Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale remains confident he’ll be fit for next weekend’s AFL Preliminary Final against Geelong, despite being seen in concerning conditions following Saturday night’s dramatic comeback win over Greater Western Sydney. Joe Daniher played a crucial role, scoring two key goals in the fourth quarter to help the Lions recover from a 44-point deficit and secure a five-point victory—marking the second greatest comeback in AFL finals history.
However, the victory seemed to come with a cost for Brisbane as Neale appeared to injure his ankle in the final moments of the match. The two-time Brownlow Medallist was observed clutching his ankle after a tackle and was later seen wearing a moonboot.
Neale was seen in a protective boot again on Sunday as he arrived home and walked through Brisbane airport, raising concerns about his fitness for the upcoming clash with Geelong. However, the Lions superstar assured on Monday that, despite managing a “fairly significant” heel issue and taking painkillers over the past two months, he is “not in any doubt” for Saturday’s Preliminary Final.
“Definitely not in any doubt, but I have been dealing with a significant heel issue for the past 8-10 weeks,” Neale told SEN on Monday morning. “Usually, it feels 100 percent on game day, but against GWS was the first time it flared up noticeably. I took some painkillers to manage it, but it wore off, and I moved in a way that aggravated it more than usual.
“I don’t do much early in the week, and on Thursdays, my movement might suggest I won’t play, but I feel 100 percent on game day. I will definitely play, though I’m managing some foot and heel soreness right now.” Brisbane coach Chris Fagan also downplayed concerns about Neale, acknowledging that while Neale has been on a modified training program, he is expected to be ready for the game.
Brisbane Lions brush off Lachie Neale injury concerns
“He has had a bit of a sore foot for quite a few weeks now, so his training has been modified. He is tough. But he is not the only bloke in the AFL who is playing a bit sore at the moment,” Fagan said. “He will be right. He is not in any danger of missing next week. It has been like that for a while now. He lives with that just about every week now and I thought he still made a good contribution (against GWS).”
Neale had an uncharacteristically quiet game against the Giants after being tagged by Toby Bedford and only registering 19 disposals – his second-lowest tally of the year. But Fagan said it allowed other Lions stars to flourish and singled out Will Ashcroft’s contribution in just his 11th game this season after recovering from a knee reconstruction.
“If you are going to tag Lachie, well we will have Josh Dunkley, Hughie McCluggage and Will Ashcroft who will pop up, and that is what we need,” Fagan said. “We need an even spread of talent through the midfield and that is one of the positives of the night, that we didn’t need Lachie to play a super game for us to win. I thought Will Ashcroft… was awesome tonight and really stood up.”
Fagan is aware of the travel demands on his players, as they return to Brisbane from Sydney before heading to Melbourne for the Preliminary Final against Geelong at the MCG. To rally support, the Lions will hold an open training session at Brighton Homes Arena on Tuesday morning, while Monday will focus on rest and recovery to prevent a repeat of their 71-point defeat to Geelong in the 2022 Preliminary Final.
“We need to move on quickly and perform better than we did then,” Fagan said about their previous encounter with the Cats. “We’ll stick to our routine and not dwell too long on celebrating this win over GWS, even though it’s worth celebrating.”
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