Lachie Neale faces tribunal in bid to play in AFL grand final

This is relevant section of the AFL tribunal guidelines, which the Lions are widely expected to refer to:

Peter Schwab dislikes the AFL tribunal’s “exemplary record” provision, even though he hopes Lachie Neale will play in the grand final and thinks he can beat his charge.

If Brisbane fail to overturn their star’s one-game striking ban, Neale would join Schwab in one of the AFL’s most unwanted clubs – players to miss a grand final through suspension.

Given what is at stake, the Lions are certain to appeal if the tribunal upholds the ban.

But Schwab, who has an unrivalled CV across all parts of the AFL, is no fan of the clause that the Lions will undoubtedly use, if Neale is found guilty and they try to downgrade the penalty to a fine.

Thinking ahead – today’s case could eventually draw heavily on Lachie Neale’s good record. There’s a precedent here, too. All the way back in March, fellow AFL veteran Scott Pendlebury’s exemplary record over two decades paid off after the Collingwood superstar avoided suspension for a rough conduct charge stemming from their clash with Adelaide.

After avoiding the tribunal since his AFL career began in 2006, Pendlebury was fined $3000 for bumping Crows opponent Josh Worrell at the MCG on Saturday night.

Collingwood took every step possible to ensure their player would avoid suspension. At the start of his evidence six months ago, Pendlebury confirmed he’d never faced a tribunal in junior football or in his 427-game AFL career – as well as during his junior basketball career.

Remarkably, Pendlebury had only been fined a few times. The three offences that resulted in monetary penalties – for rough conduct, tripping and striking – have happened since 2022.

This is what the tribunal said when Pendlebury “got off” his charge.

There’s nothing quite like an AFL tribunal hearing during grand final week. The stakes are high for Brisbane and their experienced midfielder Lachie Neale. The two-time Brownlow medallist is having to defend a striking charge – a clash with Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan that was deemed intentional conduct, medium impact and body contact.