CHRIS Fagan is not satisfied with one finals victory, but you couldn't wipe the smile off his face following Thursday night's gripping two-point triumph over Richmond.

Just a day after saying he was "sick of talking about" the Lions' 1-5 finals record under his coaching tenure, Fagan quietened the doubters.

Brisbane's coach said he was delighted with his team's composure, particularly after losing ruckman Oscar McInerney in the opening minutes to concussion.

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Fagan said the win was a step forward in the Lions' development.

"We want to win more finals," he said.

"We're not going to get carried away with ourselves tonight and give ourselves a pat on the back.

"If ever there was a way to win a final and show you're made of the right stuff, I think tonight we showed that.

"We looked probably gone a few times."

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The Lions trailed by six points at half-time and five at the final change, but a late Joe Daniher goal got them over the line.

Fagan said McInerney's early departure gave him flashbacks of last season's qualifying final loss to Melbourne, when Dan McStay was concussed in the early stages.

On this occasion, it was McStay who was a hero, taking over a large percentage of the rucking duties and finishing with 23 disposals and one goal.

"Our players could have easily got disappointed with the Oscar injury," Fagan said.

"It's a pretty massive blow, he's an important player to us.

"When we lost Dan McStay last year, I felt like that affected us mentally, and we talked about that in the pre-season, and tonight that didn't affect us mentally. The boys kept playing.

"(In) finals, it often comes down to what's going on in your mind. Even when things aren't going well. I'm really proud of our group tonight."

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Fagan said the win should give his players confidence, regardless of whether they play Melbourne or Sydney in a semi-final next week.

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Darcy Fort will be rested from the weekend's VFL semi-final and play in McInerney's absence, with the giant ruckman already ruled out due to concussion protocols.

Fagan described Lachie Neale's 39 disposal and 15 clearance performance as "one of the great finals games".

"All the people that are keen on team defence wouldn't be too happy with the result tonight," he laughed.

"But I think the fans and everybody who watched the game is probably pretty happy with the way the game was played."