Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown firmly believes the current coach of his beloved club, Chris Fagan, is leaning towards retirement from the coaching game altogether, in the wake of his recent coronation as a three-time premiership coach.
Fagan's own perceptible emotions at the final siren on Saturday, and his comments in the aftermath, have sent news cycles into overdrive, and rumour mills spinning.
On his own show, Browny's Podcast, the former key forward told co-host Campbell Brown that he believes Fagan will make for the exits in the River City.
"I think he's probably more likely to retire, than coach again," Brown said.
"That's where it sits, two days after the game.
"With the benefit of a few days - it's certainly not going to be weeks - but with the benefit of a few days, hopefully, the dust settles, but I think this (a potential retirement) has been in the making for a while."
Brown alluded to a reverence for Fagan's great friend and mentor in Leigh Matthews as a left-field driver for the potential abdication of the Lions' throne, and named a few likely replacements, both from within the Lions' current structure, and not.
"Is he doing a Mark Taylor with Don Bradman's record? Leigh (Matthews) and him are so close - is he like 'nah, I don't want to go past Leigh'.
"Remember that? Famously, Mark Taylor on 332* (sic), he declared overnight, so that he wouldn't go past the great Don Bradman."
Brown touched on the likelihood of revered commodities Danny Daly and Cameron Bruce potentially replacing the irreplaceable 65-year-old.
"Essendon are pretty heavily into Danny Daly, (as) footy boss," Brown said.
"Do you put up Cam Bruce, who's been fantastic? Current midfield coach, he's been a very successful assistant coach at two clubs, Hawthorn and Brisbane. Or, do you elevate the football boss, Danny Daly, who's had a huge part in strategy?"
"I don't think you go outside (the club, for a replacement) if Danny stays.
"If you're coming from the outside, it would be an experienced coach - a Nathan Buckley, a Simon Goodwin, Adam Simpson, John Longmire (type). If you're promoting from within, then it can be the younger one that comes along.
"It's (the decision) going to be a big one."
Brown also put on the agenda the necessary erection of a statue of the "two most important figures in Brisbane Lions' history", out the front of the new Olympic Stadium to be built in Brisbane, where the Lions are likely to play after the 2032 Olympic Games.
