Lachie Neale has confirmed he won't be seeking a trade back to Fremantle this off-season and will see out his contract at Brisbane.

It was reported earlier this week that Neale would return to Perth with he and his wife expecting their first child soon and wanting to be closer to her family and friends for support.

However, Neale today moved to squash those rumours via the Brisbane Lions website.

Neale said that while he and his wife had discussed the possibility of returning to Perth, but the discussions were very preliminary in their nature.

"As a lot of people know now my wife's heavily pregnant, Neale said.

"She's from WA and has a lot of family and a support network in WA but behind the scenes we had a couple of conversations about how that looked going forward and obviously with the Covid situation the last couple of years for her to see her family and friends as it has for a lot of people.

AFL Rd 2 - Brisbane v Fremantle
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 13: Lachie Neale of the Lions takes a mark during the round 2 AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Fremantle Dockers at The Gabba on June 13, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

"I've got a great support network in Perth as well so we were half considering the prospect of getting back at some stage but after sitting down and talking through it with our family and friends and with the club and with my management team it became pretty clear after a couple of days that this is where the best place for us to be is, at Brisbane.

Neale said that he is 100% invested in the Lions and their path to success. He added that he believes he and his wife can build the appropriate support networks in Brisbane where Neale is contracted to until the end of 2023.

"I'm committed and staying at the footy club," Neale stated.

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA - MAY 11: Lachie Neale of the Lions runs with the ball during the round eight AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions at MARS Stadium on May 11, 2019 in Ballarat, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

"It's been a whirlwind few days and everything's sort of got a little bit out of hand, but I'm fully committed to the club and came in and told Fages (Chris Fagan) today that that's the case.

"We believe we can get the support network around us that we need moving forward. It's challenging times for everyone, with Covid, we're no different.

"It probably got played out a little bit sooner and earlier than what we thought. We hadn't put that amount of thought into it and it was blown out of proportion a little bit and now we've made that decision we're really happy and can't wait to get stuck into next year.

Neale went on to say that while the last few days had been rather hectic since the rumours started, he and his wife had been able to avoid engaging in the media speculation too much.

"It has been a little bit rough some of the stuff in the media. And there's always going to be social media attached but I feel like we've done a great job at avoiding that stuff,: said Neale.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 25: Lachie Neale of the Lions in action during the 2019 AFL round 23 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 25, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

"It probably has taken its toll a little bit, I'm pretty weary and tired at the moment but now super excited about what the future holds for both of us. We have a beautiful baby girl due in four weeks to look forward to.

"I've got unfinished business here. I want to be holding up a cup in a Lions jersey and that's what I'll be working towards in the next couple of years."