Essendon have emerged as a dark horse in the race for Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale, with the two-time premiership midfielder set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. The 33-year-old is widely expected to leave the Lions, and multiple clubs are circling the two-time Brownlow medallist.
Collingwood Frontrunners, but Essendon in the Mix
Collingwood appear as the frontrunners for Neale, but Adelaide and St Kilda have also made pitches. West Coast or his former club Fremantle could be options if he wants to be closer to his children and estranged wife. However, 7NEWS Melbourne chief footy reporter Mitch Cleary has revealed that Essendon have thrown their hat in the ring.
“I’ve still got Collingwood as the favourites for Lachie Neale when he most likely leaves the Lions at the end of this season. He’ll meet with St Kilda and coach Ross Lyon and Lenny Hayes later this weekend,” Cleary said on Wednesday night’s edition of The Agenda Setters. “We can also tell you that Lachie Neale, in recent weeks, before Brad Scott was sacked from the Essendon footy club, met with the outgoing Essendon coach about a future at the Essendon footy club. And I understand there are conversations and dialogue still ongoing between the Neale camp and the Essendon footy club.”
Essendon's Salary Cap Flexibility
Cleary noted that Essendon have significant salary cap space to lure a big-name player. “As I said, still Collingwood in front, but it just points to where Essendon sits in the market right now, looking for a senior player with experience. He would walk in at Essendon as their only premiership player right now. And as Brad told us, on this desk, they’ve got $3 million to splash in their salary cap,” Cleary added.
Former Essendon coach Brad Scott revealed the Bombers’ war chest after his sacking, but said the club wasn’t ready to spend it yet. Tom Morris added: “And my understanding is one of the considerations for Lachie Neale is to play a Luke Hodge-type role at a club like Essendon: to walk in, to rebuild it and to set it up for future success.”
St Kilda Seen as Best Fit by Some Analysts
Kate McCarthy said Essendon would be a great fit for Neale, but that St Kilda would benefit most, where he could reunite with former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon. “I think he can definitely go to a club and play a role like that. It’s clear his prowess on the field is still some of the best in the game to win the ball in and under. But I don’t know, I feel like from the clubs that we’ve spoken about there, I think the best fit for Lachie would be St Kilda because I think he can still play that Luke Hodge-style role where you go to a club and bring your experience, bring your leadership on-field to that group because they’re missing something really quite big within that midfield. They’ve got so many young players that are really improving this season. We’ve seen them grow and grow and grow, but Lachie Neale could add so much to that midfield at St Kilda,” McCarthy said.
