Brisbane’s Lachie Neale to overlook grand ultimate as AFL’s one-game ban upheld

The prospect of Brisbane Lions’ midfielder Lachie Neale enjoying in Saturday’s AFL grand ultimate has plummeted after his suspension for placing Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan in final week’s preliminary ultimate was upheld by the AFL tribunal.

The two-time Brownlow medallist had by no means been suspended throughout 320 matches, however he didn’t argue his exemplary report warranted this week’s ban be put aside because of the so-called distinctive and compelling circumstances afforded to Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury earlier this yr.

The Lions should attraction the decision, nonetheless, in a final ditch bid to have Neale take the sphere in Saturday’s season decider towards Fremantle.

After greater than two hours of submissions and one other two hours of deliberations by tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson, and members Darren Gaspar and Scott Stevens, the tribunal discovered the 33-year-old had struck the Hawthorn small ahead deliberately and with medium affect.

Gleeson lastly delivered the decision at 9.40pm on Tuesday evening. “In the top, Neale delivered an intentional strike off the ball to an unsuspecting opponent,” he stated.

“To use the language that has been used greater than as soon as this night, Neale supposed to strike him within the guts for the way in which he behaved in the direction of [Neale’s teammate Eric] Hipwood, and he did strike him within the guts.

“Even Neale’s excellent report doesn’t render a one-match suspension for that act inappropriate or unreasonable.”

The first quarter incident was behind play, and Neale defined earlier within the night he approached Ginnivan after a bodily confrontation between the Hawks participant and Hipwood.

“I used to be very near the incident between Jack and Eric Hipwood, the place it appeared like Jack was on high of Eric and gave him a few jumper punches and received up and began to maneuver alongside,” Neale stated.

“I didn’t really feel like that seemed nice, so I went to indicate my disappointment, I suppose, in that motion.”

He argued, nonetheless, that moderately than strike Ginnivan, his act was extra of a “bump or physique verify”.

The AFL upgraded the penalty for such behaviour in 2026 in a crackdown on off-the-ball incidents.

Challenging the decision would see Neale face the AFL attraction board in an Eleventh-hour bid to safe a beneficial consequence, including one other storyline to the normal buzz of grand ultimate week. The Lions have till noon Wednesday to lodge their attraction.

New proof is mostly not allowable on the attraction board stage, which means the membership can be counting on clearing a excessive authorized bar to have Neale take the sphere.

If Neale does escape a ban, Saturday may very well be his ultimate match for the membership he has captained to 2 premierships, towards the aspect who drafted him in 2011. Speculation has linked the out of contract veteran with an low season transfer to Victoria.

Or, extra probably, Neale has already performed his final of 185 matches in Lions colors.