Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has delivered a positive update on champion midfielder Lachie Neale, insisting the dual Brownlow medallist is enjoying his best pre-season in years despite navigating significant personal challenges.
Personal Challenges and Leadership Changes
The 32-year-old star relinquished his co-captaincy role in January amid a tumultuous and public marriage breakdown. Neale, who moved from Fremantle at the end of 2018 and has become one of the greatest players in Lions history, will likely return to Western Australia in 2027 to be closer to his two children.
However, Fagan emphasised that until that time comes, Neale remains a crucial part of Brisbane's push to claim a third consecutive premiership this season.
Fagan's Assessment of Neale's Situation
"It hasn't really affected things too much," Fagan told SEN on Friday when asked about the intense tabloid interest in Neale's personal life. "It's not like we sit around having meetings with the players and talk about it. It's just been myself, Lions football boss Danny Daly and Lachie."
"To Lachie's credit, in terms of the way that he's training and going about things, he's having his best pre-season in a long while. Normally, he's finished seasons quite injured and been in rehab, but this year he had no injury at the finish."
Fagan elaborated further on Neale's physical condition, noting: "He's been able to train fully and is in the best shape he's been in for ages in terms of setting himself up for a good football season. He's in a good place at the moment, obviously got a bit going on personally, but he seems to be coping with that pretty well."
Captaincy Considerations and Future Leadership
During his three seasons as co-captain with Harris Andrews, Neale led the Lions to three grand finals, winning the last two consecutively. Coming towards the end of his career, Neale had already raised the prospect of stepping back as a leader before his marriage breakdown turned into a social media storm.
Talks took place last year about Andrews potentially becoming the Lions' sole captain. However, due to the success Brisbane has experienced with co-captains, Fagan admits to being somewhat superstitious about changing that structure.
Dayne Zorko served as skipper for five seasons before 2023, and the current system has yielded remarkable results. A player vote scheduled for February will help shape Brisbane's captaincy system for the 2026 season.
Potential Leadership Candidates
"Harris Andrews could easily be captain on his own," Fagan acknowledged. "I am not a fan of the two-captain model but since we have had it, we have been successful. I don't know if I want one or two. If it's two, then you look at Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley and it's hard to split those two blokes."
Maintaining Success with Humility
The Lions have adopted a similar approach to when they broke through to win the 2024 premiership in their bid to stay at the top of the competition. Fagan emphasised the importance of humility in success as a key component of their ongoing strategy.
"Straight away after the grand final, we talked about it - we can only be our own worst enemies if we get too carried away with ourselves and we don't stay humble," Fagan explained. "It's a regular topic of conversation. The boys know what that behaviour looks like, and we encourage them to call it out if they see it. We certainly do if we do."
The coach added with satisfaction: "But to be fair, I haven't seen any of that to this point in time. We turned up in great shape and attitude at training has been terrific."
Looking Ahead to the New Season
The Lions will unfurl their premiership flag when they host the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba in Opening Round on March 7. With Neale in peak physical condition despite personal challenges, and the team focused on maintaining their championship mentality, Brisbane appears well-positioned for another strong campaign as they pursue an unprecedented third consecutive premiership.
