Lions star Lachie Neale was put through his paces at training on Tuesday
Lachie Neale at a Brisbane Lions training session in September, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
LACHIE Neale has taken another step towards being available for Saturday’s Grand Final against Geelong, getting through Brisbane’s light training session on Tuesday morning.
Neale, battling a torn calf suffered in the qualifying final loss to the Cats, completed the entire session in front of thousands of fans at the club’s Springfield home base.
He will fly to Melbourne with the team on Wednesday and will then need to complete Thursday’s main session to be considered for a recall.
Teammate Jarrod Berry was on lighter duties, jogging away from the main group and taking a couple of light overhead marks as he tries to prove his fitness after dislocating his shoulder against Collingwood on Saturday.
Berry left training after just 30 minutes as he deals with a second dislocation in the space of five weeks.
Neale’s miracle progress continues to gather steam though, after initially being ruled out for the season by the club just a fortnight ago.
Jarrod Berry at a Brisbane Lions training session in September, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
On a hot day at Brighton Homes Arena, the two-time Brownlow Medal winner jogged laps to huge cheers from the boisterous crowd.
He then completed a series of small-sided drills that included change of direction and sidestepping at decent intensity.
Neale kicked with freedom, although was not required to run at high speeds at any stage in the 60-minute hitout.
The consensus at the Lions is if the co-captain is ticked off by the medical staff following Thursday’s session, the match committee will then have a decision to make.
Speaking prior to the session, ruck Oscar McInerney was tight-lipped about the prospects of his teammates overcoming their injuries.
“Those guys will look after themselves and do a really good job to give them the best opportunity,” McInerney said.
“As players, (the job is) to not look too far ahead and just do what we’ve got to do day-to-day to get there.”
The Lions are following a similar schedule to that of 2024, when they headed south earlier than usual to take away any stress from travelling.