Is Lachie Neale SA’s greatest player after second Brownlow Medal?

Originally touted as an undersized prospect out of Kybybolite and Glenelg, Brisbane Lions star and dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale is now among SA’s greatest players. So who’s the best?

When Robbie Neale realised his son, Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale, had just won the Brownlow Medal for the second time, he turned a shade of grey that worried his wife Deb.

“He does sort of have a racing heart condition and he gets a bit washed out looking with that and it looked the same to me and I thought ‘oh god’,” Deb told The Advertiser from their hometown of Robe.

“I think you were in shock.’’

But Robbie was fine, although he admits he was “shaking’’ at a victory he had not seen coming.

Which was understandable. Lachie had told him over a Sunday morning coffee – the day after the Lions had disposed of Carlton to reach the grand final – he was no chance of repeating his 2021 success.

“He said ‘nah dad I’ll get run over in the end, there’s some big hitters in there’.”

Lachie’s mum Amanda Taylor watched the count on her property at Kybybolite, 2km from the oval where her son started playing footy, with partner Bret Shepherd and their son Will.

She was also relaxed at the start but that evaporated as it became clear Lachie was a big

chance to win for the second time.

“I was quite chilled about it until the last few rounds and then instead of sitting back relaxed I was on the edge of my seat.’’

Lachie made SA footy history on Monday night by becoming the first SANFL draftee to win two Brownlow Medals.

Already a Brownlow Medallist with the Lions in 2020, Neale achieved the feat again for Brisbane this season, finishing on 31 votes – two clear of Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli.

The 30-year-old onballer will play in his second AFL grand final on Saturday and is now the first player to poll 25 or more votes in four separate counts and is the number two three-voter of all time behind Bontompelli.

While Lachie – a junior with South East club Kybybolite alongside players like Jack Trengove, former Glenelg star Andrew Bradley and former Fremantle player Alex Forster – was often touted as an undersized prospect for his hometown side and Glenelg, his skills with the footy were undeniable.

Lachie Neale poses with the Brownlow Medal during a Brisbane Lions AFL training session at Brighton Homes Arena. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Forster, who played with Lachie at Kybybolite and during his early years with Fremantle and is still great mates with the midfielder, said his ability in the contest was plain to see.

“As a junior he was a very similar player to what you see in the AFL now with his ability to find the footy cleanly in the contest and get it to teammates,” Forster said.

“He just continued to get better and better and he was and still is very driven to be the best he can be.

“He wasn’t actually invited to draft camp and the talk and feedback about him being too small probably did get to him, but he didn’t let it show in his actions and just continued to work as hard as he could to prove people wrong.”

Dual Glenelg premiership player and captain Max Proud, who led the Tigers to the 2023 flag over Sturt on Sunday, played alongside Lachie during his early years with the SANFL club after he joined from Kybybolite.

He said Lachie’s potential was through the roof.

“I remember him coming down from the country and there wasn’t much of him, he was sort of this small and quiet kid but as soon as we saw his skills on the field and what he was able to do, we knew he could be something pretty special,” Proud said.

“I was still pretty young and training alongside him but he moved up to SANFL League footy pretty quickly as a teenager. For a kid who was quite small to be able to play among men at that level, that really stood out.

Kybybolite 2004 Junior Colts Premiers where Brownlow Medal winner Lachie Neale is pictured second from left in the front row, next to Andrew Bradley (right). Alex Forster (front, far right) and Jack Trengove (middle, fourth from left) are also pictured. Picture: Matt Turner

“For the Glenelg Footy Club to have someone of that caliber who’s now won a couple Brownlows and is tied to the club, it’s huge, and we know he still has that connection to the club here. It means a lot to us.”

Kris Massie, who gave Lachie his first opportunity at SANFL League level for Glenelg, was also full of praise for the midfielder.

“Lachie was by far the hardest working and most humble player I coached,” Massie said.

“His cleanliness by hand and ability to outwork the opposition really stood out.”

While Forster said Lachie’s second Brownlow win may have come as a surprise to some, he believed the achievement now put him among SA’s greatest players.

Lachie Neale (Glenelg) with (Port Adelaide), Alex Forster (Norwood), Mitch Grigg (Norwood) and Chad Wingard (Sturt) ahead of being drafted. Picture: File

“The count was pretty insane and I think a lot of people were probably a bit rattled because it was more unexpected than his 2020 win but we knew from the start he could achieve big things,” Forster said.

“I’m proud of him. It was apparent from his early Freo days from the way he performed and trained that he was destined to play a lot of great AFL footy.

“I think by the time it’s all said and done he’d have to be near the top in terms of SA’s greatest.

“There are some great players in the conversation but he has a lot of good footy left in him still and he has to be in the discussion.”

Originally published as Is Lachie Neale SA’s greatest player after second Brownlow Medal?