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[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

GRAND FINAL RECRUITS: RANKED 1–10

1. Lachie Neale → Brisbane
Two Brownlows and the heartbeat of Brisbane’s premiership era.

2. Josh Dunkley → Brisbane
The perfect midfield addition. Tough, accountable and built for finals.

3. Luke Jackson → Fremantle
Cost plenty, but worth it. A unique match-up who impacts games everywhere.

4. Charlie Cameron → Brisbane
Goals, pressure and X-factor. A defining recruit of the Fagan era.

5. Shai Bolton → Fremantle
Speed, creativity and genuine match-winning ability. Could be top 2 after today.

6. Jordan Clark → Fremantle
Outstanding pickup. Elite drive and ball use from defence.

7. Patrick Voss → Fremantle
From delisted to Grand Final forward. Brilliant low-cost pickup.

8. Sam Draper → Brisbane
Athletic, competitive and gives Brisbane another genuine ruck option.

9. Oscar Allen → Brisbane
A role player so far, but capable of changing a game with a few big moments.

10. Mason Cox → Fremantle
Limited influence overall, but provides size, experience and ruck support.

#aflgrandfinal #fremantle #brisbane #afl #fremantledockers #aflbrisbanelions

[AFL Trade Radio @traderadio]

JJ's list of recruiting wins for both sides:

8. Freo adding Mason Cox
7. FA aqcuisitions of Allan and Draper
6. Bringing Jordan Clark back
5. Shai Bolton
4. Lachie Neale's recrutiment
3. Luke Jackson
2. Charlie Cameron trade
1. Josh Dunkley

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

@DwayneRussellM Hi Dwayno- free to play!!! Appreciate the comments though, much love!

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

This has to be one of the worst takes of the year.

Calling two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale a “downhill skier when it matters” is extraordinary. He had 35 touches in the 2024 GF and then came on as the sub last year and had 17 disposals in just 44% game time.

Disagree with him, criticise his form absolutely, to imply his addition to the team positively impacts Fremantle, that’s just ridiculous.

#aflgrandfinal #afl #brisbanelions #fremantledockers #grandfinal

[SEN 1116 @1116sen]

“But he’s a bit of a downhill skier when it matters.” ⛷️😳

A massive take! | https://t.co/fUTQH9cViI

@SENBreakfast | #AFL | #AFLGF

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Free to play.

So naturally, Lachie Neale will now have 30, kick 2 and win the Norm Smith just to complete the storyline.

#AFLGF #Lions #aflfinals #lachieneale #fremantledockers

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Lachie Neale has played 320 AFL games without ever being suspended. He’s a two-time Brownlow medallist with an exemplary disciplinary record, and now he could miss a Grand Final over an incident sitting on the absolute borderline between a fine and a one-match suspension.

There was no injury to Jack Ginnivan and no lasting impact. He got back up and continued playing. You can reasonably question whether his reaction exaggerated the contact in an attempt to draw a free kick. If he stays on his feet, does this incident even attract the same scrutiny?

If this were a clear two, three or four-week offence, the conversation would be completely different. But it isn’t.

Look at the players who have actually been rubbed out on Grand Final eve.

Jason Cloke in 2002 received two matches for striking Tyson Edwards in the preliminary final. Edwards was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken nose. Cloke challenged the suspension and lost, costing him his place in the Grand Final.

Anthony Rocca in 2003 received two matches for striking Brendon Lade. The Tribunal described the action as “forceful, unnecessary and reckless” and found it had the potential to cause serious injury. His appeal failed and he missed the Grand Final.

Then there’s Andrew Gaff in 2018. He missed West Coast’s premiership while serving an eight-match suspension after punching Andrew Brayshaw in the face, breaking his jaw and displacing three teeth.

Those were serious incidents with serious consequences.

Then consider the other side of the history.

Barry Hall in 2005 struck Matt Maguire in the stomach during a preliminary final. His initial suspension was reduced to a reprimand after Sydney successfully challenged the classification, allowing him to play in the Grand Final. Hall himself later acknowledged he believed he should have been suspended.

Nobody is arguing that what Neale did should simply be accepted. The action can be wrong while the consequence can still be too harsh, which is the distinction the @AFL needs to consider.

This isn’t about giving star players a free pass because it’s Grand Final week. If an act clearly warrants suspension, the player misses. But when an incident sits at the very bottom end of the suspension scale, proportionality and discretion should matter.

That’s why all of the circumstances should matter together:

320 games without suspension.
Two Brownlow Medals.
An historically exceptional record.
No injury to Ginnivan.
No clenched fist established by the footage.
A borderline Low/Medium impact incident.
And a punishment that takes away a Grand Final.

None of those factors alone necessarily justifies a downgrade. It’s the combination of all of them that makes this case exceptional.

Downgrading the incident doesn’t mean condoning it. Neale can still be found guilty and sanctioned. The argument is simply that a fine is proportionate to what actually occurred, while missing a Grand Final is an extraordinarily severe consequence for an incident of this magnitude.

If exceptional circumstances and discretion exist within the system, this is exactly the sort of case where they should matter.

And if all of that still isn’t enough, you have to ask:

What would be?

Because if Lachie Neale misses a Grand Final for this, where are we at as a game?

#aflfinals #lachieneale #brisbanelions #fremantledockers #afl #afltribunal

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Lachie Whitfield has also met with Melbourne as Steven King explores more half-back ball users. It comes after Whitfield met Carlton this week. GWS would only entertain a move for a minimum first-round pick

@cleary_mitch

#afltrades #afl #gwsgiants #melbournedemons

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Perfectly handled by the @AFL

Just took a long time to get there.

#afl #aflgranfinal #lachieneale

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

@Thomo_Grant Amazing Grant- Thankyou for always giving back to less fortunate.

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

JACK VINEY WEIGHS UP HIS FUTURE

Melbourne star Jack Viney has reportedly met with both Essendon and West Coast as he considers his future beyond the Demons.

Where should Viney play in 2027?

#AFL #AFLTrades #JackViney #MelbourneDemons

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

“Tim is committed to the Bulldogs. 3-years to go on his deal. Wants to play alongside Butters and obviously wants to win a Premiership. Tim will be staying at the Dogs.”

- Andrew McDougall, Tim English manager

#westernbulldogs #afltrades #afl

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Jordon Butts has notified Adelaide he wants to join the Dogs.

@JoshGabelich

#afl #afltrades #adelaidecrows

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Jordon Butts is reportedly still weighing up his future, with little separating the offers from Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.

The decision could ultimately come down to whether Butts sees greater opportunity for regular senior football at the Dogs.

Source: @tommorris32

#adelaidefc #adelaidecrows #afl #westernbulldogs

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

@ThunderDan999 He just got off Dan 😃

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

What is Garry Lyon’s issue with Lachie Neale?

He seems absolutely determined to see him miss the Grand Final pushing the suspension at every opportunity.

We get having an opinion, but this feels excessive.

#lachieneale #foxfooty #afl #aflgrandfinal

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

BREAKING: LACHIE NEALE IS FREE TO PLAY IN THE GRAND FINAL!

Brisbane has won its appeal, with Neale’s one-match suspension.

The Lions superstar is available for Saturday’s Grand Final against Fremantle.

Massive news. 🦁🏆

#AFL #AFLGrandFinal #LachieNeale #BrisbaneLions #fremantledockers

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

A WET GRAND FINAL ON THE WAY? 🌧️

Brisbane and Fremantle could be preparing for a very different Grand Final at the MCG, with rain forecast for Saturday.

The weather has already impacted Grand Final morning, with the U17 National Futures curtain-raiser moved from the MCG to Whitten Oval to protect the surface.

The last genuinely wet Grand Final was Geelong v St Kilda in 2009.

Could we be heading for another wet-weather classic and who does the rain favour, Brisbane or Fremantle?

#AFL #AFLGrandFinal #BrisbaneLions #FremantleDockers

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

@DwayneRussellM Absolutely not, would still present the same case today. Clearer vision doesn’t change any part of the case put forward.

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

New vision that could prove decisive in the Lachie Neale appeal has emerged from the AFL’s official analytics provider, Champion Data.

As part of its optical tracking trial at the MCG, Marvel Stadium and Optus Stadium, 46 cameras and an advanced data-capture system are providing angles rarely seen in the broadcast.

Sam Edmond reporting this vision appears remarkably clear.

The AFL has reportedly had access to it throughout which raises one obvious question:

Why wasn’t it requested earlier?

Source/@Sammy__Edmund

#afl #lachieneale #brisbanelions #fremantledockers #aflfinals

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

Lachie Neale has played 320 AFL games without ever being suspended. He’s a two-time Brownlow medallist with an exemplary disciplinary record, and now he could miss a Grand Final over an incident sitting on the absolute borderline between a fine and a one-match suspension.

There was no injury to Jack Ginnivan and no lasting impact. He got back up and continued playing. You can reasonably question whether his reaction exaggerated the contact in an attempt to draw a free kick. If he stays on his feet, does this incident even attract the same scrutiny?

If this were a clear two, three or four-week offence, the conversation would be completely different. But it isn’t.

Look at the players who have actually been rubbed out on Grand Final eve.

Jason Cloke in 2002 received two matches for striking Tyson Edwards in the preliminary final. Edwards was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken nose. Cloke challenged the suspension and lost, costing him his place in the Grand Final.

Anthony Rocca in 2003 received two matches for striking Brendon Lade. The Tribunal described the action as “forceful, unnecessary and reckless” and found it had the potential to cause serious injury. His appeal failed and he missed the Grand Final.

Then there’s Andrew Gaff in 2018. He missed West Coast’s premiership while serving an eight-match suspension after punching Andrew Brayshaw in the face, breaking his jaw and displacing three teeth.

Those were serious incidents with serious consequences.

Then consider the other side of the history.

Barry Hall in 2005 struck Matt Maguire in the stomach during a preliminary final. His initial suspension was reduced to a reprimand after Sydney successfully challenged the classification, allowing him to play in the Grand Final. Hall himself later acknowledged he believed he should have been suspended.

Nobody is arguing that what Neale did should simply be accepted. The action can be wrong while the consequence can still be too harsh, which is the distinction the @AFL needs to consider.

This isn’t about giving star players a free pass because it’s Grand Final week. If an act clearly warrants suspension, the player misses. But when an incident sits at the very bottom end of the suspension scale, proportionality and discretion should matter.

That’s why all of the circumstances should matter together:

320 games without suspension.
Two Brownlow Medals.
An historically exceptional record.
No injury to Ginnivan.
No clenched fist established by the footage.
A borderline Low/Medium impact incident.
And a punishment that takes away a Grand Final.

None of those factors alone necessarily justifies a downgrade. It’s the combination of all of them that makes this case exceptional.

Downgrading the incident doesn’t mean condoning it. Neale can still be found guilty and sanctioned. The argument is simply that a fine is proportionate to what actually occurred, while missing a Grand Final is an extraordinarily severe consequence for an incident of this magnitude.

If exceptional circumstances and discretion exist within the system, this is exactly the sort of case where they should matter.

And if all of that still isn’t enough, you have to ask:

What would be?

Because if Lachie Neale misses a Grand Final for this, where are we at as a game?

#aflfinals #lachieneale #brisbanelions #fremantledockers #afl #afltribunal

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

@SportMoments0 That was misconstrued if reported. They only presented the exemplary record on the field as an argument. There was no reference to character.

[THE DAILY| AFL @thedaily___]

The West Australian should be ashamed publishing this.

Craig O’Donoghue report the news, have an opinion. But don’t make it personal. There needs to be more accountability for what gets written these days.

This is gutter journalism. Disgusting.

#afl #lions #fremantle #aflgf