Fagan set to return
Club wants him back
BRISBANE expects Chris Fagan to resume his duties at the club before the start of the pre-season after the AFL formally put in place the terms of reference for the investigation into First Nations allegations at Hawthorn.
News Corp can reveal the Lions are preparing for Fagan to be back at the club well before Christmas after he took a leave of absence when the allegations first broke. Fagan has categorically denied any allegations of wrongdoing but the shaken head coach took time away as Brisbane worked through the fallout.
Lions football boss Danny Daly told the Herald Sun on Thursday the Lions wanted Fagan back and were planning for him to be at the club while the investigation proceeded.
“We are open to him coming back. He has taken a leave of absence. The main thing about him being away was he was able to talk to his lawyers and not have the stress of being at the footy club. Once we feel he is in a position that he is mentally OK to come back and has worked through what he has to, there is no reason he can’t come back.
“He is only on a leave of absence. We are still chatting about stuff. We haven’t been told he isn’t able to do that.”
The Lions players and staff have another six weeks until a return to pre-season training, although the club is moving its headquarters to its new Brisbane training base. Brisbane is determined that Fagan take some time away with family on holidays so there is no real rush for him to move back.
He has been in discussions with the club over football matters and there are no rules preventing him from doing so given it was his decision to temporarily move away.
Alastair Clarkson is keen to resume at North Melbourne after spending time informally at the club before he was stood down, with the Roos still saying his November 1 start date has been postponed indefinitely. But now that the terms of reference have been established and the league has made clear it will not have a ruling on the investigation until close to Christmas it might pave the way for the Roos to make a decision on his start date.
Fagan is confident he will be exonerated by the AFL investigation, which he and Clarkson will be involved in after not being interviewed for the Hawthorn review.
“I deny, categorically, the allegations of wrongdoing by me in relation to First Nations players at the Hawthorn Football Club, and that I intend to defend myself,” he said.
“I also confirm my intention to participate fully in any investigative process, provided that it is independent, fair and impartial, and respects my right to be heard.”
The league has not been able to confirm that the five First Nations families who have made accusations will testify in front of the four-person panel.