The Brisbane Lions are bracing to be without Lachie Neale for Saturday's AFL Grand Final.
The Lions are expecting their legendary midfielder to be handed a one-match ban for a gut punch committed against Hawk Jack Ginnivan in Saturday's epic preliminary final.
The AFL have come down hard on the act this season, with James Sicily, Dylan Moore, Max Michalanney and Harry Schoenberg some of the names to have been handed the same fate. The precedent is strong.
The incident that has Lachie Neale missing the Grand Final 👇 https://t.co/KAgX2hqcwM pic.twitter.com/VkUQKGiVdS
— 7AFL (@7AFL) September 20, 2026
The AFL are set to hand down their official MRO findings on Sunday afternoon, with Seven's Tom Morris reporting that the Lions have already been told of the impending sanction.
If the ban stands, it means Neale, seemingly destined for Collingwood in the upcoming free agency period, has played his last game for the club that transformed him from a prolific midfielder at Fremantle to an icon of the modern game.
Neale has won two Brownlow Medals, two premierships, four All-Australian blazers, an AFLCA Champion Player of the Year nod, a Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFLPA's Most Valuable Player and a Gary Ayres Award in the River City, leaving an indelible mark on football in the game's northern frontier.
It would be the cruelest way for a tumultuous final season in Lions colours to end.
Neale has grappled with intense scrutiny regarding his decision to leave, the way he went about such a departure, and his off-field decision making, following the breakdown of his marriage.
Neale's own performances in this year's finals series have drawn scrutiny too, but his grand final record is sublime. He finished runner-up to Will Ashcroft in Norm Smith Medal voting in 2024, and provided the most stellar of cameos in 2025, after coming on as substitute.
