The hopes of Brisbane Lions midfielder Lachie Neale participating in Saturday’s AFL grand final have diminished significantly following the AFL tribunal’s decision to uphold his suspension for striking Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan during last week’s preliminary final.
Tribunal’s Decision
Neale, a two-time Brownlow medallist, had maintained a clean disciplinary record over 320 matches prior to this incident. However, he was unable to convince the tribunal that his exemplary past warranted a reconsideration of this week’s ban, despite referencing the exceptional circumstances that had previously benefitted Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury.
After a lengthy session of over two hours of presentations followed by another two hours of deliberation, tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson, along with members Darren Gaspar and Scott Stevens, concluded that Neale had intentionally struck the small forward with medium impact.
“In the end, Neale delivered an intentional strike off the ball to an unsuspecting opponent,” Gleeson stated.
“To use the language that has been used more than once this evening, Neale intended to strike him in the guts for the way he behaved towards [Neale’s teammate Eric] Hipwood, and he did strike him in the guts. “Even Neale’s outstanding record does not render a one-match suspension for that act inappropriate or unreasonable.”
“I was very close to the incident between Jack and Eric Hipwood, where it seemed like Jack was on top of Eric and gave him a couple of jumper punches and got up and started to move along,”
Incident Details
The incident, which occurred in the first quarter, was behind play. Neale explained earlier that he approached Ginnivan after observing a physical altercation between the Hawks player and Hipwood.
“I didn’t feel like that looked great, so I went to show my disappointment, I suppose, in that action.” Neale recounted.
“I didn’t feel like that looked great, so I went to show my disappointment, I suppose, in that action.”
Neale contended that instead of striking Ginnivan, his action was more akin to a “bump or body check.”
Potential Appeal
In 2026, the AFL had enhanced penalties for such conduct as part of a crackdown on off-the-ball incidents. Should Neale and the Lions challenge the tribunal’s ruling, they would face the AFL appeal board in a last-ditch effort to secure a favorable outcome, adding another layer of intrigue to grand final week. The Lions have until midday Wednesday to submit their appeal.
Typically, new evidence cannot be introduced at the appeal board stage, meaning the club faces a high legal threshold to allow Neale to play.
If Neale succeeds in overturning the ban, Saturday could mark his final appearance for the club he has led to two premierships, facing the team that drafted him in 2011. Speculation has arisen regarding a potential off-season move to Victoria for the out-of-contract veteran. Alternatively, it is quite possible that Neale has already played his last match in Lions colors, having participated in 185 games for the team.
