There has been another twist in the race for restricted free agent Zac Bailey’s signature, with the star midfielder-forward now looking like he’s set to stay with the Brisbane Lions.
Adelaide were leading race for the premiership hero, with a monster offer on the table of $10 million over seven years.
But the Lions have hit back with a counter offer as they come to accept that veteran midfielder Lachie Neale is going to depart.
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“I believe (Bailey) is going to stay at Brisbane,” Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson said.
“I’m close to calling it.”
Wilson said Brisbane are hoping for an answer from Bailey within the fortnight.
“They need to get their ducks in a row, and they’re pretty resigned now to losing Lachie Neale,” she said.
“(Brisbane) increased their offer, as has been reported, to Zac Bailey about a week or two ago.
“Adelaide are offering, I think, $10 million over seven years. The Brisbane deal is almost as long, or as long in length, it was around a $1 million or 1.1, I reckon it’s closer now to 1.2 and I think Zac Bailey is thinking probably the Lions is home for him.”
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Wilson said Brisbane’s renewed offer to Bailey was going to make the differential on an annual basis about $300,000.
“Nothing to sneeze at, I know, but when you weigh up everything, (he) likes playing in a relaxed environment (and) things are looking pretty rosy for Brisbane at the moment …,” Wilson said,
AFL great Luke Hodge, who finished his career at Brisbane and played with Bailey, said the decision to stay makes sense.
Hodge said the extra money from the Lions would make a difference and, with Neale expected to depart, Bailey would like the idea that his midfield miunutes were about to increase.
“Zac wants to be a midfielder,” Hodge said on Channel 7’s The Agenda setters.
“So him knowing that there’s an extra 30-40 minutes in the midfield for him to rotate through, plus what he’s already getting started in the midfield, so that’s only going to add if Lachie does go.”
Hodge also believes Bailey would have been concerned about the huge “expectation” that comes with a big-money move.
“Zac’s a very laconic, relaxed person, he’s not in your face, he’s not an extrovert, he’s comfortable around the people he feels comfortable with,” Hodge said.
“Him going to a new club on a $1.5 million deal, he’s going to have Adelaide media there, he’s going to have the pressures of being the highest paid player on that list, and to try and change this Adelaide side into a top-4 team and win some finals, so I feel that he’s comfortable there (at the Lions).
“He’s got great mates there (too). He loves being up there. He’s a relaxed person. I think that’s why those three are the main things that he might be turning back towards the Lions.”
The news comes after Neale met with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon and Saints football boss Lenny Hayes last Friday.
Lyon coached Neale at Fremantle before the four-time All-Australian’s bombshell move to Brisbane ahead of the 2019 season.
The Saints’ chase of Neale comes less than a year after the club unceremoniously moved on captain Jack Steele while he was still under contract until the end of 2027.
Neale is three years older than Steele and both are inside midfielders. Steele has played a crucial part in Melbourne’s rise back up the ladder this season.
Collingwood will also keep their “hat in the ring”, while the dual Brownlow medallist also met with Essendon.
The Magpies were the first Victorian outfit to express interest in Neale, after the prevailing thought was he would move to Western Australia if he left the Lions.
Neale’s estranged wife Jules moved to Perth with the couple’s two children when their marriage broke down late last year.
“I love playing here (Brisbane) so I’ve just got to weigh up success, finance and everything that goes along with playing footy,” Neale said last week after the Geelong game.
Collingwood want to add midfield support for superstar Nick Daicos and keep challenging for premierships, rather than rebuild.
“Until any free agent is signed … we’ve got a strategic plan around looking at who’s available, and we’ll just keep our hat in the ring and see how we go with that,” Magpies coach Craig McRae said of the club’s pursuit of Neale.
McRae didn’t respond when asked how his meeting with Neale went.
Last year, McRae famously spoke about going on “dates” with Jack Silvagni.
Ultimately, Silvagni chose to leave Carlton and move to St Kilda rather than make a controversial switch to the Blues’ arch-enemy.
Neale has one of the most decorated CVs in the AFL across 310 games – 175 for Brisbane and 135 for Fremantle.
The six-time best-and-fairest winner – four at Brisbane and two at Fremantle – is enjoying another stellar season that could have him in contention for a third Brownlow Medal.
Wilson said she believed that Collingwood were the favourites for Neale.
– With AAP
