St Kilda made no mistake in confirming its much-reported meeting with Brisbane star Lachie Neale, believing he'd be a strong addition to the club's brimming midfield group.
Neale confirmed the catch-up following the Lions' win over Geelong on Thursday, with Saints football boss Lenny Hayes providing insight into how the meeting went.
The former Docker has an existing relationship with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, and the pair are exploring a reunion in Moorabbin.
“Yeah, we caught up with Lachie, and it was pretty informal. Obviously, Ross has got a great relationship with Lachie and has for several years and catches up with him quite regularly, and it was nice to get the invite. It went well,” Hayes told 3AW.
“It was quite informal, hearing a bit about where Lachie is at with things and where we think we are at. We talked about the game more broadly. It is a bit of a shame that it is out in the public domain, but times have changed.
“And he's still a very good player, and we think he's got a number of good years ahead of him, and just looking at where he is at with his footy and what he is thinking in the next three or four years.”
Essendon is set to meet with Neale to put forward their pitch, with the club understood to be confident in luring him to Tullamarine.
Collingwood is also a potential destination for the two-time Brownlow Medallist.
Neale himself admitted he isn't close to deciding where his future lies, but didn't shy away from enjoying being wanted by multiple clubs.
"It's nice to be 33 and feel a little bit wanted. I love my football. I love playing for this footy club. What will be will work itself out over the next six to eight weeks in the back half of the year. I'll leave [manager] Tommy Petroro to deal with most of that," Neale said on Fox Footy following the win over Geelong.
"I've caught up with Dom [Ambrosio, Lions list manager] and Danny [Daly, Lions footy boss] as well, so it's not just other clubs. It's a bit of a different situation that I'm working through, and we'll work out the best result in due time. But I love playing for this club. I'm all in at the moment, trying to win a third premiership and who knows, I might be back next year as well."
