.
2024 MONJON ALLAN JEANS SENIOR COACH OF THE YEAR
1. CHRIS FAGAN – BRISBANE LIONS – 272 VOTES
2. JOHN LONGMIRE – SYDNEY SWANS – 209 VOTES
3. SAM MITCHELL – HAWTHORN – 161 VOTES
2024 AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR
1. DANIEL PRATT – WESTERN BULLDOGS
2. JED ADCOCK – NORTH MELBOURNE
3. COREY ENRIGHT – ST KILDA
2024 AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION DEVELOPMENT COACH OF THE YEAR
1. MICHAEL BARLOW – NORTH MELBOURNE
2. DAMIAN CARROLL– ST KILDA
3. NIGEL LAPPIN – GEELONG
LIST OF ALL AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION AWARDS & PAST WINNERS
BACKGROUND ON JOHN WORSFOLD – 2024 NEALE DANIHER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
PLAYER:
209 GAMES – WEST COAST EAGLES
1987: Inaugural member of the West Coast Eagles playing list
1988: Club Champion
1991 to 1998: Club Captain: Appointed Captain at 22 years of age
1992: Premiership Captain: led the West Coast Eagles to become the first Premiership team from outside Victoria
1993 & 1998: Best Club Man
1994: Premiership Captain: West Coast Eagles second premiership
2000: Retired
WA STATE: Represented the State as Captain in 1992 and 1993
COACH:
2000 – 2001
ASSISTANT COACH – CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB
2002 - 2013
SENIOR COACH – WEST COAST EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
281 GAMES
2005: Grand Finalist
2006: Premiership Coach
2015:
ASSISTANT COACH – ADELAIDE FOOTBALL CLUB
When Adelaide tragically lost Phil Walsh in 2015, John stepped in as an assistant coach with the Crows.
2016 – 2020:
SENIOR COACH – ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB
107 GAMES
HONOURS:
2004: WA Football Hall of Fame
2006: AFLCA Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year
2011: West Coast Eagles Hall of Fame
2011: AFLCA Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year
The West Coast Eagles Club Champion Award is named in his honour - John Worsfold Medal
