AI-generated summary
Lachie Neale received a one-match ban from the AFL Tribunal for a striking incident during Tuesday night's match, which he is now appealing to the AFL Appeal Board in hopes of playing in the AFL Grand Final.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to a big afternoon as ABC's live online coverage of AFL grand final week resumes.
Later today we will have the team selection for both the Lions and the Dockers.
First up, however, we're back in remote hearing territory, as Brisbane's Lachie Neale goes to the AFL Appeal Board to try to overturn his one-match striking ban ahead of the biggest game of the year.
Tuesday night's proceedings went for four and a half hours. We hope today doesn't go quite as long, but never take anything for granted in grand final week!
My name is Andrew McGarry, and I am here to bring you all the proceedings from Neale's appeal and the team news.
Let's go!
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The AFL Appeal Board will deliver a decision on Lachie Neale's ban later today.
Likely · Within hours
The 2026 AFL Grand Final will be held on Saturday, September 26 at 2:30pm AEST at the MCG, featuring the Brisbane Lions seeking a historic second threepeat and the Fremantle Dockers aiming for their first premiership since joining the league in 1995. The match will be broadcast exclusively on Channel 7 and 7Plus, with Kylie Minogue set to perform pre-game at approximately 1:30pm. Team lineups remain pending, pending the outcome of Lachie Neale’s tribunal appeal, while Simon Black and Shaun McManus are set to present the premiership cup to the winning team.
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