Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale the big winner on AFL awards night

Lachie Neale’s superb 2020 season has been acknowledged by his peers and AFL coaches.

Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale poses with the Leigh Matthews Trophy at Metricon Stadium after being announced as the 2020 AFL Players Association MVP. Picture: Getty Images

Lachie Neale’s superb season has resulted in the Lions midfielder being acknowledged by his peers and the league’s coaches as the competition’s best player in 2020.

On a bumper awards ceremony on Thursday night, Neale was the biggest winner as the AFL and other industry bodies ­announced their prizes for the ­season.

Events such as the Rising Star, which was won by Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong, and the AFL Coaches Champion Player Award usually receive separate billings for their major announcements each September.

But given the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, it was decided to compress the various announcements into a digital awards night broadcast by Fox Footy.

The All Australian side was also announced, with Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield revealed as captain when he was named in the team for the eighth time.

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The 22-man side included 12 players receiving All Australian honours for the first time.

Dangerfield, Neale, Harris Andrews, Marcus Bontempelli, Max Gawn, Tom Hawkins and Jack Macrae held their positions from last year. Eagles star Nic Naitanui was named the first ruck.

Neale, who is in his second season with Brisbane after starting his career at Fremantle, claimed the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL’s Most Valuable Player. The starting rover in the All Australian team also received the AFL Coaches honour in recognition of his consistent excellence in the Brisbane midfield.

The Lions star is also considered an overwhelming $1.35 favourite to win the Brownlow Medal next month.

The 27-year-old said he prized the respect of his peers after receiving the AFLPA MVP honour.

“It’s an award that I’m super proud to have won. To be voted by those who I play with and against makes it a really special award,” Neale said. “I really respect the opinion of the other players and to be voted by them this year is something that I will look back on and be ­really proud of. To be alongside some of the other names who have won this award is a feeling that hasn’t sunk in yet.”

 

Dangerfield, who is the president of the AFLPA, praised Neale for an outstanding year in which he was a clear winner from Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak and Melbourne midfielder Christian Petracca.

“Lachie has been the standout player in the competition and it’s no surprise that he’s won the vote of the players this year,” he said.

“He’s got that balance between inside and outside play that midfielders aim to strike. He’s tough at the clinches and can also hurt teams with his ball use.

“He saw a former teammate in Nat Fyfe win this award a few years ago and now he’s got a Leigh Matthews Trophy of his own.”

Fyfe was among those to pay tribute to the former Docker, who has flourished in a leadership role in Brisbane.

“Lachie goes about his business quietly behind closed doors and is always looking for avenues to improve, whether that’s seeking out past players, coaching staff or anyone who might help him gain a competitive edge,” he said.

Rising Star award winner, Fremantle’s Caleb Serong. Picture: Getty Images

Serong enjoyed an outstanding debut season for the Dockers, where he spent a significant amount of time in the midfield while learning from the dual-Brownlow Medallist Fyfe.

He was nominated for the award after showing tremendous potential when pitted against Dangerfield in Round 8.

Serong averaged almost 17 disposals when playing 14 games for the year.

“On the field he’s done a great job with all the challenges we’ve thrown at him,” Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said.

Gold Coast duo Noah Anderson and Izak Rankine placed second and fourth in the Rising Star, while St Kilda’s Max King and Hawthorn’s Will Day rounded out the top five.

Matt Rowell had been a standout and clear favourite to be named the 2020 Rising Star until injuring a shoulder in Round 5.