"Not 100% sure”: Lions unsure if Neale will stay for 2027

With Lachie Neale considering where he’ll play his football next season and beyond, Brisbane Lions GM of Football Danny Daly has admitted that there is every chance he leaves the club.

Neale’s playing future has been highly speculated, with rumours of a move to Collingwood going into overdrive after the 33-year-old visited their training facility before their clash against Carlton last week.

That news caught Brisbane coach Chris Fagan off-guard, with the 65-year-old saying that he would have preferred to have recieved a heads-up before the tour took place.

That sentiment was shared by Daly.

Speaking before Brisbane’s 67-point win against Hawthorn, the Lions football boss did admit the two-time Brownlow Medallist should have waited until after their clash against Carlton before touring Collingwood’s facilities with Neale acknowledging that's what should have happened.

“Look, we had a conversation with Lachie during the week, and Fages (Chris Fagan) had his presser (on Thursday) and was asked about it,” Daly acknowledged on AFL Nation.

“We know where the landscape is with these sort of things and players meeting opposition coaches and potential teammates down the track and touring other facilities.

“But we would probably would have preferred if it was the day after on the Sunday. Preferably not the day before.

“So that's the only conversation we had with Lachie around that and he agreed with that. If he had his time again, he probably would have done that.

“But in terms of him touring (the facilities), that's the common thing these days, isn't it?”

When asked about whether Neale’s eighth season with the Lions would be his last, Daly wasn’t sure what decision the star midfielder will make at season’s end.

“I'm not 100% sure,” he added.

“We hope he stays, but we also understand that the landscape that he's in with his kids and he's got family in Melbourne and Adelaide, and that's why he's seeking out those clubs.

“But at the end of the day, until he makes his decision, we're still a chance.

“But yeah, there's every chance he probably leaves, I would have thought.”

The Lions’ penultimate game of the home and away season takes place next Saturday against the Suns at the Gabba.

The match gets underway from 4:15pm AEST.