But coach Chris Fagan strode onto the Gabba turf at quarter-time last Saturday with the confidence of a winner, his body language so pronounced it captivated ruckman Oscar McInerney.
"I couldn't tell you what he said; it was just the aura of him walking out to the huddle," McInerney told AAP ahead of Saturday's grand final against Collingwood.
"You knew you were in safe hands and he had trust the work we put in was going to stand up.
"I just remember the calmness and composure when we could have blown a gasket."
Eric Hipwood doesn't remember the swagger but does remember Fagan's words.
"It's a tough gig, being a coach; players feed off so many different elements of what you do or say," the forward said.
It was Hipwood's goal minutes earlier, and some promising play in the build-up, that had offered Fagan enough to think all would be OK.
"He knew that (fast start) was Carlton's best punch," Hipwood said.
A 62-year-old former school teacher, Fagan will on Saturday become the oldest to coach in an AFL grand final.
He'll also be the first to do so without having performed at the elite level, not to discount a sublime playing career in Tasmania before his transition to coaching.
An assistant at Melbourne when they reached the 2000 grand final, Fagan was a key figure in four Hawthorn premierships before he took over a Brisbane team that would finish last in 2017.
They have made five straight finals appearances since those sorry days but the past 12 months have been among the more challenging of Fagan's 25 years in the AFL.
The Tasmania-born coach strongly protested his innocence when a report during 2022 grand final week revealed allegations of racism against him and former colleagues Alastair Clarkson and Jason Burt during their time at the Hawks.
In May, the AFL announced no adverse findings against the trio, with former Lions premiership coach Leigh Matthews this week describing the claims as "crap".
"That's not the Chris Fagan anyone knows, that's had anything to do with him, including his players," he said.
Matthews felt the toll the process took on Fagan may have given the team more to play for.
Cam Rayner, drafted with the Lions' first pick in one of Fagan's biggest moves the year after they claimed the wooden spoon, says that's true.
"A lot of these boys out there play for him, because of the trust that he's put into them," he told AAP.
"(The investigation) was a personal thing for him and he's dealt with that by himself.
"That's why we love him and that's why we respect him so much."
Back to that calmness though, and how it's developed despite the coach's year from hell.
"It's really helped his coaching style. Going back up to the box (rather than coaching from the sideline) has helped as well," Dayne Zorko quipped.
"He's probably been a bit more relaxed this year; let coaches step in and do their jobs and have a lot more trust in what they're giving to us.
"He's had a very difficult year; put a lot aside, left a lot of things at the front door to come in, put on a brave face and coach the way he has.
"He's a father figure and when you care for the person first, the football player second, good things tend to happen."
Fagan was instrumental in convincing Lachie Neale to head east from Fremantle, while Essendon recruit Joe Daniher said it was conversations with his would-be coach that helped make up his mind.
The club is now an attractive force, just 10 years after a glut of player exits ruined the Lions' list.
"He loved my strengths, didn't mention any of my weaknesses, and he thought I could be part of a premiership team," Neale, who has won two Brownlow medals and has two more top-three finishes in his five seasons since arriving from the Dockers, said.
"It would mean everything to me and the group to get Fages a premiership.
"He's been through a lot.
"Not just the last 12 months, but his coaching journey. As a teacher, to coaching in an AFL grand final is an amazing story
"He'll be a friend of mine for life; I love him dearly."
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