Triple premeirship coach Chris Fagan has made the call on his AFL future, joining Carlton as their director of coaching for 2027.
The 65-year-old stepped down as Brisbane's senior coach after the club's 2026 premiership win -- it's third in a row -- with an aim to return closer to family.
Announced by the Blues on Saturday morning, Fagan will oversee a matchday role and begin mentoring the coaching panel to "establish development pathways for the coaches and help drive an elite, sustainable football program".
Fagan said he was looking forward to making a "real impact" at the Blues.
"While I loved my 10 years as a Senior Coach, this is a role I am passionate about and where I know I can have a real impact in this next phase of my football career," Fagan said in a statement.
"Supporting people to get the absolute best out of themselves is what I love most about football, so the chance to now be able to do that on a full-time basis is incredibly exciting. I can't wait to connect with each person in the football department, and in particular work closely with Josh to help every coach and player be the best Carlton person they can possibly be.
"In all my conversations with [the club] before accepting the role, what resonated strongly was how aligned they were on how to make Carlton a great football club. They shared a clear vision of evolving Carlton into a club that can contend but most importantly, they understand there is still significant work to do to get there.
"To have the senior leadership of a football club share such clarity in their direction, combined with a role that gives me genuine purpose, makes joining Carlton an opportunity too good to pass up."
Meanwhile Carlton's GM of Football Chris Davies said the appointment was an important one to support first-time senior coach Josh Fraser.
"We want to build our football club around good people and they do not come any better than Chris Fagan," Davies said.
"Few in the game have his wealth of experience and ability to connect with and get the best out of those around him. Most importantly, he is a proven winner who knows what it takes to build a consistently high-performing environment.
"Chris and Josh have built a connection in recent weeks over a shared philosophy of putting people first and building a program the right way. With Chris on board, Josh will be well supported, our coaches will be well developed and our program will continue to build the clarity and discipline required to be truly elite.
"We can't wait to welcome Chris and his wife Ursula, their daughters Jessica and Ellen and the entire Fagan family to Carlton."
...more to come.