Neale to the Pies: Carn Down, Every Brownlow Medallist in the Comp

Righto, pinch me. Lachie Neale, actual reigning-type Brownlow medallist, actual Brisbane premiership skipper, is on his way to Collingwood. I’ve read the story about four times now and it still doesn’t feel real.

The Lions have confirmed he’s off. Collingwood says it ‘looks forward’ to him pulling on the boots in 2027. Looks forward? Mate, I’ve already cleared my Friday nights.

Wait, Are We Actually Getting Lachie Neale?

Let’s just sit with that for a second. Neale. At Collingwood. In black and white.

This bloke has been the engine room of a Brisbane midfield that’s given us nightmares for the best part of a decade. He’s won a Brownlow. He’s held up a cup. He wins the contested ball like it’s rent day and he owes money.

And now he’s ours. Or will be, come 2027, which feels like about nine years away when you’re this excited but I’m told it’s actually not that far off at all.

Why Would He Leave Brisbane?

Look, that’s a question for Lions fans to chew on, not me. I’m not going to sit here and pretend to know exactly what’s gone on behind closed doors up there.

But you’d have to reckon a bloke doesn’t walk away from a premiership side and a captaincy for nothing. Maybe he wants a new challenge. Maybe he can see the writing on the wall with a list thats slowly ageing out. Maybe he just fancies a Melbourne winter, which, let’s be honest, nobody actually fancies, so that probably rules that one out.

Whatever it is, it’s not my job to speculate on the ins and outs of it. What I do know is this: our list management people have pulled off an absolute stunner here, and Brisbane’s loss is very much our gain.

What Does This Mean for the Pies’ Midfield?

Can somebody please explain to me how the rest of the competition is meant to cope with this?

We’ve already got a midfield brigade that gives blokes headaches on a Thursday night. Add a genuine Brownlow winner into that mix and you’re talking about something that should honestly be illegal under some sort of competitive balance rule.

Think about the stoppages. Think about the clearances. Think about some poor opposition tagger getting named to play on Neale and looking like he’s just been given a life sentence.

• A proven big-game performer who’s won it all
• Elite contested ball winning credentials
• Leadership qualities from day one at the club
• A bloke who knows what September footy actually feels like

Every one of those boxes ticked. Every single one.

The Timing Question

Now I know what some of you are thinking. 2027? That’s ages away, Daz, calm down.

Fair point. It’s not like he’s walking through the doors at Olympic Park tomorrow morning ready to train. There’s a fair bit of footy to be played between now and then, and plenty can change.

But that’s exactly why this feels like such a statement. This isn’t a desperate deadline-day scramble. This is Collingwood playing the long game, identifying a genuine superstar, and getting the deal locked away well ahead of time. Thats smart footy department work, whatever way you slice it.

Other clubs would of loved to get their hooks into a player of this calibre. We got there first. Carn the Pies.

Spare a Thought for the Lions Faithful

I’ll say this much, and I mean it fair dinkum: I feel for Brisbane supporters today.

Losing a player of Neale’s quality is never easy, no matter how it’s dressed up. He’s been the heartbeat of that midfield, the bloke who set the standard for effort and work rate week after week. Replacing that kind of influence doesn’t happen overnight.

I’m not going to sit here and gloat about it either, because footy’s a funny old game and these things go in cycles. One minute you’re farewelling a champion, the next you’ve unearthed some kid from the country who ends up being just as good. Brisbane will regroup, I’m sure of it.

But right now? Right now it’s very hard not to be doing a little dance in the Collingwood cheer squad.

What Should We Expect Come 2027?

I reckon this is the bit where Collingwood fans need to manage expectations just a touch. Not because Neale won’t be good – he will be, he’s a gun – but because footy’s a team game and one player, even a champion, doesn’t win flags on his own.

Remember, we’ve already got a midfield that stacks up against anyone in the competition. Adding Neale into that mix isn’t about fixing a weakness. It’s about taking something that’s already strong and making it downright terrifying for opposition game plans.

Will the umpires suddenly start paying every contested footy contest in our favour once Neale’s running around in navy blue and white? I doubt it, knowing our luck with free kick counts the last few seasons. But that’s a rant for another day.

Final Word From the Cheer Squad

Look, I’ve been watching this footy club through thick and thin for a long, long time. I’ve seen the highs, I’ve seen the lows that make you want to throw the remote at the telly.

Days like this, when news like this breaks, are exactly why you stick around through all of it. This is a genuine coup. A Brownlow medallist, a premiership captain, choosing Collingwood as his next home.

Say what you like about the wait until 2027. I’ll take a guaranteed champion arriving in a couple of years over false promises any day of the week.

Carn the Pies. This is shaping as an enormous one.