AFL Grand Final 2026: Brisbane star Lachie Neale has suspension over-turned on appeal, free to play Fremantle

Brisbane superstar Lachie Neale is free to play in Saturday’s grand final against Fremantle after his appeal for striking Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan was successful.

Neale was handed a one-match ban for an apparent gut punch on the Hawks gun in the first quarter of their thrilling preliminary final at the MCG on the weekend.

After the tribunal upheld the ban on Tuesday, it was taken to appeal on Thursday night, and after a nearly two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the Neale camp succeeded in having the ban downgraded, with the midfielder handed a $10,000 fine instead.

It means he will get the chance to play for a third consecutive premiership when the Lions come up against the Dockers at the MCG on Saturday.

Neale sat alongside Brisbane football boss Danny Daly throughout the appeal in a club polo and was not required to speak, having given evidence on Tuesday.

Brisbane’s representative Adrian Anderson said they would not argue that the strike was intentional, medium and to the body but that he should not be suspended because of “exceptional and compelling circumstances” because Neal had not been banned in his prior 320 games.

He also argued that the tribunal did not take into account that Neale would be suspended for a grand final when it made its determination earlier in the week.

Anderson said that Neale should either be fined or be suspended for round one of next year but not miss a game as significant as grand final for a “minor offence”.

“In Lachie Neale’s case we’re talking about something historic in this competition. A three-peat and he would be the first player in the modern era … to win two Brownlows and three premierships,” he said.

Anderson said that Neale should have leniency for three seasons — “your record is incredible, Ginnivan wasn’t hurt, it’s pretty minor and to miss the grand final, combined with those two means that it’s inappropriate to apply the suspension”.

The AFL was keen to submit new vision of the incident, but the appeals board denied its use after Anderson argued it should’ve been submitted before Tuesday’s tribunal hearing.