Brisbane star midfielder Lachie Neale will miss the rest of the season after straining his right calf during Friday night's qualifying final against Geelong, the club has confirmed.
Neale limped from the field after appearing to suffer a non-contact calf concern, pulling up mid-stride in the final term.
The club has confirmed Neale will miss at least a month of football, putting a line through his chances of playing again this year.
"The Brisbane Lions confirm Co-Captain Lachie Neale will not take any further part in the Club's 2025 finals campaign," a club update read.
"Neale came from the field in the final quarter of last night's Qualifying Final against Geelong with a calf injury and did not return.
"Scans on Saturday afternoon confirmed a tear in Neale's right calf which will see the midfielder sidelined for at least four to six weeks."
Lachie Neale has come from the ground following this passage of play.#AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/u4V6CIApuz
— AFL (@AFL) September 5, 2025
The Lions have also confirmed that key forward Eric Hipwood's season is over, after scans revealed he had suffered a partial tear in his ACL.
He will undergo surgery this week in the hopes of returning to full health early in 2026.
General Manager Football Danny Daly spoke of the impact of losing Hipwood for the finals series as the Lions' premiership defence hangs in the balance.
“Having Eric miss the finals series through injury is really devastating for him and his family and for us as a club,” Daly said
“Eric is an extremely valuable player and a premiership forward who was a key to helping the Club experience the ultimate success last season.
“While we would love to have Eric out there this September, we will all be supporting him and playing for him during our finals campaign.
“It's an incredible effort by Eric to have been playing each week with this injury and still giving his all to the team regardless.
“We know he will do everything to get back playing as soon as he can and we look forward to having him return.”
