Brisbane Lions superstar Lachie Neale may try to lean on the “exemplary record” clause to clear himself for the AFL grand final against Fremantle after being handed a one-match suspension.

Neale was offered the ban over the gut punch that floored Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan behind play during the Lions’ nine-point win in an epic preliminary final on Saturday night.

The incident was graded intentional conduct, medium impact and body contact.

Within minutes of the AFL releasing the match review findings on Sunday, Brisbane confirmed it will challenge the ban.

Vision shows Ginnivan wrestling with Brisbane forward Eric Hipwood, before Neale jogs over and hits the Hawthorn player with a left-handed punch to the stomach.

Adelaide forward Riley Thilthorpe and Hawks pair James Sicily and Dylan Moore are among a raft of players who have been suspended over similar incidents this season.

Those bans came after former Lions chief executive Greg Swann — in his new role as AFL football boss — brought in a minimum one-match penalty for gut punches.

New match review guidelines state intentional strikes to the stomach are automatically graded as medium impact rather than low, resulting in one-match bans.

But Brisbane will try its luck at the tribunal as doubt over Neale’s availability dominates headlines at the start of grand final week.

The two-time premiership winner has never been suspended in his 320-game career and could use the same clause that helped games record-holder Scott Pendlebury escape suspension for his bump on Adelaide’s Josh Worrell this season.

Under AFL regulations, “a player with an exemplary record may argue that their good record constitutes exceptional and compelling circumstances”.

Neale’s other option is to try to have the impact grading reduced, though that route appears less likely to be successful.

Neale risks missing the premiership decider against his former club, but could also have played his last game for the Lions.

The 33-year-old is widely expected to join Collingwood as a free agent in the off-season.

Neale is no stranger to AFL grand final week drama.

His calf injury was the major talking point ahead of the 2025 decider against Geelong. The brilliant midfielder ultimately played as the substitute — under a system that has since been thrown out — and starred with 17 disposals and one goal to help the Lions secure back-to-back flags.

The dual Brownlow medallist wasn’t the only player under match review scrutiny after Saturday’s preliminary final.

Hawthorn defenders Sicily ($10,000) and Tom Barrass ($5000) were handed massive fines for misconduct after they had angry words with umpire Hayden Meyer immediately after the final siren.

It followed a controversial finish, in which a holding-the-ball free paid against Hawthorn’s Jarman Impey gifted Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage the go-ahead goal in the dying stages.

The league determined the fixed financial sanction for abusive language towards an umpire was inadequate, and so charged Sicily and Barrass under the “other misconduct” provision.

Hawks midfielder Jai Newcombe was cleared over his first-quarter contact with Neale in a collision that involved opponents pushing the two players into each other.

Fans face bans

The AFL has condemned the behaviour of irate Hawthorn fans and warned they face minimum five-year bans if identified, after they “crossed the line” throwing bottles at umpires.

Hawks players Ginnivan, Sicily and Barrass had angry words with whistleblowers immediately after their nine-point loss to Brisbane on Saturday night.

The officials then had bottles thrown at them from the stands as they walked off the MCG playing arena.

“The AFL and MCC security will work with Vic Pol to identify the bottle throwers directed at the umpires last night,” the league said on Sunday.

“If identified they will be banned from games and the stadium for a minimum five years.

“The passion for footy is unmatched in Australian sport, however, what transpired last night by a number of individuals was dangerous and crossed the line.”

At the heart of Hawthorn’s collective rage was a holding-the-ball free paid against Jarman Impey in the last minute of an epic contest. It was the most controversial of a succession of contentious umpiring calls during the game.

Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage then kicked the match-clinching goal — the ninth lead change of the game and the fourth in the last few frenetic minutes.

Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said he did not know about Sicily, Barrass and Ginnivan going to the umpires, but he was aware of the bottles being thrown onto the ground.

“At the end of the game, part of me wanted to break down in tears, part of me wanted to scream with rage, part of me wanted to throw chairs, you don’t know how to react,” Mitchell said post-match.

“When you’re in the stand, you need to continue to be feeling that emotion, because that’s why we love it, but how it manifests itself — we shouldn’t be throwing things on the field and doing those types of things.

“But the passion in the stand and the passion of the game is why we love it so much, so I hope that for the vast majority it was felt responsibly.”

On Sunday, Premier Ben Carroll condemned the behaviour, telling reporters that it isn’t the “Victorian way”.

“I think these people should be made an example of,” he said.

“This could have had catastrophic injuries if one of those bottles or cans hit an umpire on the head. You’ve always got to respect the umpire’s decision.”