Brisbane name Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews as co-captains for the 2023 season.
"I love what we stand for as a club, love everyone at the club. Really excited to be alongside Lach. We're a little bit different ... and we're going to bounce things off each other and learn along the way," Andrews said.
"I've always loved this club since I stepped foot in the door. The culture of the place is phenomenal, and they've made me feel really welcome ever since I stepped foot into Brisbane," Neale said.
Lachie Neale joins Brisbane royalty after winning his third Merrett-Murray Medal as the Lions' best and fairest for season 2022.
Neale (66 votes) won the best and fairest count in front of a packed crowd at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from fellow midfielder Hugh McCluggage (59) and under-rated defender Brandon Starcevich (51).
Lachie Neale opens up on the fallout from his tumultuous 2021 off-season, saying questions about his character were the most disappointing part of having his footballing future played out in public last year.
The day after Brisbane lost a thrilling semi-final to the Western Bulldogs, it was reported the Brownlow medallist was considering a return to Western Australia, the home of his wife Jules and where he'd played for Fremantle.
The ensuing two days were a frenzy of speculation that Neale squashed by re-affirming his commitment to the Lions, the club he was contracted to until the end of 2023.
"I think I got called a manipulator and people were saying I was doing it for money, which certainly wasn't the case. If I'd left, I'd probably take less money to go back," Neale said.
"We had camera people outside our house for three or four days, which was pretty off. Jules was getting messages from randoms, which was pretty vile.
"The fact nothing even came of it was the most disappointing thing, that people were trying to attack my character and hers. That was the disappointing part, but I can't control that."
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says he supports Lachie Neale's decision to consider a move back to Western Australia for family reasons before ultimately deciding to stay at the Lions.
"He's just a young man who was just trying to do the right thing by his wife and his family," Fagan said.
"With all the COVID stuff and the situation they found themselves in, particularly Jules being a long way away from home, I think it was right and fair for him to ask himself that question.
"I'm in no way critical of the fact he gave that serious thought because so he should, and I would have if I had been in the same position."
Lachie Neale refutes reports about him wanting to leave the Lions and re-affirms his commitment to Brisbane.
"It's been a whirlwind few days and everything's got a little bit out of hand but I'm fully committed to the club," Neale said.
"After sitting down and talking through it with our family, our friends and with the club and with my management team, it became pretty clear after a couple of days this was the best place for us. Firstly for my footy and secondly we believe we can get the support network around us we need."
Brisbane powerbrokers scramble to make sense of reports that Lachie Neale is considering a move back to Western Australia despite having two years left on his contract.
"It's all news to us. As far as we're concerned, he's got two years of his contract left and that's where it is at," Lions football boss Danny Daly said.
"I think the club will come out and make a statement sometime this afternoon once we've had a chance to speak to Lachie and work through it."
Lachie Neale will undergo to repair an ankle injury sustained in the Lions' win over Carlton.
Neale limped off during the first quarter after clutching his right ankle in a tackle before playing out the game with 24 disposals from more than 80 percent game time.
Geelong coach Chris Scott is given a suspended $10,000 fine by the AFL for a heated quarter-time confrontation with Brisbane players.
Scott exchanged words with Brisbane players at the first break after an incident between Geelong speedster Gary Rohan and Lion Lachie Neale. Rohan later received a two-match ban for his high shot on Neale.
Lachie Neale wins the 2020 Brownlow Medal by dominating the count with 31 votes, well clear of runner-up Travis Boak (21 votes), with Christian Petracca and Jack Steele (20 votes each) tied at third.
"I feel really humbled to be in this position and to be among some of those names, it's still pretty crazy to me. As has been mentioned, the boy from Kybybolite (South Australia), never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be standing here today," Neale said.
After a dominant 2020 season, voted by coaches and his peers as the league's best player, Lachie Neale feels he can take his game to an even higher level.
"There's been patches throughout this season where I haven't probably played at my best, so I can become even more consistent and try to deliver more week in and week out. I've tried to add a little bit in terms of when I get attention and release our players and free up a few of our players, which I haven't done so well in the past," Neale said.
"It might not show in disposals and clearances and key stats, but trying to influence the game in other ways as well going forward."
Lachie Neale is awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players' Association's Most Valuable Player for 2020.
"It's an award that I'm super proud to have won, to be voted by those who I play with and against makes it a really special award," Neale said.
"I really respect the opinion of the other players and to be voted by them this year is something that I will look back on and be really proud of. To be alongside some of the other names who have won this award is a feeling that hasn?t sunk in yet."
Neale was also crowned the AFL Coaches' Association Champion Player of the Year for 2020.
"Lachie is relentless in his efforts to improve, he wants to be the best player he can be and he wants success for our club," Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said of Neale.
"That drive sets a standard for everyone at the Lions. His preparation is first class, he works incredibly hard on the fundamentals of the game and his appetite to learn is insatiable. As a coach, you can't ask for any more than that."
Lachie Neale made a personal phone call to draftee, and new teammate, Deven Robertson after he was selected by the Lions in the 2019 AFL National Draft.
Neale had watched the teenage West Australian sit through the first night of the draft and go unselected, and knew how much a call would mean after a tough 24 hours.
"Having spent a bit of time in WA … I'd been tracking him a bit and saw him win the Larke Medal and thought he might be a bit of a player," Neale said.
"Fages [coach Chris Fagan] texted me and said we were a big chance to try and grab him and once we did I sent (personal excellence and wellbeing manager) Andrew Crowell a text and asked if I could give him a call to check in and welcome him.
The Giants will be without superstar forward Toby Greene for this weekend's blockbuster preliminary final against the Magpies, with his contentious one-match ban for making contact with the eyes of Lachie Neale upheld at the AFL Tribunal.
The Tribunal opted to ignore the favourable evidence of Neale, who told them he felt contact to his nose – but not his eyes – after being called to provide evidence by the Giants.
Such was the surprising nature of the result – given both the evidence of Neale and Greene – Greater Western Sydney now appears likely to launch an appeal.
Fremantle wingman Bradley Hill is wary about his former teammate, and now Brisbane Lion, Lachie Neale rising to the challenge of facing his ex-teammates at Optus Stadium.
"He's a tough, inside player and I don't think the boos will do too much to distract him. He'll just go about his footy and keep playing the way he's been playing," Hill said of Neale.
"I think he can get a little bit chirpy, but I don't know how he's going to be against his old teammates. He definitely can get fired up pretty easily as well. I'm sure he'll love the challenge."
Fresh from starting his position general manager of football at Fremantle, Peter Bell says he will work hard to convince Lachie Neale to resist overtures from Brisbane to become a Liion.
"Lachie Neale is a two-time best and fairest winner at our footy club, (he's a) quality person," Bell said.
"Being a new footy manager, or general manager of football on day three (of the job), it would be a feather in my cap if Lachie stayed at the footy club, so that's what we're working towards."
Lachie Neale wins his second Doig Medal as Fremantle's best and fairest for 2018.
Neale polled 186 votes ahead of David Mundy (164) and Nat Fyfe (150).
Only Matthew Pavlich (six), Peter Bell (three), Aaron Sandilands (two) and Fyfe (two) – arguably Freo's four greatest players – had won the award more than once before Neale saluted as 2018's best Docker.
"Those names are really special players for this footy club and I don’t see myself in that esteem at the moment, but hopefully I'm building a career that at the end of it all I can look back and be really proud on," Neale said.
"There's some absolute stars that have come through the door and those names I feel very lucky and privileged to be in this position."
Fresh from winning his second Doig Medal, Lachie Neale remains vague on his future as he contemplates a lucrative five-year deal from Brisbane.
"There's obviously a bit of an elephant in the room with what the future might hold with me, but that will sort itself out over the next couple of weeks and I can honestly say I'm not sure what's going to happen with that," Neale said.
"What I can say is the last seven years have been tremendous for me, the footy club has been amazing, I do call Perth home now, it so will be tough to leave if that's what happens."
Lincoln McCarthy admits Brisbane may be a viable trade destination where he would have the opportunity to play with his good friend Lachie Neale.
"Lach and I are good mates. (I) haven't played with him for years, but we're both making our own decisions on what we think is best for us," McCarthy said.
"If that ends up (together), then that's great, but otherwise we just make our own decision and run with it."
Fremantle CEO Steve Rosich feels "extremely positive" star midfielder Lachie Neale will resist overtures from Brisbane and commit long-term to the Dockers.
"Based on what we know about Lachie, the comments Lachie made publicly about his love for the club and belief that we're on the right path and my conversation, I feel extremely positive about Lachie continuing on beyond his current contract," Rosich told 6PR radio.
Alex Pearce has been added to an expanded Fremantle leadership group in 2018, which will be led by captain Nat Fyfe for the second season.
Bradley Hill the other new addition to the group after an outstanding first season with the club.
Michael Walters, Lachie Neale, David Mundy and Aaron Sandilands retained their leadership roles, while veteran defender Lee Spurr was the only player to make way from the 2017 group.
Nat Fyfe will captain Fremantle in 2017 after succeeding David Mundy as skipper of the club.
Fyfe, Mundy, Aaron Sandilands and Lee Spurr have been joined in the 2017 leadership group by star forward Michael Walters and reigning Doig medallist Lachie Neale.
Veteran defender Michael Johnson has been left out after a controversial off-season incident, which saw him charged with assault in a kebab shop.
"It's just fantastic to get the support of the players, and to also have two new members of the leadership group," Fyfe said.
"It's an exciting time for the footy club and we have an exciting group to lead the club for the next four or five years."
Lachie Neale claims the Dockers' best and fairest for the first time following an outstanding individual season.
Neale, 23, was the only Docker to make the All Australian 40-man squad in a season where the club managed just four wins.
He led the AFL for total disposals in the home and away season and polled 20 Brownlow votes.
Neale polled 200 votes across 22 games to win his first Doig Medal by 30 votes from runner-up Stephen Hill. Leading goalkicker Michael Walters finished third.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet," Neale said.
"I'm sure it's something I'll reflect on over the next few weeks and be really proud of.
"I definitely improved this year but I have a way to go and there were patches throughout the season that I wasn't happy with."
Lachie Neale will have a slow start to the pre-season after requiring shoulder and wrist surgery.
Neale had surgery on his right shoulder on Thursday morning to repair some ligament damage after suffering the injury late in the season. He played with it strapped in the last two rounds against Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.
He will also have surgery on his right wrist that he damaged earlier in the year. The surgery will take place once he has sufficiently recovered from his shoulder operation.
Neale will be able to begin running at the start of pre-season in November but won't be able to participate in full training until mid-December.
Fresh from signing a new contract with Fremantle, Lachie Neale says speculation from the media about his future was highly inaccurate.
"I always had this plan from basically September last year so I knew in my mind some of the stuff that was being written and what not was a bit of garbage," Neale said.
Neale said he was aware of offers made from other clubs to his management but he only ever wanted to deal with Fremantle.
"(I was aware of) bits and pieces but to be honest we didn't go into too much detail," Neale said.
"It was up to me whether I delved into that much and I didn't. I wanted to deal with Fremantle and that's the way it stayed."
Lachie Neale is yet to start contract talks with Fremantle as he focuses on making a strong start to the 2016 season.
Neale is set to come out of contract at the end of the year, but has told the Dockers he doesn't want to start negotiations until he has completed at least the opening stretch of the home and away season.
While in the US, Hayden Crozier and Lachie Neale meet up with some of the best current basketballers in the world, including 2014 NBA MVP Steph Curry.
Curry received a quick lesson on how to kick and handball a Sherrin from the Docker duo, not quite handling the football as well as he does a basketball.
They also had lunch with Charlotte Hornets players Jeremy Lin and Cody Zeller while Neale was humbled to meet his NBA idol, along with Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant.
Lachie Neale earns praise from Fremantle coach Ross Lyon fresh after winning his second Ross Glendinning medal last week for his 42-possession, three-goal performance, in the Dockers' Western Derby win.
"Lachie stands up under heat," Lyon said.
"He stands up under finals-type footy because he wins his own ball and he's a selfless team player.
"He's dedicated to his footy and he wants to be a top-flight player.
"We don't do anything to that except provide him the environment that allows him to do that."
Lachie Neale becomes the youngest player to win the Ross Glendinning Medal as the best afield in a Western Derby after gathering 32 disposals and kicking a goal in Fremantle's 19-point win over West Coast at Patersons Stadium in round 7.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has challenged Neale to keep improving his game.
"It's a progression they need to make, it's that belief and work ethic and taking your opportunities," Lyon said.
"Lachie's next step is he'll get tagged. Someone will pay tighter attention than he got today. We'll start throwing out the bouquets when he's learnt to work through a tag."
Ryan Crowley and Lachie Neale sign contract extensions with Fremantle to remain at the club beyond 2014.
"Ryan is a really integral part of our playing group," general manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.
"Lachie has done a great job since joining the club. He has applied himself to his football and has made the most of his senior opportunities over the last couple of years."
Fremantle has re-signed three of its young guns, including speedster Stephen Hill, Matt de Boer and Lachie Neale.
"We regard all three players highly, and we are very pleased that they have committed to the club," general manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.
"We see Stephen, Matt and Lachie as being very much a part of the long-term future of the club."
Friday, 20 April 2012
Lachie Neale makes his AFL debut for Fremantle at Docklands Stadium with 7 disposals (7 handballs) and a mark in a 13-point win over St Kilda.