Advertisement

Lachie Neale swipes Collingwood as fans call out 'omen' that suggests who will win AFL grand final

Many believe the Brisbane Lions will beat the Sydney Swans due to one superstitious move during the grand final parade.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read

Lachie Neale has taken a veiled swipe at Collingwood fans while addressing the crowd at the AFL grand final parade, while many also noticed he was the captain left touching the premiership cup last on Friday. Neale was infamously booed by Collingwood fans during last year's grand final parade, ahead of the big dance between Brisbane and the Magpies that year.

Collingwood fans were filthy that Neale had beaten Nick Daicos to win the Brownlow Medal, and let the Lions co-captain know about it during the parade. Neutral observers thought it was very poor behaviour from Collingwood fans considering Neale was holding his young daughter at the time.

Lachie Neale at the AFL grand final parade.
Lachie Neale swiped Collingwood fans before making sure he was the last one touching the AFL premiership cup. Image: Getty

This year there was no such drama as the Lions prepared to take on Sydney on Saturday. In 2023 it was co-captain Harris Andrews who spoke on stage during the parade, but 12 months later that duty fell to Neale.

And he was sure to take a cheeky swipe at Collingwood in the process. When asked how he was feeling, Neale said: "I'm just glad I'm not being booed this year."

All eyes were on the stage during Friday's grand final parade, particularly during the moment the captains held the premiership cup aloft. Many believe it's a bad omen for the captain who takes his hand off the cup first, and good luck to the one who keeps it on longest.

On Friday it was Swans captain Dane Rampe (filling in for the injured Callum Mills) who let go slightly before Neale, although the Sydney veteran said he doesn't believe in superstitions and wasn't worried in the slightest. Neale appeared to be more aware of the situation and made a point to keep his hand on longer.

Lachie Neale and Dane Rampe, pictured here during the AFL grand final parade.
Lachie Neale and Dane Rampe during the AFL grand final parade. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Tellingly, it was Lions co-captain Andrews who took his hand off the cup before Collingwood counterpart Darcy Moore last year, and the Magpies went on to win the grand final. Andrews later admitted he regretted taking his hand off before Moore, who he revealed was a bit "awkward" about making sure he was left touching it longer.

“It’s haunted me all off-season to be honest,” Andrews said in March. “Collingwood made a big deal about holding the cup, being the last one to let go of the cup at the grand final parade. It was a little awkward up on the stage because we’re sort of both standing there and I’m not really sure what’s happening.”

Andrews said he'd instructed Neale not to make the same mistake. “If I get to that situation again and it’ll probably be Lachie this time, I’ll be imploring him that he certainly doesn’t let go and probably take the cup home with him," he joked.

RELATED:

The grand final parade isn't the only instance in which the Lions co-captains have switched roles this year. Speaking on Thursday night, Andrews said he and Neale have swapped who flips the coin this time around, and who gets to lift the cup on stage if Brisbane win.

Last year it was Neale who was involved in the coin toss and Andrews who would have been presented with the cup, but in 2024 it's the other way around. "We worked on that last year. I'll go out and do the coin toss. Lach will hold the cup up if we win," he said on the grand final Footy Show on Channel 9.

"It was vice-versa last year. I'll just be so excited for him (Neale) and obviously us as a club if he's able to get up there on Saturday afternoon."