Brisbane Lions general manager of football Danny Daly has revealed the club had a talk with Lachie Neale after he visited Collingwood’s facilities ahead of the club’s game against Carlton last week. This comes as Daly admits he isn’t sure where Neale will end up next year.
Neale’s next AFL deal has been one of the biggest talking points in 2026 with the midfielder yet to sign a contract past the current season. There was early speculation the 33-year-old would make the move back to Western Australia.
Brisbane Lions General Manager Danny Daly has revealed the club had a talk with Lachie Neale (pictured) after he visited Collingwood’s facilities. (Getty Images)
Although Collingwood has jumped to the front of the queue with the Magpies reportedly set to offer Neale a monster deal. And the Lions were caught off guard when Neale visited Collingwood’s facilities ahead of the Carlton game last week.
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan admitted he was unaware of Neale’s visit, which caused a stir ahead of their 76-point loss to Carlton. The Lions responded to their thrashing after hammering Hawthorn on Friday night.
But speaking ahead of the game, Lions general manager Daly admitted they spoke to Neale about the visit and would have preferred it took place after their game against Carlton. “Look, we had a conversation with Lachie during the week, and Fages (Chris Fagan) had his presser (on Thursday) and was asked about it,” Daly told AFL Nation ahead of the win over Hawthorn.
“We know where the landscape is with these sort of things and players meeting opposition coaches and potential teammates down the track and touring other facilities. But we would probably would have preferred if it was the day after on the Sunday. Preferably not the day before. So that’s the only conversation we had with Lachie around that and he agreed with that. If he had his time again, he probably would have done that. But in terms of him touring (the facilities), that’s the common thing these days, isn’t it?”
Unfortunately, Daly admitted he isn’t sure where Neale will end up next year. “I’m not 100% sure,” he added.
“We hope he stays, but we also understand that the landscape that he’s in with his kids and he’s got family in Melbourne and Adelaide, and that’s why he’s seeking out those clubs. But at the end of the day, until he makes his decision, we’re still a chance.”
Lachie Neale (pictured) toured Collingwood’s facilities last week. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Chris Fagan talks Lachie Neale move
Earlier in the week, Fagan admitted he didn’t know Neale was visiting Collingwood ahead of their last game. Although he wasn’t upset with his star. “He hadn’t spoken to me about it, so I wasn’t aware,” Fagan told reporters on Thursday.
“And he doesn’t have too either; he doesn’t have to do that. It would be nice if he would, so you don’t get caught by surprise, but that’s the way it is.”
Chris Fagan (pictured) weighed-in on Lachie Neale’s visit to Collingwood. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty Images)