Hearts Neale must shatter to achieve final piece of legacy puzzle
Lachie Neale, it’s fair to say, has had a tumultuous 2026. It started with his very public split with wife Jules, leading to his decision to step down as Brisbane captain, and ended with ultimately overturning a one-game suspension
The appeals board’s call to free him has given us a juicy narrative however, with Neale fighting for a Lions three-peat and attempting to cost Fremantle, the team that gave him his start, its inaugural premiership.
Lachie Neale has seemingly played his final game as a Lion. Getty Images
It is also expected to be his last game for Brisbane, given he will reportedly join Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent this off-season and is set to sign a three-year deal to finish his career at the Pies.
In order to become a three-time premiership player, Neale will have to break the hearts of Fremantle fans yet again.
With all that in mind, Neale has created quite the legacy at the Lions and will certainly be remembered as one of the club's all-time greats, alongside the likes of Michael Voss, Simon Black, Jason Akermanis, Jonathan Brown and more, as you would expect of a dual premiership captain.
Without needing to play another game, he is not only a sure-fire first ballot future Hall of Famer, but a strong chance to one day be elevated to Legend status.
He laid the foundations for the player he would become while at Fremantle, winning best and fairests in 2016 and 2018 across 135 games, but there's no question his rapid elevation to superstardom happened at Brisbane.
Neale's trade request from Freo to the Lions caught everybody off guard in 2018. A South Australian playing in Western Australia requesting a trade to Queensland to play for a Brisbane team that had finished in the bottom four in five consecutive seasons.
Clearly, he saw coach Chris Fagan’s vision, joining the club at its lowest ebb. The very next year, they finished second on the ladder and rocketed into a period of contention that continues to this day.
For many Lions fans, Neale's arrival signalled the beginning of what has been a golden era. Brisbane will be looking for its third consecutive premiership among four straight grand final appearances on Saturday afternoon.
As a club, they have won more games than any since the midfielder's arrival in 2019, and he has unquestionably been a large part of that on-field success.
He made his first All-Australian team in 2019, and has made four as a Lion in total. He won the 2020 Brownlow Medal in commanding fashion, sweeping that year's major awards much like Nick Daicos has in 2026.
Neale's second Brownlow in 2023 came as a bit more of a surprise, but still highlighted his standing in the game.
Lachie Neale and Ross Lyon in their time together at Fremantle in 2018. AFL Media
Neale has also won four Brisbane best and fairests, including in their first premiership season of 2024. Only teammate Dayne Zorko has more for the Lions, with five.
He still has one final chapter of his career left to write at Collingwood, but he will unquestionably go down as one of the decade's best players.
If you were listing the most influential players of the 2020s, it would likely be Neale, alongside the likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Patrick Cripps.
Brisbane fans will get the chance to farewell the all-time club great, thanks to the appeal board’s generosity.
The Dockers’ list meanwhile has changed significantly since he left in 2018. Andrew Brayshaw was in his first season, Sam Switkowski was a young key forward, Luke Ryan was finding his feet, current captain Alex Pearce was establishing himself, but the entire Freo grand final force has effectively been built since his departure.
Now, the 33-year-old has the opportunity to give Brisbane the ultimate farewell, but at the cost of shattering Freo hearts once again.
