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Brisbane Lions Appeals Lachie Neale’s One-Match Ban

By Drooid · Sep 23, 2026, 6:17 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Brisbane Lions Appeal Ban

Brisbane Lions will appeal Lachie Neale’s one-match ban to keep him eligible for the final.
The AFL appeals board, chaired by Richard Loveridge, will hear the case Thursday afternoon.
Neale was suspended for an intentional medium-impact gut punch on Jack Ginnivan in the preliminary final.
Match review officer Michael Christian graded the contact as intentional, medium force, body contact.

Summary

AFL Enforces Gut-Punch Rule

The AFL introduced a gut-punch law this season to curb intentional abdominal strikes.
Ten gut-punch incidents this year each earned a one-match suspension.
The “exceptional and compelling circumstances” clause was applied only to Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury.
Neale’s barrister noted his 15-year career had no prior suspension despite eight guilty findings.
Andrew Woods KC said the law aims to stop repeated abdominal strikes league-wide.

History

Historical Context

After the NCAA removed the word “intentional” from its helmet-to-helmet rule in 2005 and introduced automatic ejection with a 15-yard penalty in 2013—later refined in 2014, 2016 and 2019—professional leagues have pursued comparable safety measures. The AFL’s recent gut-punch regulation, overseen by Michael Christian and chair Richard Loveridge, follows that pattern.

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Brisbane Lions Appeal Ban

Brisbane Lions will appeal Lachie Neale’s one-match ban to keep him eligible for the final.
The AFL appeals board, chaired by Richard Loveridge, will hear the case Thursday afternoon.
Neale was suspended for an intentional medium-impact gut punch on Jack Ginnivan in the preliminary final.
Match review officer Michael Christian graded the contact as intentional, medium force, body contact.

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