The injury was initially listed as having a four-to-six-week time frame, but Neale has ramped up his training, with Thursday’s session looming as D-Day for the premiership midfielder.<\/p>\n
Ultimate guide to the 2025 AFL grand final <\/a><\/p>\n Wondering what time the AFL grand final starts and how you can watch it live? We’ve got you covered.<\/p>\n Veteran teammate Dayne Zorko sat next to Neale on the plane down from Brisbane on Wednesday and indicated the dual Brownlow Medallist was in good spirits.<\/p>\n He made it clear he trusted Neale’s ability to make a call on his fitness.<\/p>\n “He knows his body better than us,” Zorko said at Melbourne Airport.<\/p>\n “I know Lachie always puts the team first, and he will on this occasion as well.<\/p>\n “So he knows what it’s like. He knows he’s got to put his body through a fair bit tomorrow to get through, and if he does that with flying colours, we trust him to make the right call.”<\/p>\n Zorko expected Neale to tackle a more intense training session than his teammates.<\/p>\n “I imagine he’d probably just have to sprint a little bit harder than us,” Zorko said.<\/p>\n “We’ll get the work in that we need to and the parameters that we need to hit, but for him, he probably needs to keep ticking off the boxes that the medical team needs him to do.<\/p>\n Lachie Neale needs to prove to the Lions medical staff that he is fit to play. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)<\/p>\n “So if he does that, comes through and pulls up really well, then we’re still three days away from the grand final, so there’s still a fair bit of time there and there’s a lot of recovery to happen in that space as well.<\/p>\n “So we’ll get through tomorrow, and if he pulls up really well, then it’s over to Fages [coach Chris Fagan] to make the decision, I guess.”<\/p>\n Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron said Neale even getting in contention to play after a “fairly decent” calf injury was “an enormous effort,” but the Cats would not focus on his fitness push.<\/p>\n “We’ll prepare for him and without him and see how it sort of pans out,” Cameron said.<\/p>\n Midfielder Jarrod Berry, who suffered a shoulder injury in the preliminary-final win over Collingwood<\/a>, appears less likely to feature.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n