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Injured Lions Captain Shocks with Grand Final Comeback
27 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Brisbane Lions captain Lachie Neale set to play as sub despite calf injury
- Neale was long shot to recover in time for the AFL grand final
- Geelong's Jhye Clark, the sub, has seized unexpected grand final opportunity
In a surprising turn of events, Brisbane Lions captain Lachie Neale is set to play in the 2025 AFL grand final against Geelong, despite being long odds to recover from a calf injury. Neale, who last played in early August, was initially expected to miss the big game, but has made a remarkable comeback and will start as the substitute.
On the other side, Geelong's Jhye Clark has also seized an unexpected grand final opportunity. The 21-year-old, who was not even expected to be drafted by his local team, has worked his way into the Cats' lineup and will likely be the sub for the grand final. Clark impressed in a recent training session and was thrust into action in last week's preliminary final, playing well in the win over Hawthorn.
Both Neale and Clark's stories have added an extra layer of intrigue to the highly anticipated AFL grand final showdown between the Lions and the Cats at the MCG.
