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Triple premiership Lion Lachie Neale has confirmed he will leave Brisbane as an unrestricted free agent and is set to join Collingwood when the AFL trade and free agency period opens on Friday.
Lachie Neale has confirmed he will leave the Brisbane Lions as an unrestricted free agent and is set to join Collingwood once the AFL trade and free agency period opens on Friday.
Neale To Join Collingwood
The Lions announced Neale's departure on Wednesday morning, ending one of footy's worst-kept secrets. Collingwood said it looks forward to welcoming the three-time premiership player and two-time Brownlow medallist in 2027. The Magpies did not waste time announcing Neale's intention to move south. Three-time premiership player and two-time Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale has decided to exercise his free agency rights with a move to Collingwood, a Magpies statement read.
The club looks forward to welcoming him when the AFL trade and free agency period commences on Friday, the statement continued. Neale informed the Lions on Tuesday he wanted to move to a new AFL club for the 2027 season. The 33-year-old is widely expected to join Collingwood on a multimillion-dollar three-year deal during the AFL exchange period, which opens on Friday.
He reportedly was never offered a fresh contract by Brisbane, given the financial offers from the Magpies and other rival clubs chasing him. Lions list manager Dom Ambrogio paid tribute to Neale in a club statement. Lachie has been a great player for the Brisbane Lions, and we thank him for his incredible contribution over his eight seasons, Ambrogio said.
We understand Lachie's reasons for wishing to explore free agency and we wish him all the best for the next chapter of his career. The Lions said they would further celebrate and recognise Neale's contribution to the club in the coming days. Neale played a key role in Brisbane's remarkable come-from-behind Grand Final triumph on Saturday, finishing with 20 disposals and seven score involvements.
Grand Final And Brisbane Farewell
The Lions clinched a third straight flag with a remarkable seven-point win over Fremantle in the grand final. AFL 360 co-host Garry Lyon claimed the Lions would not have won on Saturday without Neale, whose toughness and cleanliness was on full display in the final quarter. Brisbane's third straight Grand Final win will now officially go down as Neale's final game for the club.
Speaking immediately after Saturday's AFL grand final at the MCG, Neale revealed he was going to miss the Lions very much. It does not feel real at the moment, but I am sure it will sink in, Neale said on Saturday. I have absolutely loved my time at this footy club, they are an exceptional organisation from top to bottom and I cannot thank them enough. It has been an incredible ride and the best eight years of my life.
In a longer farewell message, Neale spoke about his time with the club. I have just absolutely loved my time with this footy club, he said. They are an exceptional organisation from top to bottom and I cannot thank them enough for the last eight years. It has been an incredible ride, I feel like the best eight years of my life.
To finish it with three premierships is something as a kid I never would have dreamt of. Neale backed the Lions to keep competing after his departure. I am sure they are going to keep competing, he said. It is the club that they are and the people and players they have got around as well, I love this group.
A Decorated AFL Career
Neale was initially drafted by Fremantle with Pick 58 in 2011. He won two best and fairests with the Dockers before moving to Brisbane after the 2018 season. He moved to the Lions from the Dockers at the end of the 2018 season. In his eight seasons at the Lions, Neale won another four best and fairest awards, two Brownlow Medals, earned All-Australian selection four times and played in all three Lions premiership sides.
He won his two Brownlow Medals in 2020 and 2023 while playing 186 senior matches for the Lions. It comes after a rollercoaster year for Neale, beginning with his highly public marriage break-up in early January that led to him standing down as Lions co-captain. In the lead-up to the Grand Final, Neale and the Lions fought desperately to overturn a one-game striking suspension to ensure he could face Fremantle, all while dealing with ample trade whispers.
The AFL is expected to confirm the suitable free agency compensation the Lions will receive during the trade and free agency period. Neale had gone from being a very good player at Fremantle himself to becoming a Hall of Famer at Brisbane.
It is pretty hard to get very good players out of clubs, especially clubs that are not exactly flying, and he has made the choice to come all the way across the country and start again, an observer said. He is an amazing player. He has been an incredible player, and he was probably half a chance for the Norm Smith Medal with just half a game of football last year. He has had an incredible impact on the footy club.
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abcnews:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Lachie Neale Brisbane Lions AFL Free Agency Collingwood Collingwood Magpies AFL Free Agency AFL Trade Period
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