Lachie Neil is still a Brisbane Lions fan favorite but there are rumors he could head to Victoria to further his career (Getty Images)
Ross Lyon will conduct due diligence during his upcoming dinner with Lachie Neil, saying it would be remiss of St Kilda not to ask about the Brisbane Lions star’s AFL future.
Rampant speculation about where Neal will play next season took another twist this week when it emerged he will catch up with Lyon at the weekend.
Lyon coached Neil at Fremantle and they have semi-regular dinners with the two-time Lions premiership ace in Geelong ahead of Thursday night’s big game against the Cats.
“This has been blown out of proportion – I regularly meet Laci in town with a close (mutual) friend,” Lyon said Thursday morning.
“It’s a casual dinner where both people are window shopping. Of course, neither side has a clear agenda.”
Lyon are disappointed by news that the dinner could be a distraction ahead of Brisbane’s game with the Cats.
“Our dinners tend to remain confidential. I know Laci and I haven’t talked about it, so it speaks less honestly to other people,” Lyon said.
Ross Lyon coached Lachie Neale at Fremantle earlier in his career, and now Lyon and Bradley Hill are at St Kilda and want to know Neale’s football future. (Getty Images/AFL Media)
But the Saints coach admitted he suggested his star midfielder Nazia Wanganin-Milera should also attend the dinner to help woo Neil.
“It was a red herring I threw in to get you all excited, and that’s what it was. That’s not true,” Lyon said.
“Both sides of the fence don’t stick to the facts in most cases.”
Lyon said dinner made a mountain out of a molehill.
“There’s due diligence, trying to get better, and that’s all there is,” he said.
“If you talk about football, it could be a club (credit) card, but they run a pretty tight ship here. It could be McDonald’s.”
Lyon doubts Neal will leave the Lions when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The messy end of Neil’s marriage has further complicated his gaming future as their children now live in Perth.
“I wouldn’t have thought he would leave Brisbane and I still don’t think it’s guaranteed,” Lyon said.
“But if Collingwood, Essendon and everyone else are talking to Lachie, I think I can wedge in between the first and the main question: ‘What are you thinking of doing with your football life?’
“Obviously it was a turbulent time.
“This is a friendly dinner that somehow turned into a real circus.”
Circus or not, even Lyon let his mind wander when he later spoke at a press conference about the young talent in the Saints midfield.
“Add Lachie Neil in there and everything looks normal… icing on the cake,” he said.
Lyon also confirmed that co-captain Jack Sinclair will not play again this season due to a serious calf injury, while Tom De Koning will miss three to four weeks with broken ribs.
Rowan Marshall (shoulder) is likely to play on Sunday against Essendon, while Matteas Phillipou is expected to return.
Key striker Max King is back in full training after being out of action since 2024 due to injury.
“We love Max and he is getting closer to returning with full classes. He looks like a million bucks – the Gold Coast was a real switch,” Lyon said of King’s trip north.
“He’s in as good a position as he’s been in a long time, and so are we. We’ll move forward with this and keep our fingers crossed.”
AARP