Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says his club is “not going to hold anyone to ransom”, insisting if Lachie Neale wants to exercise his free agency rights for family reasons, the dual Brownlow Medallist would leave the Lions “with our blessing”.
Neale on Thursday returned to pre-season training with Brisbane teammates as the club begins its quest for a three-peat.
It comes less than a week after Neale fronted the media to confirm a separation from wife Jules and the decision to step down as Brisbane co-captain.
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It’s understood Jules has moved back to Perth with the couple’s two children.
Neale, a dual premiership player, six-time club best and fairest and four-time All-Australian, is off-contract at season’s end and eligible to move clubs as a free agent, sparking speculation he could return to later this year.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Fagan said he was unaware of Neale’s plans beyond this year.
“I hope he does (stay at the Lions), but he’s an unrestricted free agent,” Fagan said on Thursday. “So he can make a call on what he needs to do and he probably needs the next six or seven months to see what the next right step is.
“As I say, I hope he stays and plays with us. But if he chooses to move back to Perth because he needs to be closer to his children, then he’ll do that with our blessing.
“We’re not going to hold anyone to ransom. We’ll just go along with the flow on that.”
Fagan said the Lions would “wrap our arms” around both Neale and his family during a “really difficult time”.
“Obviously, sad for Jules, sad for Lachie, sad for the children, sad that it’s become such a public thing,” Fagan said.
“But our job as a footy club, as we do with all of our players, is that they all make mistakes from time to time because they’re human. Everybody standing here has probably made one at some point in time.
“Our job is just to wrap our arms around him and his family and help them where we can. Outside of that, it’s a private issue. That’s where we stand with it.
Fagan said Neale “wasn’t forced by anyone” to hold a press conference last week and address the separation about his marriage.
“I thought it was pretty brave what he did last week. He stood up and owned it. Not many people have to do that in the community.
“His marriage has hit an obstacle. But he elected to do that (address reporters).
“I thought that showed really good emotional intelligence and a real sense of responsibility, so I admire him for that.”
While insisting Brisbane was yet to settle on its 2026 leadership structure, Fagan said Harris Andrews was “more than capable” of leading the Lions on his own, while Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley “really stand out” as other options.
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