Collingwood has emerged as a serious suitor for Lachie Neale after Cal Twomey said the 33-year-old is “very much looking at leaving Brisbane” and could be on the move without a trade because he is an unrestricted free agent. Twomey also said Collingwood is “very keen” on the Lions premiership player, with club list boss Justin Leppitsch having watched him at the weekend.
The interest has come at a point when the AFL season is only barely halfway through, but trade talk is already gathering pace. Neale’s name is drawing attention now because the Magpies are weighing their list direction after their loss to Melbourne in the King’s birthday clash, and because any move for him would be an immediate statement rather than a long-term project.
Twomey said the Magpies’ interest is not isolated. “WA clubs and Adelaide still interested as well,” he said, adding that he believes Neale will be somewhere else next year. For Brisbane, that leaves the focus on whether one of its most decorated players is about to be pulled into an early bidding war while the club still has games to play this season.
The fit is not without its complications. Collingwood has the oldest list in football, and there is a view in football circles that it needs to refresh rather than lean further into experience. It also has a forward line that has struggled to kick big scores regularly, which is why some around the club have been pushing for younger talent and a key forward rather than another established name. Yet Neale’s class and the fact he can walk as a free agent make him a different sort of target, one that would not cost draft capital if Collingwood can sell him on a move south.
That is the pressure point in the chase. Collingwood may be chasing immediate impact while others argue for rejuvenation, and Neale, 33, sits right in the middle of that debate. If Twomey is right and he does end up at a new club, the question is less whether the Lions have admirers waiting, and more whether Collingwood can turn early interest into a deal before rivals from Western Australia or Adelaide get the chance.
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