The news out of Brisbane this weekend went from bad to worse, with reporters salivating over potential trade moves whilst four teams remain in the hunt for the flag.
The news that Lachie Neale – Brownlow Medallist, and one of the prime reasons the Brisbane Lions went from cellar-dwellers to unlikely contenders in 2019, and then to one of the competition’s best teams in 2020, wants out. His ball-winning and creative use of the footy set the Lions alight through the centre of the ground and in 2020, he started to hit the scoreboard more often, running away to secure the game’s most prestigious individual award.
Early reports suggest that Neale is looking to move back to Fremantle, who must feel as though they have hit the jackpot after being kicked in the teeth by the request of Adam Cerra to move back to Victoria. At 28, Neale has forgotten more about winning the footy than Cerra will perhaps ever know, and if it is a case of out with one and in with another, the Dockers are immediately more formidable with Neale returning “home”.
Interestingly, Lions fans who have been angry for a number of reasons over the weekend – the result, the umpires, the failure to do anything remotely interesting by Joe Daniher – have come out swinging, suggesting that three first-round picks are good compensation for Neale.
Incredible… and incredibly silly, but emotions are running high.
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