Lions great calls on club to get physical to help out teammate

Brisbane’s hopes of beating Melbourne could hinge on Lachie Neale’s ability to get the better of his Demons tagger.

Lions legend Simon Black discusses Brisbane’s AFL premiership hopes. Picture: Matthew Poon

Lions legend Simon Black has urged Brisbane players to put their bodies on the line to ensure superstar teammate Lachie Neale can again weave his magic in Friday night’s do-or-die semi-final against Melbourne at the MCG.

In one of the great finals performances, Neale was superb in the Lions’ thrilling two-point Gabba win over Richmond, finishing the match with 39 disposals, 21 contested possessions and 15 clearances.

Such figures could be tough to emulate this week, given the Demons, unlike the Tigers, are certain to tag Neale.

However, triple premiership winner and 2003 Norm Smith medallist Black was confident Neale could again have a huge impact on the game, but needed some help.

“He’s going to draw a lot of confidence from Thursday night, and if he gets a bit of support from his teammates around the middle ground, he’ll find opportunities to get space,” Black said of his fellow Brownlow medallist.

“If you don’t get the ball as much, it’s how you use it, and your ability to be effective, penetrating and being creative.

“He might get it (the ball) 10 or 15 times less, but when he gets it, how can he really set his team up? That’s a big challenge when you’re getting tagged.”

Lions great Simon Black gets his hands on the AFL Premiership Cup again. Picture: Matthew Poon

Black, who was at the Brisbane stop of the 2022 AFL Premiership Cup tour on Monday, called on the Lions to get “physical” with the Demons – without going overboard – to help Neale.

“Some smart physicality; just getting the body in between Lachie and his opponent at the right time around stoppages and in general play as well,” he said.

“For the Lions, it’s fair to say there’s a bit of dislike between them and the Demons at the moment, and how they handle the occasion with strong, hard, tough footy … (without) going over the top … is how they need to go about it.

“For Lach, that ability to get a bit of space at the right time, … that connection you have with your teammates around you, allows you to get that connection with the ruckman.

“He’s just got to keep on the move. That’s the key for him because if you don’t have a good start, your energy and your workrate can drop off.”

Black said Brisbane’s midfield brigade had to lift as a whole if the Lions wanted to beat Melbourne and win at the MCG for the first time since 2014.

The Demons – who were beaten by the Sydney Swans on Friday night – have thrashed the Lions twice this season.

“You need more than one or two (midfielders); you need a whole group of six or seven that are really aggressive,” Black said.

“There’s no greater challenge for Brisbane’s midfield than what they’ve got this weekend.

“They’ve really shown how it’s done in recent times, so it’s a great opportunity to show that resolve and belief they got from Thursday night.”

Originally published as Lions great calls on club to get physical to help out teammate