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He opened up on his plans, what makes him tick and aspirations beyond footy.

Breakout campaign

After 20 senior games across his first three seasons, the 33rd pick in the 2020 national draft from South Fremantle logged 25 last year, flourishing in a season when Cats adjusted to life without three-time premiership great Hawkins.

Neale’s strong marking and efforts when the ball hit the turf morphed him into one of the league’s most promising young forwards.

“I came into that pre-season and into the last season thinking, or set out a goal, to play every game. That’s what I wanted to do. And, obviously, apart from that suspension late in the year, I pretty much played every game,” Neale said.

“And now it’s starting to take that objective of playing every game and starting to sort of impact games, take my game to a more consistent level, and be a bit of a barometer for the team. I want to be a forceful forward in the competition and keep taking my game to that level and just keep being a good teammate.”

Grand final disappointment

Neale had a rugged grand final, finishing with five disposals and one goal (he had six and one in the qualifying final win over the Lions). He wasn’t alone, however, on an afternoon when, with scores locked at half-time, the Lions soon took charge and stormed to a 47-point win. Neale’s direct opponent Harris Andrews was voted second best afield.

Andrews, said Neale, was a “phenomenal” defender, blessed with skill, athleticism and composure, and he was “still trying to figure him out in some ways”.

Neale said he had never experienced anything like grand final week, including the Friday parade.

“I remember it sort of shifted my preparation a lot, and it was going into a bit of the unknown really, like you hear about what it is and what takes place, but you can’t really replicate that outside of actually being involved in the grand final,” Neale said.

“So, the experience, I’m going to be better for not just the game itself, but everything that went on around it. Hopefully, we will be able to put ourselves in that situation again this year.”

Neale’s preference is for quiet pre-game preparation, including a stop at I Ragazzi’s pizza and pasta restaurant in Newtown.

“I don’t mind stopping there before a game and loading up on the carbs,” Neale said, who is known to hoover up a couple of pasta dishes and a pizza in the one serving. An Instagram video he posted is testament to that.

First sporting love

Neale represented Western Australia in the 400m and 800m, revealing he was “probably more passionate about athletics than footy, but I sort of had to play the percentages”.

“Obviously, in athletics, you’ve got to be top 10 in the world to even have a sniff of making it,” he said.

Through athletics he met Max Holmes, then a gun hurdler.

Neale said athletics helped him bond with his father Chris, whom he describes as his “best mate”.

“He was a shift worker – we sort of missed each other for a few days, I’d be going to school, and he’d be working. So when he got a day off, we would just go for a run and hang out,” Neale said.

Neale is so determined to make his grandparents and parents proud that, if he feels he has underperformed, “I’ll either apologise for having a bad game or letting them down”.

After a two-year long-distance relationship, Neale’s partner Cailan has joined him, making life away from his tight-knit family easier.

Holmes has been a great mate, their friendship intensifying when Neale was unable to get home for Christmas in his first year with the Cats, and he spent the festive period with Holmes and his family. When Holmes learnt of his own senior debut, the first person he called was Neale.

“I drove him to the ’G when he played his first game because he was too nervous,” Neale said.

The energiser that is Bailey Smith

The dashing midfielder with the flowing mullet was never far from the headlines in his maiden season with the Cats. But Neale says he played a key role in changing the vibe of the playing group.

“He’s brought a whole different energy since he got here, an energy that we haven’t really had. He’s been super important for us … he’s just himself. Since he has come down, he’s been able to embrace himself a bit more. He can be himself without anyone judging him. We are super lucky to have a player like him,” Neale said.

“You never walk past him without a smile because you don’t always know what he is going to say or do … I absolutely love him. Even pre-game, when everyone is super serious, he will throw out a couple of remarks here and there that will loosen the group up, and everyone laughs.”

Life after football

Neale wants to become a paediatric nurse, having spent time in hospital in his mid-teens.

“ I was really well looked after, and wanted to give that feeling back to the kids,” Neale said.

In year nine, he accidentally elbowed a friend in the mouth while playing football. His mate was left with a chipped tooth, while Neale needed surgery for an infected arm.

“A human bite is worse than a dog’s bite in terms of infection and whatnot,” Neale said.

Sent to hospital the following day, unable to bend his swollen arm, Neale spent five days in the care of hospital staff.

Paediatric nursing was a back-up option, had he not been drafted.

“I sort of really focused on, not failing, but not making it,” he said.

“I was really focused so that if it did not happen, then I wasn’t disappointed, whereas more so surprised at being drafted than not.”

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