CHRIS Fagan has welcomed the added pressure that comes with a stacked squad and a shiny new home after the upgraded Brisbane unit gathered for the first time.

Recruits Jack Gunston and Josh Dunkley, Ireland's former Essendon talent Conor McKenna and father-son draft scoops Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher have added considerable depth to last year's preliminary finalists.

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They were all on deck at the club's new Springfield headquarters 30 minutes west of their Gabba home ground as the squad came together for the first time on Monday.

"There's lots of teams that would think this would be the year," Fagan told reporters after training, on the expectation after four seasons of contending but no Grand Final appearance to show for it.

"We've been working towards this for six years now. We were a team that were no good," he said, in reference to their wooden spoon in Fagan's first season of 2017.

"To put ourselves into a position where there's expectation, we're excited.

"The focus is to improve, hopefully we can improve enough to be there on the last day in September – that's what we're aiming for."

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Fagan said he was aware of Gaelic football talent McKenna's intent to return to the AFL midway through last season.

"Dom Ambrogio, our list manager, happened to be in the UK where his wife comes from, so took a little trip down to Ireland to have a chat to him," Fagan said of the speedy defender, who he claimed had up to six clubs interested.

"He came out here two or three weeks ago, went around and visited most of the clubs and fortunately he chose to come to our club, which is very exciting."

It continued an almost flawless recruitment period, with Sydney's Lance Franklin perhaps the only name floated who did not end up in Lions colours.

"Not quite," Fagan winked in reference to off-season reports he insists were inaccurate linking the superstar with a move north.

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"Josh Dunkley and Jack Gunston are A-graders and Conor was approaching that before he went back to Ireland.

"To get those three guys is absolutely fantastic and then we get the added bonus of two high quality father-sons in the draft.

"So it probably doesn't get any better than that and obviously sets expectations high for next year which, as I said before, is OK."