Neale suspension upheld, ruling him out of AFL grand final

Lachie Neale's prospects of playing in Saturday's AFL grand final have effectively ended after the tribunal upheld his one-game suspension, according to Guardian Sport.

The ban was handed down for intentional striking against Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan during last week's preliminary final. The tribunal found Neale guilty of the charge and declined to overturn the penalty.

Neale, a two-time Brownlow medallist, attempted to have the suspension set aside by invoking the same 'exceptional and compelling circumstances' provision that spared Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury from a ban earlier this season.

That argument did not succeed. The tribunal rejected the plea, meaning the standard one-match penalty stands and Neale will not be available to Brisbane for the grand final.

Central to Neale's case was his disciplinary record. He had never been suspended across 320 matches in the AFL, a record his side hoped would count in his favour given the stakes of a grand final appearance.

The tribunal's decision means that record, while unblemished until now, was not enough to secure the same leniency afforded to Pendlebury. The comparison between the two cases had been the crux of Brisbane's argument.

Brisbane must now prepare for Saturday's grand final without one of its most influential midfielders. Neale's absence removes a key figure from the Lions' midfield mix at the biggest occasion of the season.

The result leaves Brisbane to plot its grand final approach around the loss of a dual Brownlow medallist, with the club having exhausted its avenue of appeal through the tribunal process.