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Not to be confused with Lachlan McNeil (Australian rules footballer).

Lachie Neale
Neale playing for the All-Stars in 2020
Neale playing for the All-Stars in the 2020 State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match
Personal information
Full name Lachlan Oliver Neale
Date of birth (1993-05-24) 24 May 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Naracoorte, South Australia
Original team(s) Glenelg (SANFL)/Kybybolite(KNTFL)
Draft No. 58, 2011 national draft
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Brisbane Lions
Number 9
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2012–2018 Fremantle 135 (67)
2019– Brisbane Lions 137 (61)
Total 272 (128)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 All Stars 1 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Lachlan Oliver Neale (born 24 May 1993) is an Australian rules footballer and the co-captain of the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL).[1] He previously played for the Fremantle Football Club from 2012 to 2018 before being traded to the Brisbane Lions in 2019, where he captained a premiership in 2024 and won the Brownlow Medal in both 2020 and 2023.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Neale was born in Naracoorte, South Australia.[3] His family briefly lived on a farm in Langkoop, near Apsley, a small town just east of the South Australian border in western Victoria,[3] before settling in the South Australian town of Kybybolite when Neale was still young.[4]

Nicknamed "Cowboy" after Kevin Neale, he played various junior sports in Naracoorte, including basketball, soccer, cricket and football. Neale started playing football for Kybybolite in 2004 as a 10-year-old. He kicked 8 goals for the year as his team won the under-14 KNTFL premiership alongside future AFL player Jack Trengove.[5] Neale also won another under-14 premiership the next season, once again alongside Trengove but also with future AFL teammate Alex Forster.[6] Neale kicked 14 goals for the season but was not selected for the Grand Final.[7] Neale continued playing for Kybybolite and then received a scholarship to attend St Peter's College, Adelaide.[8] He won the Opie Medal in his final year at St Peter's.

He played his junior football for the Kybybolite Football Club and then the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), including seven games in the league side, before returning to the under-18 team for the grand final. Despite Glenelg losing to Port Adelaide, he gathered 40 possessions and was awarded the Alan Stewart Medal as the best player in the game.[8] He represented South Australia at the 2011 AFL Under-18 Championships.[9]

Growing up, Neale supported the Port Adelaide Football Club.[10]

AFL career

[edit]

Fremantle (2012–2018)

[edit]

Neale was drafted to Fremantle with their fourth selection (number 58 overall) in the 2011 AFL draft.[11] Neale's close friend and former teammate from Kybybolite Junior Football Club, Alex Forster, was also drafted by Fremantle with their previous selection in the same draft.[12] They joined former Melbourne co-captain and Port Adelaide player Jack Trengove as ex-Kybybolite players on AFL lists.[13]

Neale played very well during the 2012 NAB Cup preseason games and was predicted to make his AFL debut in the opening round of the 2012 AFL season,[14] but hurt his ankle against Port Adelaide at Victor Harbor, South Australia.[11]

Neale credits coach Ross Lyon's direction in his first year, with Lyon claiming Neale did not have long-term AFL potential unless he reduced his weight and improved his work rate, motivating Neale to heed Lyon’s advice.[15][16]

After playing two games for Swan Districts in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), Neale made his debut in round 4 of the 2012 AFL season against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium[11][17] as the substitute. He was activated during the third quarter, replacing Nick Suban.[18] After his debut, Neale played through until round 14. He played one further game in round 20.[19] Across the season, he averaged 11.3 disposals, 1.6 marks and 2.1 tackles per game.[19]

In 2013 he improved, averaging 19.8 disposals, 3.3 marks and 1.7 tackles per game.[19] Neale was the substitute in the 2013 AFL Grand Final when Fremantle lost to Hawthorn by 15 points.

Neale's 2016 season was rewarded with the Doig Medal as the club best and fairest.[20]

At the conclusion of the 2018 season, after winning a second Doig Medal,[21] Neale requested a trade to Brisbane. He was traded on 17 October.[22]

Neale did not cite any reasons for leaving Fremantle; however, Lyon claims that he was motivated by money and that Fremantle was not able to match a lucrative offer made by Brisbane.[23]

Brisbane Lions (2019–)

[edit]

Neale thrived at his new club in 2019, winning All-Australian team selection for the first time,[24] winning his first Merrett–Murray Medal and finishing equal-third in the Brownlow Medal with 26 votes.[25]

Neale had an excellent start to the 2020 season, with him being deemed the best player in the league by the ABC's Dean Bilton prior to round 6.[26] Neale won the 2020 Brownlow Medal after polling 31 votes during the shortened regular season, including being best-on-ground in ten matches.[27] This result put Neale in front of 2nd-placed Travis Boak by 10 votes, who had the equal-highest win in Brownlow Medal history since the introduction of the 3–2–1 voting system until Patrick Cripps.[28] Neale's 2020 season success was also compounded by All-Australian selection, a Merrett–Murray Medal and the Leigh Matthews Trophy, amongst various other awards.

Neale's 2022 season was yet another season of success, taking home a third All-Australian blazer and winning a third Merrett–Murray Medal, as well as placing second in the Brownlow Medal, missing out on first place by a single vote.

On 1 March 2023, Neale was named co-captain of the Lions alongside Harris Andrews.[1] Later in the year, Neale clinched his second Brownlow Medal after again polling 31 votes.

Neale was co-captain of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team.[29] He had 35 disposals and 9 clearances in the Grand Final, to finish second in the Norm Smith Medal voting.[30]

Statistics

[edit]

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.[31]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
  ±  
 Won that season's 
Brownlow Medal
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2012 Fremantle 27 11 4 2 51 73 124 18 23 0.4 0.2 4.6 6.6 11.3 1.6 2.1 0
2013 Fremantle 27 12 8 4 111 126 237 40 20 0.7 0.3 9.2 10.5 19.8 3.3 1.7 1
2014 Fremantle 27 23 8 10 242 298 540 91 76 0.4 0.4 10.5 13.0 23.5 4.0 3.3 7
2015 Fremantle 27 24 16 10 320 338 658 114 86 0.7 0.4 13.3 14.1 27.4 4.8 3.6 10
2016 Fremantle 27 22 7 4 289 448 737 90 101 0.3 0.2 13.1 20.4† 33.5† 4.1 4.6 20
2017 Fremantle 27 21 14 6 245 327 572 94 94 0.7 0.3 11.7 15.6 27.2 4.5 4.5 14
2018 Fremantle 27 22 10 6 251 416 667 79 93 0.5 0.3 11.4 18.9 30.3 3.6 4.2 11
2019 Brisbane Lions 9 24 12 7 301 441 742 98 90 0.5 0.3 12.5 18.4 30.9 4.1 3.8 26
2020[a] Brisbane Lions 9 19 14 13 249 262 511† 80 59 0.7 0.7 13.1 13.8 26.9 4.2 3.1 31±
2021 Brisbane Lions 9 17 8 6 220 239 459 66 70 0.5 0.3 12.9 14.1 27.0 3.8 4.1 8
2022 Brisbane Lions 9 25 11 8 346 403 749 96 113 0.4 0.3 13.8 16.1 30.0 3.8 4.5 28
2023 Brisbane Lions 9 26 3 10 291 359 650 101 100 0.1 0.4 12.0 14.7 26.7 4.2 4.1 31±
2024# Brisbane Lions 9 26 13 7 353 409 762 120 86 0.5 0.3 13.6 15.7 29.3 4.6 3.3 22
Career 272 128 94 3289 4163 7452 1094 1017 0.5 0.4 12.1 15.3 27.4 4.0 3.7 209

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

[edit]

Team

Individual

Media

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Your 2023 Brisbane Lions Captains". Brisbane Lions. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  2. ^ "'I'm pretty rattled': Lion King Lachie wins second Brownlow". afl.com.au. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Lions star dreaming of puling on South Australian jumper from the Courier Mail 28 February 2020
  4. ^ Cherny, Daniel (12 April 2019). "Neale gives early doubters short shrift". The Age. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  5. ^ Kybybolite-2004-Junior-Colts-Premiership_Page
  6. ^ Homfray, Reece (21 September 2013). "South Australian midfielder Lachie Neale ready to impress on big stage for Fremantle". Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  7. ^ Kybybolite-2005-Junior-Colts-Premiership_Page
  8. ^ a b Capel, Andrew (2 November 2011). "Neale walking tall for draft". The Advertiser. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  9. ^ "South-east players help SA under 18s win". ABC News. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  10. ^ Whiting, Michael (17 August 2021). "Why Lions star is turning Port supporter for a day". Australian Football League. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Butler, Steve (20 April 2012). "Freo teen Neale's baptism of fire". The West Australian.
  12. ^ Turner, Matt (24 November 2011). "Mates Forster, Neale go to Freo". The Messenger. AdelaideNow.
  13. ^ Duffield, Mark (29 November 2011). "New Docker motivated by father's lost VFL chance". The West Australian. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  14. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (6 March 2012). "Neale firms for Dockers' opener". The West Australian.
  15. ^ Ross Lyon told first-year Fremantle Docker Lachie Neale to lose ‘fat arse’ or risk falling out of AFL system from PerthNow 19 October 2020.
  16. ^ Former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon told a first-year Lachie Neale to lose his ‘fat arse’ from The West Australian 19 October 2020
  17. ^ Miller, Dale (19 April 2012). "Lyon keeps lid on homecoming hopes". The West Australian.
  18. ^ Holmesby, Luke (20 April 2012). "Freo roar in Lyon's den". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012.
  19. ^ a b c "AFL Tables - Lachie Neale - Stats - Statistics". afltables.com. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  20. ^ Tom, Wildie (8 October 2016). "Neale claims first Doig Medal". Fremantle Football Club. Bigpond. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Neale wins second Doig Medal". Fremantle Football Club. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  22. ^ Bowen, Nick; Navaratnam, Dinny (17 October 2018). "Lachie a Lion: Neale on the move to Brisbane". Australian Football League. Bigpond. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  23. ^ Ross Lyon Explains The Process Of Lachie Neale Leaving Freo from TripleM 5 July 2020
  24. ^ Staff writers (27 August 2019). "Who makes AFL.com.au's All Australian team?". Australian Football League. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  25. ^ Black, Sarah; Gaskin, Lee (24 September 2019). "Your club's Brownlow night: Leader, top five, total votes". Australian Football League. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  26. ^ Bilton, Dean (8 July 2020). "The Brisbane Lions are the best team, with the best player, in the AFL – and they're still getting better". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  27. ^ Waterworth, Ben (18 October 2020). "It's a landslide! Lions star Neale claims crushing Brownlow win to cap stunning season". FOX Sports. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  28. ^ Beveridge, Riley (19 October 2020). "Lion king: Lachie Neale wins 2020 Brownlow Medal". Australian Football League. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  29. ^ "Lion Kings: Fagan's heroes thrash Swans in GF shock". AFL. 28 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Where there's a Will: Prodigious Lion wins Norm Smith". AFL.com.au. 28 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Lachie Neale statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
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