Live: Lachie Neale's grand final dreams on the line at AFL tribunal

The Brisbane Lions head to the AFL tribunal to challenge Lachie Neale's ban for striking Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan, in the hopes of freeing the dual Brownlow medallist for the grand final.Neale's "gut-punch" on Ginnivan could mean the former Brisbane co-captain has played his last game for the Lions, as the team prepares to face Fremantle on Saturday seeking a second premiership three-peat in club history.Follow all the proceedings and news in our live blog.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:37pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:37pmMixed views on Brisbane hopes without NealeI think the Lions can win without him, Fages will need to make the right decisions on the team and matchups, and we will need some lucky factors like avoiding injuries to other key favours. But we have enough depth to overcome losing Neale.- TraceyDaniel: Neale tailed off a bit at the end of the season and hasn't been that good in the finals this year, Brisbane will be fine without him for the GF given their midfield depth. Don't think his on-field record should have any sway for an off-the-ball incident. Only thing that should save him would be a challenge on the impact (low instead of high), which might come with challenging how conclusive the vision is.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:37pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:37pmThe banned players who missed out on a grand finalAndrew Gaff's hit on Andrew Brayshaw in the 2018 Western Derby ended his season five weeks early (Getty Images)As Lachie Neale prepares to front the appeals board, it's a fine time to look back at other players who found themselves in strife for the most important game of the year.We have to remember that the offending incidents don't need to happen in a preliminary final, however.Andrew Gaff's punch that broke Andrew Brayshaw's jaw in an fiery, fractious and infamous Western Derby saw the Eagles player miss West Coast's 2018 grand final win five weeks later.Collingwood pair Anthony Rocca and Jason Cloke missed out on the decider a year apart, in 2003 and 2002 respectively, thanks to two-game striking bans.Rocca hit Port Adelaide's Brendon Lade and failed on appeal, while Cloke hit Adelaide's Tyson Edwards in his prelim and also could not convince the appeals board.North Melbourne's Jason McCartney missed out on the Kangaroos' most-recent flag, in 1999, for hitting Brisbane's Clarke Keating in the prelim.Lesson to be learned here: stop hitting people, people!Also in 1989, Hawthorn's Peter Schwab missed out on arguably the greatest grand final of all time, when he was given three weeks for a high hit on Essendon's Andrew Manning in the semi-final.Perhaps the most infamous one of all happened in 1967, when Richmond ruck Neville Crowe missed the grand final (and a Tigers win over Geelong) for a striking charge on Carlton's John Nicholls in the semi-final. Nicholls had initiated things with a jumper punch, then Crowe swung, but missed.However the umpire thought he connected and Nicholls responded … enthusiastically, falling to ground. Video evidence was not acceptable at the time, and the tribunal gave Crowe a four-week ban.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:31pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:31pmWhen does the Lachie Neale hearing start?Lachie Neale was at Brisbane training this morning - now he will be appearing in a hearing to decide whether he can play in the grand final (ABC News: Will Murray)Cal: What time does it start?The hearing, which is being held remotely, is due to start at 5pm AEST.This morning the Brisbane Lions held their open training session at Ipswich. Lachie Neale was there, along with teammates and a large crowd of Lions fans. Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:29pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:29pmHow does Brisbane replace Lachie Neale if he's banned?We're talking hypotheticals here, but if Lachie Neale is unsuccessful today, how do the Lions go about replacing him in the grand final?A quick look at the Hawthorn-Brisbane prelim shows how many centre bounces the various Lions attended:Will Ashcroft - 35Josh Dunkley - 31Lachie Neale - 31Sam Draper - 25Darcy Fort - 17Zac Bailey - 11Cam Rayner - 10Hugh McCluggage - 8Neale's contribution was significant - he had 26 disposals, five tackles and nine clearances, including four vital centre clearances.It's unclear who would take up the slack. Perhaps McCluggage might take more of a presence in the middle, although his role has not been similar to Neale's. There's no like-for-like replacement, so any increase in midfield time for people like Zac Bailey or Cam Rayner would have an impact on the forward line.Bottom line - the Lions will REALLY be hoping that Neale is cleared today.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:26pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:26pmYour early comments on the Lachie Neale hearingAs an Eagles fan I'd like Neale to get off and then have 40 on Saturday, but like Brisbane's chances of winning, odds are very very slim. Flagmantle is (unfortunately) inevitable.- LWPhillip: The thing I find most strange is why on earth a player with such a record would deliberately punch another , from behind , knowing there are probably a dozen cameras watching . Sadly such an act is just not acceptable and he must stay outed imho.ben: surely Neale's clean record his entire career will work in his favourTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:22pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:22pmBrisbane the flag favourites — for nowAs things stand, Brisbane Lions are favoured to win their third flag in a row on Saturday.There is no suggestion of a blowout to either side, but betting markets have the Lions with an edge over the Dockers.The question is: will this remain the case if the Lions fail in their appeal?You'd have to think that it would become a virtual flip-of-the-coin contest - at best - for Brisbane if Neale is unable to play.What do YOU think — how much is Lachie Neale worth to Brisbane in this grand final?Let us know in the comments.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:14pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:14pmGut punches have led to bans this seasonThe Brisbane Lions will be hoping to overturn the one-week ban at today's hearing.However, it has to be said that several AFL players have been banned for gut punches this season alone.These include Adelaide's Max Michalanney and Riley Thilthorpe, Carlton's Will Hayward, Richmond's Samson Ryan, and Hawthorn pair James Sicily and Dylan Moore.So there is precedent for the penalty issued by the MRO.We will have to wait a while to find out whether Lachie Neale joins this list or not.Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:06pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 4:06pmThe incident that saw Lachie Neale bannedIt was the first quarter of the dramatic preliminary final between Hawthorn and Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday night.The ball was in or near Brisbane's forward 50 when Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan clashed with Lions forward Eric Hipwood.The ball had moved on, and as Hipwood lay on the ground, Neale ran past Ginnivan and appeared to swing at the Hawthorn player's stomach. Ginnivan went down, but almost immediately got up again.The assessment of the match review officer was: Intentional conduct, medium impact, and body contact.That all adds up to a one-game ban as things stand — and no grand final for Neale. You can view the clip below:Tue 22 Sep 2026 at 3:56pmTue 22 Sep 2026 at 3:56pmWelcomeHello, good afternoon and welcome to ABC's live coverage of the AFL Tribunal hearing for Brisbane's Lachie Neale ahead of the grand final.Some Tribunal hearings are normal occasions, and while they mean something to the team involved, they don't move the needle, so to speak.Today, however, is not one of those occasions.A dual Brownlow medallist, and former co-captain of the Lions, is facing the end of his career with Brisbane, and potentially missing out on a fourth straight grand final, thanks to a one-match striking ban following the preliminary final.The stakes, then, are … high.Will Neale win the day and manage to finish his time with the Lions on the last Saturday in September, or will the next game he plays potentially be in black and white?My name is Andrew McGarry, and I will be bringing you all the arguments and the decision out of today's hearing.Let's go!