Lachie Neale has endured boos, headlines, a tribunal marathon and enough grand final-week drama to fill several seasons of Neighbours.
So after Brisbane secured a remarkable third consecutive AFL premiership on Saturday, the Lions champion decided to ask one very simple question.
“What now…”
Neale posted the two-word message to Instagram alongside a photograph of himself posing with Brisbane’s three premiership cups from the past three seasons – which, it must be said, is a fairly effective way of making your point without writing an essay.
The 33-year-old had entered the grand final against Fremantle as one of the biggest talking points of the week after initially being suspended for striking Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan during Brisbane’s preliminary final win.
Neale’s one-match ban was upheld by the AFL Tribunal, which found he had intentionally struck Ginnivan off the ball.
At that stage it appeared his grand final was over before it had begun.
But Brisbane took the case to the AFL Appeals Board, where Neale was ultimately cleared to play under the league’s “exceptional and compelling circumstances” provision, with his long disciplinary record – 321 games without a suspension – helping him earn a reprieve.
That meant Neale was there when Brisbane came from behind to defeat Fremantle and complete a stunning premiership three-peat.
It also meant he had a fairly substantial answer for those who had spent the week arguing he shouldn’t be anywhere near the MCG.
Three cups, lined up neatly in a row.
Subtle? Not particularly.
Effective? Absolutely.
There was still one final piece of unfinished business, however.
Ginnivan popped up in the comments beneath Neale’s Instagram post with a single cherry emoji – seemingly suggesting the premiership was the cherry on top of an extraordinary Brisbane career.
Neale could have left it there. He did not.
“Hope your tummy OK my guy,” he replied, a cheeky reference to the strike that had started the entire tribunal saga in the first place.
And with that, one of grand final week’s more dramatic storylines received perhaps the most AFL ending imaginable: two footballers having a laugh about it on Instagram.
Ginnivan was not injured in the original incident, although the AFL Tribunal had ruled the contact was sufficiently forceful to warrant a one-match suspension under the league’s 2026 crackdown on off-the-ball body strikes.
Neale, meanwhile, had another reason to savour the moment.
The premiership victory is expected to have been his final appearance for Brisbane after eight seasons at the club, with a move to Collingwood anticipated during the off-season. He finished his Lions career – if this was indeed the end – with three consecutive premierships.
After the match, Neale admitted the reality of leaving Brisbane had not yet sunk in.
“It doesn’t feel real at the moment, but I’m sure it will sink in,” he said.
He described his eight seasons at the Lions as “the best eight years of my life”, adding that he was going to miss the club “very much”.
For now, though, Neale appears happy to enjoy the moment.
And after a week spent arguing his case before various AFL legal bodies, perhaps two words really were enough.
“What now…”
Well, judging by the photograph, probably finding somewhere in the house to put three premiership cups.
