ALMOST like a sixth sense, Lachie Neale can smell September.
Despite some highly-publicised off-field incidents in 2026, Brisbane's two-time Brownlow Medal winner has put together a superb campaign to date, rounding out beautifully as the Lions head into an eighth consecutive finals campaign.
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Neale stood aside from the captaincy early in the pre-season following the breakdown of his marriage, and was then seen touring Collingwood's facilities in July as he weighed up his free agency future.
Amid speculation about his personal and professional life, the 33-year-old has thrived on the field, averaging 30 disposals a game for the fifth time in his illustrious career.
"He's been incredible," coach Chris Fagan said.
"He's had a lot going on, and a lot of really uncomfortable and difficult stuff to deal with, and some commentary, via media, has been pretty tough on him.
"Whether he deserves it or not, and it's not something I can buy into, but he's had to deal with that.
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"He's dealt with it incredibly well, and he seems to be one of those people that can compartmentalize his professional life as a footballer and what's going on outside of that.
"He's done that incredibly well, and I think too that our club's provided him with a lot of support. He always looks forward to coming to work because we've created that safe environment, that supportive environment that is needed."
No-one has won more centre clearances (86) in the AFL than Neale this year. He is also ranked fourth for total clearances, fourth for contested possessions and fifth for disposals.
And with the Lions needing to win their final three matches of the home-and-away season to secure a top four position, he only raised his game.
In the must-win Friday night match against Hawthorn at the Gabba, it was 35 disposals and a season-high nine tackles. And following a quieter match against Gold Coast (where he honestly wasn't really needed), Neale went to work against Collingwood with another 35 and a stunning 16 clearances to ensure a third-place finish on the ladder for his team.
Neale has shown during his career he thrives in September.
You only have to think back to last year's Grand Final, where he famously came on in the second half as a substitute after overcoming a serious ankle injury to play, to realise his impact.
With scores level at the main break, Neale impacted in the most dramatic of fashion, clearing the ball seven times from his 17 touches and kicking the game's match-defining goal late in the third quarter.
In the 2024 Grand Final, he was pipped by Will Ashcroft for the Norm Smith Medal, which came a week after his powerhouse preliminary final performance against the Cats (31 and 12 clearances).
On the eve of what could be his final September run during his eight years in Brisbane, Neale could not have done any more this year, his coach says.
"What we find with Lachie and what we find with (fellow free agent) Zac Bailey … is that they can put whatever is going on off the field behind and play good footy on the field, and that's really our primary concern," Fagan said.
"Obviously, we want to keep them as players. We're desperate to do that, but it doesn't change what we do on a daily basis here.
"We know those blokes are going to give their best effort. We know that they're team players, and I think you know we're growing up as an industry now.
"Back in the day, that used to be frowned upon, that sort of behaviour from someone announcing that they're leaving to go to another club during the season, but now that's just part and parcel of footy, so we just take it with a grain of salt and focus on what we need to focus on."
