Gawn’s pitch to legendary coach amid three-club battle
Melbourne is one of three clubs reportedly in the mix to land three-time Brisbane premiership coach Chris Fagan, and captain Max Gawn would be excited to have him.
The 65-year-old stepped down following the 2026 grand final win over Fremantle, but has made it clear he wants to remain in a full-time footy role and relocate to Victoria.
Melbourne captain Max Gawn. Nine
Fagan reportedly has meetings with Melbourne, Collingwood and Carlton about roles in their respective football departments, and will likely make a decision before the end of the year.
He has stated he would like to slot into a role similar to the one he played at Hawthorn before becoming Brisbane coach, which was head of coaching and development.
Both Melbourne and Carlton have inexperienced senior coaches, while the Dees lost general manager of football Alan Richardson, who announced his departure during the 2026 season.
Gawn, who has captained the Demons since 2020, would love to see Fagan at the club in 2027.
“I see an opening to try and get (Fagan). He was at Melbourne long before I got to the club, and now there’s a chance to go get Chris,” Gawn told Nine’s Today.
Fagan got his AFL start at Melbourne, working as an assistant coach between 1999 and 2007 under coach Neale Daniher.
The Demons would likely see Fagan as the best possible mentor for coach Steven King, who will enter his second year in the role in 2027.
Melbourne shooting up the ladder and finishing seventh was one of the big surprises of the season, after parting ways with coach Simon Goodwin in 2025.
With Richardson's departure, they no longer have someone with AFL coaching experience in their coaching staff to assist King in his development.
He also has a strong tie to Carlton CEO Graham Wright, who was a key part of the Hawthorn premiership era across the 2010s, alongside Fagan and Alastair Clarkson.
The Blues make sense for similar reasons to the Demons, given Josh Fraser enters his first real season as coach in 2027.
Carlton is looking to beef out its coaching staff and football department this off-season, given the departures of coach Michael Voss, midfield coach Tim Clarke, list manger Nick Austin and head of recruiting Mick Agresta.
They also likely see Fagan as the type of figure that can steady things culturally, following the suspensions of Lachie Cowan for an incident involving use of an illicit substance and Wade Derksen for being charged with drink-driving in the Northern Territory.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is going out on a high with the club facing an unprecedented decision to replace him. AFL Photos via Getty Images
As for Collingwood, they have the resources to have a swing at the former Lions coach and feel he could beef up their football department.
The Magpies are all-in on winning a premiership with this ageing group, adding Lachie Neale and Jesse Hogan in the trade period, and will now attempt to add similar firepower to their football department.
They announced Bulldogs great Matthew Boyd as their new head of development and welcomed Adelaide champion Ben Hart as an assistant coach recently.
SEN journalist Sam Edmund reported last week that Collingwood was emerging as the frontrunner for Fagan's services, ahead of Melbourne and Carlton.
