Cornes’ questions around Brisbane’s Bruce hire

Cameron Bruce has landed the coveted Brisbane Lions job.

The assistant coach succeeds three-time premiership coach Chris Fagan, who walked away from the role following their premiership triumph against Fremantle.

Following Fagan's departure, football manager Danny Daly was immediately considered the favourite to win the role, before stepping aside to remain the Head of Football.

The coaching search was whittled down to four candidates, with Nathan Buckley, Adam Simpson, Hayden Skipworth and Bruce all in the running.

Kane Cornes feels the job was always going to be Bruce’s despite the presence of the other three.

“Least surprising news of the year, and he was always getting the job,” he said on SEN Summer Run.

“I don't mind what they've done, but he was always getting this job from the minute Chris Fagan had walked away despite the fact that they went through the process and invited others to join in.

“Not to say it wasn't the wrong thing to do because they would have learned a lot, I think, from the quality that was going for this job. But in the end, they were never getting it.”

However, Cornes does not believe it will be a walk in the park for Bruce who takes on a group of players who might be happy with what they achieved under Fagan.

“It’s a good job to get but it's a tough one to get, if that makes sense?,” he added.

“It’s not one that I would have loved to have got just because of the expectation that they have set for this team. The list is great and you walk into a rock solid footy club with great foundations.

“He's, I think, loved his life up there in Brisbane with his family and has knocked back the opportunity to go for other jobs for that reason, just because he's very settled and kids in primary school or whatever it is.

“So very easy for him just to go about his day-to-day work now, but it's a different challenge with a group that will be reasonably satisfied with what they've done.

“That was the only thing I could think as to why it would be good to get someone from the outside in to almost really push this group again and to get them out of their comfort zone a little bit with a fresh set of eyes and different game plan and different voice.

“There is a comfortability with Cameron Bruce and it's very difficult not to become complacent with what you've done. Are you going to do the extra work in the off-season? Are you going to really dig in halfway through the third quarter? Are you really going to put your head over it when you desperately need it?

“Then there's some young players coming through that need to drive this group as well. So it's definitely a watch.

“I think it's a different challenge for Cameron Bruce to get it more so if he went to North Melbourne. I think that speaks for itself on how Jaymie Graham's going to progress North.

“A bit more difficult on how we judge Cameron Bruce's success at Brisbane with everything they've done already.”

Cornes asked co-host Sam Edmund: “What's a pass mark? How do we judge Brisbane next year?

“It’s impossible.”

Edmund replied: “Top four finish. Preliminary Final weekend probably.”

Bruce, who played 234 games for Melbourne and Hawthorn, commenced his coaching career as a development coach at Hawthorn, before working as Alastair Clarkson's senior assistant across the club's three-peat from 2013-2015.

After four years with Carlton, Bruce joined Brisbane in 2021, working as the club's midfield coach across their four straight Grand Finals and their three straight flags.

Fagan endorsed the incoming coach on SEN recently.

“The only reason he hasn’t put his hand up for jobs in more recent years is that he loves it up here,” Fagan said last month.

“He’s got a young family that love it up here as well. So he hasn’t been inclined to move anywhere else, whereas, here’s an opportunity where he doesn’t have to go anywhere.

“I honestly think he would have an AFL coaching job right now if he had have decided to go for one of those jobs.”