Brisbane Lions senior coach Chris Fagan has firmly denied the idea that the drama surrounding former club captain Lachie Neale will affect his playing group for 2026.
How Fagan would ensure composure amongst the group as they aim to achieve a three-peat was a question of intrigue following the news, but the 64-year-old is confident his "pragmatic" stance has alleviated any trickle-down effect on on-field performance.
"I've been pragmatic about it," Fagan told SEN on Tuesday.
"I didn't know anything about it until just on the verge of Christmas. We had a two or three week break there where Danny [Daly] and I spent a lot of time talking on the phone with Lachie about the right way forward.
"Outside of that, it hasn't really affected things too much."
While the back-to-back premiership coach admitted that Neale is still dealing with "a bit going on personally", it hasn't impacted his levels of intensity during Brisbane's pre-season training.
"To Lachie's credit, in terms of the way he's training and going about things, he's having his best pre-season in a long while," Fagan said.
"He's been able to train fully and in the best shape that he's been in ages.
"In terms of setting himself up for a good football season, he's in a good place at the moment, but he's got a bit going on personally."
Fagan's Lions face Carlton in a scratch match at Brighton Homes Arena on February 18, before taking on Gold Coast on February 26 in an official pre-season Q-Clash.
