Senior Lachie Neale (2018-) (Co-Captain)

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How Lachie Neale won his second Brownlow Medal, winning the count ahead of other AFL superstars

They usually say the first time is the hardest. For Lachie Neale last night, it seemed a magnitude harder than the last time he stood triumphant on the Brownlow Medal stage.

"It doesn't sit very well at the moment. I'm sure it will sink in at a later date," Neale said after the win.

"I'm pretty rattled, to be honest, so apologies if this doesn't go too well. I did not expect this."

It takes a lot to shake Neale on the field but, for a moment on Monday night, Brisbane's talismanic midfielder had seemingly met his match off it.

At the end of a crazy and chaotic count with 11 different leaders across the night, Neale stood alone on top with 31 votes.
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I'll just link to this but some interesting analysis of Lachie's season, definitely worth a read.
 
How Lachie Neale helped turn Brisbane around and lead the club back to a Grand Final

IN EVERY FOOTBALL club's rise from cellar dweller to the AFL Grand Final, there's always a series of landmark moments and seismic flashpoints that we reflect on as catalysts for the turnaround. For Brisbane, who will play minor premier Collingwood in Saturday afternoon's decider, the appointment of Chris Fagan as senior coach seven seasons ago is certainly one of those.

The long-time Hawthorn assistant and head of footy has had a profound impact on the Lions, introducing a similar game style and philosophy that had proved so successful during the Hawks' golden run. He has also become one of, if not the league's best, talent nurturers and player developers. And it was Fagan, along with at-the-time general manager of football, David Noble, who was responsible for the most significant Brisbane flashpoint since its famous three-peat at the beginning of the century: the savvy recruitment of Lachie Neale.

The signing of Neale in the 2018 off-season came at a time when the Lions were reeling. The club had finished bottom four in five consecutive seasons, and in reality, still desperately trying to pick up the pieces from player 'homesickness,' which had crippling effects earlier in the decade.

Between 2009 and 2014, Brisbane selected 19 players in the AFL draft. More than half of the players taken hadn't reached the end of their third season at the club before requesting trades back to their home states. They were, essentially, wasted picks, with very few unable to fulfill any promise before departing the club. It became a sick cycle, culminating in the infamous 'go-home' five in 2013, which saw Sam Docherty, Elliot Yeo, Jared Polec, Billy Longer and Patrick Karnezis all exit in a horror off-season.

The Lions had been desperate to lure a big fish in the hope that a genuine A-grader might just be able to alter the perception, promote loyalty and, most importantly, increase the tenure of the rest of the playing group. So when Neale ended his run at Fremantle, passed on a return to his home state of South Australia and opted to join Brisbane on a five-year contract, along with close friend Lincoln McCarthy and Marcus Adams, it was a sign that change was coming.

"He's a great character who brings lots of attributes into our football club that we want to stand for in where we're going," Noble said of Neale when the trade was finalised. "Apart from the depth of the midfield it adds to, he's in the age demographic that we want."

The signing of Neale illustrated two things to the league. One, the club was no longer in rebuild mode, and under Fagan it felt ready to begin contending as early as 2019. And two, it showed the Lions could be something of a destination club for other high-profile players seeking either a fresh environment or greater playing opportunities.

The following season, Callum Ah Chee crossed from the Suns. The next year, Joe Daniher departed the Bombers and signed with the Lions as a free agent. Charlie Cameron took his game to another level and Hugh McCluggage joined the conversation for best wingman in the league. Just like that, the premiership window was wide open, and Brisbane was suddenly a perennial finalist.

Since Neale's arrival, the club has won at least 15 games every season. And while they have fallen short of the ultimate success, the upward trajectory and potential to land a premiership has helped keep the core playing group together, including those with interstate family ties.

The most recent addition was Josh Dunkley. The former Bulldog, and 2016 premiership player, has added another dimension to the Lions' midfield this season. Dunkley played a starring role in Brisbane's come-from-behind preliminary final win over Carlton at the Gabba, keeping Blues captain Patrick Cripps extremely quiet, while also winning more contested ball than anyone on the ground.

"He's a phenomenal player. I think he's the best two-way player in the competition," Neale said of Dunkley, when speaking to ESPN after the preliminary final win. "He wins his own footy and usually plays on the most damaging midfielder for the opposition. He does it week in and week out. I'm really proud of 'Dunks' and what's he's done since coming to the club."

Neale's off-field impact has been seismic and yet it still may never match what he's achieved on it.

In his five years as a Lion, Neale has won two Brownlow medals -- his second gong being awarded on Monday night -- and finished on the podium in two other seasons. No player in the league has polled more Brownlow votes than him (124) since the beginning of 2019.

He has been awarded three All-Australian blazers, and only his ridiculously high standards, as well as some dubious selection calls, prevented him from adding a fourth to his closet this year. He's also a near certainty to claim Brisbane's best and fairest award for a fourth time, which would move him to outright second for most in club history. Again, he hasn't yet completed five seasons with the team.

The only accolade missing from his glittering resume is a premiership medallion, and on Saturday afternoon he will have an opportunity to correct that.

"I'm just really proud of this footy club, the players and everyone involved that's made this happen from where they were six, seven years ago," Neale told ESPN. "We've always had a growth mindset and to try to improve our football. Although our finals record at times wasn't great, it felt like we were building towards this. This year we've a bit of a different feel. It feels like we've matured a lot more. The group felt ready to take that next step.

"We're down to the final two and we've given ourselves an opportunity. [Collingwood] finished top for a reason; they're a great side, but we feel like we're a great side, too. It's going to be a flip of the coin as to who wins it. We've played them twice already this year and we think our best footy stacks up so we're excited for the challenge."
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Four key pillars in Brisbane's rise from the scrapheap to the GF

Lachie Neale (2018)

Of all the pieces, this one transformed the Lions more than any.

It dropped like a bomb following the 2018 season, with Fremantle's two-time best and fairest winner making the longest trip in the game from West Australia to Brisbane.

And remember, Brisbane was coming off two five-win seasons under Fagan at that stage. Neale was not coming to an established contender.

He saw promise in the list and was convinced to join. Surrounded by fellow recruit Jarryd Lyons, veteran Dayne Zorko and young mids McCluggage and Berry, Neale helped lift the Lions all the way to 16 wins and second place on the ladder.

The rest is history, with two Brownlow Medals, three best and fairests and now a co-captain alongside Andrews.
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Brisbane Lions Announce Updated Leadership Group

A resounding vote from the Brisbane Lions playing group has seen Harris Andrews and Lachie Neale re-elected as the Club’s Co-Captains for 2024.
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Neale: It's a Great Lesson

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Lachie Neale says Friday night's one-point loss to Carlton is a timely reality check for Brisbane, labelling its performance as selfish, lazy and believing of its own hype.

The Lions led by 46 points midway through the second quarter before a furious Blues rally saw them hit the lead midway through the third term, and ultimately snatch victory.

The shock defeat broke Brisbane's 14-game winning streak at the Gabba.

Speaking after a light training session at Springfield on Tuesday morning, co-captain Neale said Brisbane had no right to get ahead of itself.

"We probably thought the scoreboard was ticking along all right, so maybe that intensity dropped away a little bit and they were able to kick a couple late in that second (quarter)," he said.

"Our intensity and hunger for defence and contest dropped away and they punished us.

"I think it's a great lesson. I'm glad we learned it now and not later in the year that in AFL footy you've got to be on for 120 minutes."

Neale said the Lions were selfish for the 25-minute burst either side of half-time that got Carlton back into the game.

It came in defensive decisions and with ball in hand, he said.

"We probably chose some easy options and were a little bit lazy on defence sometimes," Neale said.

"We didn't dig in, and basically you're shitting on your teammates when you don't do that.

"(It happened) in open space as well, where guys should have passed it.

"Some of those handballs, take the first option then with the kick, trust yourself. Some guys were probably doubting their skills.

"Maybe guys bought into how good we are and how well we're going. It's a great reminder and this year especially, it's so even.

"We certainly know we're not ahead of the rest and are still chasing.

"We haven't achieved anything yet. We want to be the hunters."

Neale will contest a striking charge, via written submission, he received for a third-quarter incident involving Carlton midfielder George Hewett.

The dual Brownlow medallist said it was "strange" that Hewett's act was graded as careless and his intentional.

"I feel I probably didn't deserve a fine so we might fight that and see how it goes," Neale said.

"If the umpire paid a free kick, I might not have retaliated. I got a bit of a whack high."
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The Stats That Put Lachie At The Top Of The 250 Tree

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Lachie Neale will stamp an indelible mark on the AFL record books tomorrow night as the biggest 250-game possession winner in history.

With 6777 possessions from 249 games, the 30-year-old Lions co-captain already has the field covered ahead of his 250th game against Melbourne at the MCG.

With a game in hand he is 31 possessions ahead of fellow dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey, whose 250-game possession count of 6746 for St.Kilda heads the current 250-game list.

Greg Williams, yet another dual Brownlow Medallist, is third at 6721 from Dane Swan (6716), Scott Pendlebury (6608), ex-Sydney champion Josh Kennedy (6571), Terry Wallace (6455), Joel Selwood (6406), Sam Mitchell (6401) and ex-Fitzroy champion Garry Wilson (6363).

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With 187 Brownlow Medal votes – and potentially three against North Melbourne last week and more against Melbourne in his 250th – Neale is currently fourth on the 250-game vote list behind Patrick Dangerfield (209), Chris Judd (201) and Dustin Martin (197).

Counting only half of votes received in 1976-77, when two umpires each awarded 3-2-1 votes in each game, and averaging votes in years where precise game-by-game votes are not available, the top 10 vote-getters at 250 games is completed by Gary Ablett Jnr (184), Selwood (183), Swan (180), Mitchell (177), Gary Dempsey (176.8) and Nathan Buckley (173).

Nat Fyfe, who had 187 votes from 218 games to the end of last season, will move into this elite group when he reaches 250 games.

In an elite competition like the AFL, in which statistics can sometimes be misleading, the Neale numbers are irrefutable.

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Still with plenty of good football left, he is 44th for possessions all-time since the AFL started keeping statistics in 1965, and #1 across the competition since his debut in 2011.

With 101 games of 30 possessions or more, including 13 40-possession games and a personal best of 53, he is 7th all-time for 30-possession games since 1965 behind Ablett (124), Mitchell (121), Robert Harvey (118), Pendlebury (115), Swan (108) and the Western Bulldogs’ Jack Macrae (104).

His 187 Brownlow votes, 13th in corrected Brownlow Medal votes all-time, has been bettered by only Dangerfield (246) and Martin (206) since his debut.

But even more compelling is his Brownlow record since joining the Lions. It is off the charts.

In 99 eligible games (non finals) in the Lions #9 jumper he has polled 124 votes at 1.25 votes per game – 26-31-8-28-31 year-by year - to win the game’s highest individual honour in 2020 and 2023, finish equal 3rd in 2019 and 2nd by a solitary vote in 2022.

The Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli’s 104 votes at 0.99vpg is next best over the past five years, with Melbourne’s Christian Petracca (93 votes at 0.88vpg), Carlton’s Patrick Cripps (93 votes at 0.93vpg) and Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver (88 votes at 0.83vpg) completing he top five.

That Dangerfield (66 votes at 0.79vpg) is 10th with barely half of the Neale total is confirmation of the Brisbane ball-magnet’s domination.

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They are astonishing numbers for anyone and even more so for a player who is officially listed at 178cm – tiny in comparison to the likes of Cripps (195cm) and Bontempelli (193cm) – and was something of an afterthought in his draft year.

Originally drafted by Fremantle at #58 in 2011, the Glenelg (SANFL) junior was overlooked by every opposition club – 12 times by GWS, four times by Brisbane, StKilda and the Western Bulldogs and three times by local clubs Adelaide and Port Adelaide.

Even the Dockers ignored him twice to take Tom Sheridan at #16 and Alex Forster at #29 - Sheridan played 81 games for Fremantle and two for GWS, and Forster played one game for Fremantle.

Brisbane preferred #8 Billy Longer, #12 Sam Docherty, #30 Elliot Yeo and #47 Patrick Wearden for a combined 49 games for the Lions and 381 games for opposition clubs. Wearden never played at AFL level, while Yeo, now at West Coast, and Docherty, on the injured list at Carlton, are still playing.

But what the Lions missed out on originally with Neale they made up for on 17 October 2018 when they pulled off a stunning trade for the 135-game Fremantle veteran, who had finished 6th-1st-2nd-1st in the Docker’s best & fairest from 2015-18 wearing jumper #27.

After a long stalemate in negotiations Brisbane gave up picks #6, #19 and #55 in the 2017 Draft for pick #30 and Neale, who was contracted to Fremantle until the end of 2019.

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It was a major change of scenery in a football journey that began when he was born Lachlan Oliver Neale on 24 May 1993 in Narracorte, a small town on the Limestone Coast of South Australia, about 335km south-east of Adelaide and 100km north of Mt.Gambier, which has hosted AFL matches during Gather Round the last two years.

His family lived briefly on a farm in Langkoop, near Apsley, a small town just east of the SA border, before settling in the nearby farming town of Kybybolite.

Nicknamed "Cowboy" after ex-St.Kilda great Kevin ‘Cowboy’ Neale, he played basketball, soccer, cricket and football as a youngster, beginning his football career in 2004 as a 10-year-old.

A Port Adelaide supporter in his early years, he attended prestigious St.Peter’s College in Adelaide on scholarship and played in Glenelg Under-18 premiership side as a bottom-ager in 2010.

In 2011 he played seven senior games in his first season and further pushed his draft claims when he won the best afield medal in the Under-18 grand final with 40 possessions in a losing side.

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He didn’t just roll into AFL football after a brutal early assessment from then St.Kilda coach Ross Lyon in 2012, who said he did not have long-term AFL potential unless he reduced his weight and increased his work-rate. But he learned quickly, and in his 23rd AFL game in his second season was the starting substitute in the Dockers’ 2013 grand final loss to Hawthorn.

Fast forward 11 years, 226 games and 16 more finals and Neale is still chasing the only thing that has eluded him – an AFL premiership.

It’s all that matters, now, as the Lions set themselves for a Demons side that beat both Adelaide clubs in Adelaide in their last two outings for a four-game winning streak that sees them second on a distorted AFL ladder after an opening round loss to Sydney in Sydney.

But historically at least Neale has one omen on his side – he has a perfect 4-0 record in milestones games – wins with Fremantle in his 50th and 100th games and with Brisbane in his 150th and 200th, when he also picked up three Brownlow votes.
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