Brisbane superstar Lachie Neale will play in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final after winning a dramatic last-gasp appeal, while Fremantle defender Brennan Cox has suffered the other side of Grand Final week with a heartbreaking selection call.

Lachie Neale’s amazing fight to play in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final has ended in triumph, with the Brisbane champion cleared to face Fremantle after his one-match suspension was overturned.

The result completes an extraordinary few days for the dual Brownlow medallist, who had appeared destined to watch Brisbane’s premiership defence from the sidelines.

Neale was suspended for striking Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan during Brisbane’s preliminary final victory. The AFL Tribunal upheld the ban on Tuesday night, rejecting his argument that the contact was a body check rather than a strike.

Brisbane refused to concede defeat and took the case to the AFL Appeals Board and it proved a gamble worth taking.

From heartbreak to Grand Final

Neale can now line up against the club where his AFL career began, with Brisbane chasing a third consecutive premiership.

There could be another twist to his story after Saturday.

Neale is widely expected to leave Brisbane at season’s end, with many credible sources reporting he has told people close to him that Collingwood, which has tabled a three-year deal, is where he intends to play in 2027.

Cruel blow for Cox

For Fremantle’s Brennan Cox, there was no such reprieve.

The key defender has missed out on the Dockers’ Grand Final side despite racing the clock to recover from the calf injury he suffered against Carlton on August 22. Fremantle has instead backed Oscar McDonald, who has filled Cox’s defensive role during the finals.

It leaves two very different stories heading into Saturday.

Neale, once seemingly certain to miss the biggest game of the year, has his chance to chase a third straight flag.

Cox can only watch as Fremantle chases its first.