{"id":959263,"date":"2026-11-10T10:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T10:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/959263\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T10:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T10:48:20","slug":"cameron-bruce-appointed-brisbane-lions-afl-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/959263\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameron Bruce appointed Brisbane Lions AFL head coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Brisbane coach Cameron Bruce will relish the chance to follow in the footsteps of Chris Fagan, promising to be his own man as the club chases a fourth successive AFL premiership.<\/p>\n

The Lions on Tuesday confirmed Bruce as the replacement for departed triple premiership-winning mentor Fagan, with Brisbane\u2019s assistant coach for the past five seasons elevated to the top job on a three-year deal.<\/p>\n

The 47-year-old former Demons and Hawks midfielder won the coaching race ahead of Nathan Buckley, Adam Simpson and Hayden Skipworth, who were also interviewed for the role.<\/p>\n

Bruce thanked Fagan for his guidance but said while the pair had similar coaching philosophies, he would put his own spin on the job.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Fages\u2019 and I are different people,\u201d Bruce said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do things differently in terms of the way I conduct meetings. I\u2019ll probably coach from up in the box (rather than from the sidelines), the way my journey getting to coaching was different, so I probably relate to players a little bit differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things will be hopefully refreshing for the players but still understanding that what the philosophy is and what he (Fagan) has put in place, which we know is a pretty successful recipe for what you need to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t be altering that too much, (but) we\u2019ll be looking to improve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an incredibly strong foundation here and a playing group that is hungry for more success, but we also know what has worked in the past won\u2019t automatically deliver success in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m obsessed by getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite \u201cattractive opportunities\u201d in terms of other senior AFL coaching jobs in recent years, Victorian Bruce said \u201cnothing\u201d compared to what he had in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith where I\u2019m at, with where my family are at, with the position I\u2019m in and the club that I\u2019m at, we were very settled in Brisbane and not looking to go anywhere else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that this (job) has presented itself when it did, it was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been building up to be in a position to get a role like this for the 29 years I\u2019ve been in the AFL (as a player and assistant coach).<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get an opportunity at what I see as the best AFL football club in the world is unbelievable, with the best people, so how can I not be excited?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lions general manager of football Danny Daly said Bruce\u2019s \u201crelationships and understanding of the playing group were central to his appointment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCam has built strong relationships with our players and staff over his five years as a senior assistant coach looking after our midfield, and he understands what makes this group tick,\u201d Daly said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ability to connect with people, his football knowledge and his clear vision for how we can keep improving made him the right choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic that Cam and his family will continue to be part of our club, and we\u2019re excited to support him as he takes this next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lions chief executive Sam Graham said: \u201cI congratulate Cam on his appointment. He has been an integral part of our club over the last five years and through this process demonstrated that he thoroughly deserves the opportunity to be our next senior coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Club chairman Andrew Wellington said the Lions \u201cundertook a thorough process to identify the best person to lead\u201d Brisbane\u2019s AFL program.<\/p>\n

\u201cCameron emerged as the standout candidate through that process, demonstrating the leadership qualities, football knowledge, and vision we believe are required to take the club forward,\u201d Wellington said.<\/p>\n

Originally published as New coach Cameron Bruce vows to put own spin on Brisbane Lions after replacing Chris Fagan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Brisbane coach Cameron Bruce will relish the chance to follow in the footsteps of Chris Fagan, 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