Brisbane big gun says team firing once again
Brisbane superstar Lachie Neale is confident he will be fit to play in his milestone game on Thursday after sitting out the end of the Lions’ breakthrough Gather Round win.
Neale said ankle soreness from an incident during the round 3 loss to Collingwood had led to the decision for him to be subbed out early in the final quarter of the Kangaroos clash at Norwood.
The dual Brownlow medallist, who is poised to play his 250th AFL game at the MCG against Melbourne on Thursday, denied a “splintering” among Brisbane players had been responsible for the disastrous 0-4 start to the season.
But he said the Lions playing with “more energy” and celebrating each other’s efforts more had been a key difference as they claimed their first victory since last year’s preliminary final.
“I don’t know if it makes us closer – we’re pretty close as it is,” Neale said when asked about the scrutiny into Brisbane players’ relationships after the loss to Collingwood.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen any splintering or anything at all, we feel like we’re a pretty tightknit group all the time.
“Having that questioned I suppose, or put in the public forum maybe does give you an extra 1 or 2 per cent.
“But I thought the guys really celebrated on the weekend – our goals, our smothers, tackles, all the little things, we celebrated them well, which was probably lacking a little bit in the first couple of weeks.”
Neale, 30, said he was feeling the benefits of sitting out the final quarter on Friday as he praised the Lions’ fitness staff for helping him back up between matches when he sometimes doubted he could make it to the line.
“(The ankle) is feeling pretty good, it’s pulled up well, so probably the extra quarter’s rest helped I reckon,” he said.
“Just from the week before, I had a pretty nasty roll against Collingwood – the game was pretty much over I think at threequarter time, so I just had a little rest.
“Like everyone I’ve got to tick off some agility and speed and whatnot to make sure I’m ready to go, but it feels better than this time last week so I’m really confident that I’ll be good to go Thursday night.”
He said Brisbane’s adjustments to their decision-making heading inside 50 had been notable as they dismantled the Kangaroos and would be crucial again in combating a Melbourne backline led by star interceptors Steven May and Jake Lever. “I think the biggest thing was our ball movement and our cohesion with our forwards, giving them the best chance,” he said.
“I thought we lowered our eyes a bit better.”