Former Fremantle teammate Lee Spur backs Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale to play grand finalGlen QuartermainThe West AustralianSun, 21 September 2025 2:09PMCommentsCommentsEmail Glen Quartermain
A former Fremantle teammate has backed Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale to shrug off a calf injury and play in Saturday’s grand final against Geelong.
Lee Spurr, who played alongside Neale in the 2013 grand final, says it’s not even a 50-50 chance the ex-Docker will recover in time for a tilt at a second flag in as many seasons.
He has also urged Lions and coach Chris Fagan to take a punt on the midfielder, even if he isn’t 100 per cent fit.
Neale watched on as his side beat Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday evening, before declaring in the rooms post-match he would attempt to train fully and make a miraculous return.
“He’ll play,” Spurr said.
“You can definitely numb the pain and while the one problem with that is you end up doing some serious damage to it, I think Lachie plays.”
Spurr told The West Australian Neale — who is renowned as one of the game’s most diligent preparers — had “done the work and will be doing everything he can to get himself right”.
“He seems to have done the work and he will be doing everything he can to get himself right,” he said.
“It’s all about your high speed. I’ve done a few calves over the journey and Lachie has done a few too.
“You can run it that medium pace., it’s all about the explosion with the calves and can you can you get through?
“I have no doubt he can go out there and get around 75-80 per cent.”
Dual Brownlow medallist Neale was considered no chance to play again in 2025 when he damaged his calf muscle in Brisbane’s qualifying final loss to the Cats on September 5.
The 32-year-old looked dejected after the game and needed two miracles to happen – his injured calf to heal and his Lions to win two more finals to make it through to the last Saturday in September.
He has ticked off one of those following the Lions’ 29-point preliminary final win over Collingwood.
And while Brisbane medicos gave him little chance of returning in September as recently as a week ago, Neale is mounting a compelling case.
He completed 8km under the watchful eyes of strength and conditioning staff on Saturday and has spent time in a hyberbaric chamber.
Spurr said he would play Neale at 75 per cent fitness.
“I think he brings his experience and I think what you see with Lachie Neale is in in the big games when they’re struggling he gets them going,” Spurr said.
“Like we saw with Danger (Patrick Dangerfield) against Hawthorn, he can do the sort of things under pressure, win the ball and distribute to blokes on the outside.
“Lachie is going to get attention in the grand final.
“It’s a big game but Lachie, he is worth (the risk) it, he is so good around the source, so clean.
“You think about the grand final they lost two years ago. He was really well held by Tom Mitchell and that was that pretty much was a difference.
“He is so important from a centre clearance point of view.
“In grand finals if you can win the ball from the source with contested possession and get it played in your front half, that’s half the battle.”
The heartache story might be mid-forward Jarrod Berry, who looks likely to miss with a shoulder injury.
Neale told Fox Footy he completed the “hardest training session” of his life on Saturday morning, and he got through it unscathed.
“It was one of the hardest sessions I have ever done, and [I] got through it fine. I think I should confer with the doctor, but I think I have been given the all clear,” he said.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was salivating over the prospect of getting his gun midfielder back to face the Cats.
“He completed a very searching training session this morning, and our fitness blokes are telling me he’s probably in really good shape to play. He’s a chance to play,” Fagan told Fox Footy.
Respected Dr Peter Larkins believes there is a high degree of risk if Neale plays.
” I think he’s an outside chance, I wouldn’t say he’s better than even,” Dr Larkins said on 3AW Football.
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