The Lions favourite has some of his best form heading into the AFL finals.
Brisbane favourite Lachie Neale believes Nick Daicos and Patrick Cripps as clear favourites for the Brownlow Medal, despite his own sensational form to finish the season. Daicos and Cripps are the frontrunners to take home the Brownlow Medal this year with many fans unable to split the duo ahead of the AFL awards night.
Daicos potentially secured a vital three points in Collingwood’s final game of the season against Melbourne at the MCG, while Cripps continued to impress for Carlton as he prepares to take on the Lions in the AFL finals. And while Neale is a long-shot to take home his third Brownlow Medal, the midfielder placed himself behind the likes of Daicos, Cripps and Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli.
Neale said his form has also correlated with the Lions’ late season resurgent. The Lions started 0-3 in 2024, and slumped to two wins in the first seven matches.
However, Neale’s form improved and he helped the Lions win 10 of their last 12 games to finish fifth. This has opened the door for a second grand final appearance in two years. And the 31-year-old Lions midfielder admitted he has found form at the right time of the season, regardless of the Brownlow Medal vote.
“I feel like I have been building similar to the team for the back half of the year,” he said. “I didn’t have much of a pre-season, didn’t really do anything in the off-season after some surgery, so the first few games I was sort of finding my legs.
“My form has correlated with the team a little bit and I honestly feel like I am playing some of the best footy of my career. So I’m confident in what I can do and hopefully I can go out and deliver and play my role for the team. Whether that’s a big game stats-wise, it doesn’t matter … it’s about playing my role and I feel confident that I am able to do that with the way I am performing at the moment.”
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