YOUNG Brisbane defender Darcy Wilmot has revealed the cheeky pranks he plays on Chris Fagan are not a one-way street.
Wilmot has been caught on camera three times in the past four weeks wetting his finger and sticking it in the ear of Fagan as the coach does live crosses in the Lions dressing room following wins.
Not many players would get away with that, but the pair have a special relationship.
"It's just me being me, annoying people," Wilmot said on Thursday morning.
"'Fages' will do it on photo day. When I used to sit in the front row, he'd put his little fingers in my ear.
"It's the comfortability of the years you have with him. It just makes it a little easier.
"It's just my personality to muck around and get a reaction from him.
"I did one against Collingwood (Round 21 victory) and he gave a bit of a reaction to that, and I thought, 'Here we go, I've got something here. Got him on the hook here, lads'."
Fagan loves the 21-year-old, who has played 78 consecutive games since his debut in an elimination final against Richmond in 2022.
Following Sunday night's victory over Hawthorn that clinched third spot, Fagan described Wilmot as one of the competition's most underrated players.
"When he gets the ball, things happen," he said.
"He takes ground, he uses the ball well, he takes the game on. Nothing worries him. He's the ultimate goldfish, really. I love the way he plays his footy."
In his fourth season, Wilmot has been a model of consistency, able to lock down defensively and then use his speed and dare to set up attacking plays from half-back.
He is preparing for his 11th final on Friday week against Geelong, already developing a reputation for handling big occasions.
"I don't think anyone's ever comfortable, and I think it's a good way to be … you don't want to be comfortable in that environment, you want to be on the edge," he said.
"I do back my confidence and ability that when I'm on that stage, I back what I can do and I trust in our team that we can all play our role and get the job done.
"It's just another game with more fans and more atmosphere. You just try and have fun with it."
