Lachie Neale

Lachlan Oliver Neale (born 24 May 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Fremantle Football Club from 2012 to 2018 before being traded to the Brisbane Lions in 2019 to 2026. Neale was co-captain at Brisbane from 2023 to 2025, leading the side alongside Harris Andrews to premierships in 2024 and 2025 and a runner-up finish in 2023. He is a dual Brownlow Medallist, winning the award in 2020 and 2023.

Early life Neale was born in Naracoorte, South Australia. His family briefly lived on a farm in Langkoop, near Apsley, a small town just east of the South Australian border in western Victoria,

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. Neale also won another under-14 premiership the next season, once again alongside Trengove but also with future AFL teammate Alex Forster. Neale kicked 14 goals for the season but was not selected for the Grand Final. Neale continued playing for Kybybolite and then received a scholarship to attend St Peter's College, Adelaide. He represented South Australia at the 2011 AFL Under-18 Championships.

Growing up, Neale supported the Port Adelaide Football Club.

AFL career

Fremantle (2012–2018) Neale was drafted to with their fourth selection (number 58 overall) in the 2011 AFL draft. 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. They joined former co-captain and Port Adelaide player Jack Trengove as ex-Kybybolite players on AFL lists.

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, but hurt his ankle against Port Adelaide at Victor Harbor, South Australia.

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 as the substitute. He was activated during the third quarter, replacing Nick Suban. After his debut, Neale played through until round 14. He played one further game in round 20. Across the season, he averaged 11.3 disposals, 1.6 marks and 2.1 tackles per game.

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

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.

Brisbane Lions (2019–2026)

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

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. Neale won the 2020 Brownlow Medal after polling 31 votes during the shortened regular season, including being best-on-ground in ten matches. 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. 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. Neale was co-captain of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team. He had 35 disposals and 9 clearances in the Grand Final, to finish second in the Norm Smith Medal voting. After standout performances throughout the 2024 finals series, Neale received the Gary Ayres Award for best finals player voted by the coaches.

As the Lions sought back-to-back premierships in 2025, Neale was injured with what was originally diagnosed as a season-ending calf injury in the qualifying final, before returning as the substitute in the 2025 grand final and helping his side with a crucial second half goal and a second successive premiership.

On 2 January 2026, Neale stood down as co-captain of the Lions, in addition to the leadership group as a whole, amidst his marriage breakdown. On 8 May 2026, Neale won the Robert Walls Medal for best on ground in a win against Carlton, recording 33 disposals and 9 clearances, including the match-sealing goal.

Neale's contract with Brisbane finishes at the end of 2026, and there was ongoing media speculation of whether he would stay with Brisbane, seek a contract in Perth closer to his children, or in Victoria nearer his parents. Neale acknowledged that it was a difficult situation and commented that "It’s nice to be 33 and feel a little bit wanted", and "I’ve just got to weigh everything - success, finance, everything that goes along with playing footy".

Personal life

Neale married his partner Jules, an owner of a Perth-based beauty salon store, in late 2018. The pair moved to Brisbane for his football career and their second child, a boy, in December 2024.

In late 2025 several media reports indicated Neale's marriage had broken down, and in January 2026, Neale confirmed he and his wife had separated and that he had stood down as co-captain of Brisbane. At a press conference, Neale stated "while I won’t go into specifics, I can say that I’ve let my family down, and I apologise for my actions which have hurt those closest to me, and for that, I am deeply sorry." His ex-wife, Jules, moved back to Perth with their children and later alleged that he'd had multiple affairs, including one with her best friend.

Statistics

315 !! 141 !! 105 !! 3868 !! 4811 !! 8679 !! 1305 !! 1154 !! 0.4 !! 0.3 !! 12.3 !! 15.3 !! 27.6 !! 4.1 !! 3.7 !! 225