Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says AFL finals disappointment will harden the Lions in the long run

Brisbane may never have a kinder journey to an AFL premiership but Chris Fagan is confident 2020 will not be his Lions’ only shot at grand final glory.

Saturday’s 40-point preliminary final loss to Geelong at the Gabba clearly hurt the Lion coach, whose team fell just one game short of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for a flag on home soil.

While Fagan would have welcomed the bizarre way things have fallen this year to deliver his team a premiership, he is acutely aware transforming a club from also-rans to premiers is a process that rarely happens swiftly.

“We’ve had a fantastic year and it hasn’t finished in the way that we wanted to but that’s what happens when you get down to the last four,” Fagan said.

“You face disappointment…