Not all games are equal. This radical idea for grand final punishments proves it

September 23, 2026 — 3:59pm

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The most commonly uttered words in football this week related to Lachie Neale, which is quite a feat given Hawthorn, abuse and umpires would top any Google News search.

The first was the refrain: “You shouldn’t miss a grand final for that.”

But it also commonly included a rejoinder: “Players have got a week for that all year. He has to go.”

The third was pithier: “He’s lucky they took the good bloke defence out of compelling and exceptional circumstances.”

Few people would have been more invested in the Neale tribunal decision than Greg Swann. It was Swann who started last season as the Brisbane CEO and ended it as the AFL football boss who personally drove a rule change to elevate minor gut punches to a level demanding a one-match suspension, rather than a fine.

“I don’t see why that isn’t a penalty, to be honest. I think if you do penalise it, it’ll stop. The fines aren’t doing it,” Swann told Fox Footy in July last year when he started in the job, adding the level of force would be less consequential in these........

© The Sydney Morning Herald