Brisbane champ Lachie Neale ‘has made up mind’ on AFL future

Veteran Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale will be in black and white next year barring a Godfather offer from the Lions.

It has widely been expected that Neale will join Collingwood ahead of the 2027 season, but now 7NEWS sports reporter Tom Morris has revealed that Neale’s mind is made up.

“My understanding is that Lachie Neale has made up his mind and barring a late Godfather offer from Brisbane that none of us think is coming, he will be playing for Collingwood next year on a three-year deal now,” Morris told 7NEWS.

“West Coast ended up offering a deal that was nowhere near what the Pies have offered, but it will be Collingwood where he is in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with confirmation, I expect, to come in the days after Brisbane’s season finishes.”

Given Neale is in the middle of a finals campaign and Brisbane are on a mission for a third consecutive flag, Morris said no announcement will be made until that campaign ends.

“The public line will remain the same, and that is that he is focusing on his football and hasn’t made up his mind yet, but I believe he absolutely has,” Morris said.

Former Collingwood superstar Dale Thomas said Neale should inform his teammates of his decision right now and “clear the air”.

“I think that’s a conversation that Lachie is big enough and man enough to have, and I don’t think there’d be a Brisbane player that would be looking at him in any different way,” Thomas said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

“Go out there, get it done, you know he’s going to be super committed to the cause, which is winning another grand final before he moves on.”

AFL great Luke Hodge said it was not a surprise and it was a good decision for Collingwood. “They they need a bit of help around the stoppages with Nick Daicos, so you can understand why,” Hodge said.

“If it’s costing them nothing, they’ve got money in the salary cap, why wouldn’t they throw money towards him?”