Lachie Neale leaves Brisbane Lions for Collingwood move
Three-time premiership player Lachie Neale will leave the Brisbane Lions as an unrestricted free agent and is set to join Collingwood. The Lions confirmed his departure after eight seasons, while Collingwood said it looked forward to welcoming him when the AFL trade and free agency period begins.
Lachie Neale will leave the Brisbane Lions as an unrestricted free agent and is set to join Collingwood, the clubs have confirmed. The move follows eight seasons with Brisbane, where Neale became a three-time premiership player. The Lions confirmed his departure after winning a third consecutive premiership with a seven-point grand-final victory over Fremantle.
Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio thanked Neale for his contribution and said the club understood his reasons for exploring free agency. The Lions said they would recognise his contribution further in the coming days. Collingwood said Neale had decided to exercise his free-agency rights and that the club looked forward to welcoming him when the AFL trade and free-agency period begins on Friday.
The AFL is expected to determine the compensation Brisbane will receive for losing the midfielder. The supplied material does not state the value or structure of any compensation. Neale said after the grand final that he had loved his time at Brisbane and described the club as an exceptional organisation.
He joined the Lions from Fremantle at the end of the 2018 season. While playing 186 senior matches for Brisbane, Neale won Brownlow Medals in 2020 and 2023 and was selected as an All-Australian four times. He played 135 matches for Fremantle between 2012 and 2018.
Neale’s departure comes immediately after Brisbane’s latest premiership, but the formal move to Collingwood remains subject to the start of the trade and free-agency period.
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