Neale’s star on the rise

LACHIE Neale is the new king in the north.

The relentless ball hunter is the leading possession winner in the AFL but it is fair to say Brisbane had no idea of the player they were getting when they rang his manager midway through last season.

The Lions were after a pressure forward who could also hit the scoreboard and thought injury plagued former Cat Lincoln McCarthy might be interested in a fresh start in Queensland. It was during those talks that manager Tim Lawrence mentioned that another client, McCarthy’s best mate Neale, might also be available.

It is also fair to say there was a frantic review of the club’s TPP that night to see if they could go after Neale.

It has been reported that Neale was a replacement for Dayne Beams but Brisbane had committed to he and McCarthy long before any switch.