Lachlan Oliver Neale (born 24 May 1993) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er playing for the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He previously played for the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fr ...

from 2012 to 2018 before being traded to the

in 2019 where he won the 2020

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

Early life

Originally from a farm in Langkoop, near Apsley, a small town in Western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Neale moved across the border to another farm near Kybybolite,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

at a young age. Nicknamed 'Cowboy', after

Kevin Neale Kevin "Cowboy" Neale (born 18 July 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL). St Kilda Recruited from South Warrnambool, and nicknamed "''Cowboy''" for his bow-legs and his rolling gait ...

, he played various junior sports in Naracoorte including basketball, soccer, cricket and football. Lachie started playing football for Kybybolite in 2004 as a 10-year-old. He kicked 8 goals for the year as his team won the under 14 KNTFL premiership alongside future AFL player

Jack Trengove Jack Trengove (born 2 September 1991) is a professional Australian rules footballer who most recently played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Trengove is capable ...

. Neale also won another under 14 premiership the next season once again alongside Trengove but also with future AFL teammate

Alex Forster Alex Forster (born 24 July 1993) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Norwood in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He previously played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). ...

. Neale kicked 14 goals for the season but was not selected for the Grand Final. Lachie continued playing for Kybybolite and then received a scholarship to attend

St Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

. He won the Opie Medal in his final year at St Peter's. He played his junior football for the Kybybolite Football Club and then the

Glenelg Football Club Glenelg Football Club is an Australian rules football team, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. The club is known as the "Tigers" (or the "Bays"), and their home ground is ACH Group Stadium (formerly Glenelg Oval), lo ...

in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as t ...

(SANFL), including seven games in the league side before returning to the Under-18 team for the Grand Final. Despite Glenelg losing to Port Adelaide, he gathered 40 possessions and was awarded the Alan Stewart Medal as the best player in the game. He represented South Australia at the

2011 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2011 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships were the 16th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships The AFL Under-19 Championships (for sponsorship reasons, the NAB AFL Under-19 Championships) is an annual Australian national underage represen ...

. Growing up, Neale supported the Port Adelaide Football Club.

AFL career

Fremantle (2012-2018)

Neale was drafted to with their fourth selection (number 58 overall) in the 2011 AFL draft. Neale's close friend and former teammate from Kybybolite Junior Football Club,

, was also drafted by Fremantle with their previous selection in the same draft. They joined former co-captain and Port Adelaide player

as ex-Kybybolite players on AFL lists. Neale played very well during the 2012 NAB Cup preseason games and was predicted to make his AFL debut in the opening round of the 2012 AFL season, but hurt his ankle against Port Adelaide at

Victor Harbor, South Australia Victor Harbor is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located within the City of Victor Harbor on the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, about south of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. The town is the large ...

. After playing two games for Swan Districts in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...

(WAFL), Neale made his debut in round 4 of the 2012 AFL season against St Kilda at

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

as the substitute. He was activated during the third quarter, replacing

Nick Suban Nicholas Suban (born 9 May 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League. Originally from Bacchus Marsh, Victoria and of Slovenian origin, Suban capt ...

. After his debut, Neale played through until round 14. He played one further game in round 20. Across the season, he averaged 11.3 disposals, 1.6 marks and 2.1 tackles per game. In the 2013 season he improved, averaging 19.8 disposals, 3.3 marks and 1.7 tackles per game. Neale was the substitute in the 2013 AFL Grand Final when Fremantle lost to

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

by 15 points. Neale's 2016 season was rewarded with the

Doig Medal The Doig Medal is the best and fairest award given out to the player considered best and fairest during a season for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL. It was renamed in 2000 after the legendary Fremantle footballing family, the Doigs, who ...

as the club best and fairest.

Brisbane (2019-)

At the conclusion of the 2018 season, after winning a second Doig Medal, Neale requested a trade to Brisbane. He was traded on 17 October. Neale thrived at his new club in 2019, winning

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

selection for the first time, winning his first Merrett-Murray Medal and finishing equal-third in the Brownlow Medal with 26 votes. Neale had an excellent start to the 2020 season, with him being deemed the best player in the league by the ABC's Dean Bilton prior to round 6. Neale won the

2020 Brownlow Medal The 2020 Brownlow Medal was the 93rd year the award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home-and-away season. Lachie Neale of the Brisbane Lions was the winner, with 31 v ...

after polling 31 votes during the shortened regular season, including being best-on-ground in ten matches. This result put Neale in front of 2nd-placed

Travis Boak Travis Boak (born 1 August 1988) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Boak captained the club from 2013 to 2018, and is the club's AFL games reco ...

by 10 votes, the equal highest win in

history since the introduction of the 3-2-1 voting system. Neale’s 2020 season success was also compounded by All-Australian selection, a Merrett-Murray Medal and the Leigh Matthews Trophy, amongst various other awards. Neale’s 2022 season was yet another season of success, taking home a third All-Australian blazer and winning a third Merrett-Murray Medal, as well as placing second in the Brownlow Medal, missing out on first place by a singular vote.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - , 2012 , , , , 27 , 11 , , 4 , , 2 , , 51 , , 73 , , 124 , , 18 , , 23 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 4.6 , , 6.6 , , 11.3 , , 1.6 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, , , , 27 , 12 , , 8 , , 4 , , 111 , , 126 , , 237 , , 40 , , 20 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 9.2 , , 10.5 , , 19.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , 1 , - , 2014 , , , , 27 , 23 , , 8 , , 10 , , 242 , , 298 , , 540 , , 91 , , 76 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 10.5 , , 13.0 , , 23.5 , , 4.0 , , 3.3 , , 7 , - , 2015 , , , , 27 , 24 , , 16 , , 10 , , 320 , , 338 , , 658 , , 114 , , 86 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 13.3 , , 14.1 , , 27.4 , , 4.8 , , 3.6 , , 10 , - , 2016 , , , , 27 , 22 , , 7 , , 4 , , 289 , , 448 , , 737 , , 90 , , 101 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 13.1 , , bgcolor="CAE1FF", 20.4^† , , bgcolor="CAE1FF", 33.5^† , , 4.1 , , 4.6 , , 20 , - , 2017 , , , , 27 , 21 , , 14 , , 6 , , 245 , , 327 , , 572 , , 94 , , 94 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 11.7 , , 15.6 , , 27.2 , , 4.5 , , 4.5 , , 14 , - , 2018 , , , , 27 , 22 , , 10 , , 6 , , 251 , , 416 , , 667 , , 79 , , 93 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 11.4 , , 18.9 , , 30.3 , , 3.6 , , 4.2 , , 11 , - , 2019 , , , , 9 , 24 , , 12 , , 7 , , 301 , , 441 , , 742 , , 98 , , 90 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 12.5 , , 18.4 , , 30.9 , , 4.1 , , 3.8 , , 26 , - , 2020 , , , , 9 , 19 , , 14 , , 13 , , 249 , , 262 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 511^† , , 80 , , 59 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 13.1 , , 13.8 , , 26.9 , , 4.2 , , 3.1 , , bgcolor="98FB98" , 31^± , - , 2021 , , , , 9 , 17 , , 8 , , 6 , , 220 , , 239 , , 459 , , 66 , , 70 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 12.9 , , 14.1 , , 27.0 , , 3.8 , , 4.1 , , 8 , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, , , , 9 , 25 , , 11 , , 8 , , 346 , , 403 , , 749 , , 96 , , 113 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 13.8 , , 16.1 , , 29.9 , , 3.8 , , 4.5 , , 28 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 220 !! 112 !! 76 !! 2625 !! 3371 !! 5996 !! 865 !! 824 !! 0.5 !! 0.3 !! 11.9 !! 15.3 !! 27.2 !! 3.9 !! 3.7 !! 156 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team *

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...

(): 2015 Individual *

: 2020 *

Leigh Matthews Trophy The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was st ...

: 2020 * AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award: 2020 * 3×

: 2019, 2020,

* 3× Merrett–Murray Medal: 2019, 2020, 2022 * 2×

: 2016, 2018 * 2× Geoff Christian Medal: 2016, 2018 * 3×

Glendinning–Allan Medal The Glendinning–Allan Medal, formerly the Ross Glenndinning Medal, is awarded to the player judged best on ground in each Western Derby Australian rules football, football match played between Fremantle Football Club and the West Coast Eagles. ...

: 2014, 2015, 2018 * 22under22 team: 2015 *

Marcus Ashcroft Medal The Marcus Ashcroft Medal is awarded to the player judged best on ground in the QClash football match played between Brisbane and Gold Coast. It is named after former footballer Marcus Ashcroft, who played junior football on the Gold Coast for ...

: 2020

References

External links

* * *
WAFL Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neale, Lachie 1993 births Living people Fremantle Football Club players Brisbane Lions players Glenelg Football Club players Swan Districts Football Club players Brownlow Medal winners Doig Medal winners Merrett–Murray Medal winners Leigh Matthews Trophy winners All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from South Australia People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide