Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale is now a three-time All Australian after being selected in the 22-man team at the AFL Awards on Wednesday night.

Neale, who also received a blazer in 2019 and 2020, was a standout through the midfield for the Lions this season - averaging 30.1 disposals, 7.3 clearances and 4.5 tackles per game.

Some have claimed Neale’s form has been as good if not better than his Brownlow year in 2020.

Yet while unsure himself if that’s the case, the 29-year-old could still claim future All-Australian honours, with Neale believing his individual game can still get better.

“It’s a great honour to be selected, there are some amazing players around the comp, so it’s a real privilege to be named alongside them,”

“Preparation throughout the weeks and also my pre-season, being bake to complete every session has set me up.

“Hard to compare (this year to 2020) but I feel I have been more consistent this year.

“Still need to work on a couple of areas over the off-season and pre-season and I think I can improve again.”

One man who has been lucky enough to have a front-row seat to watch Neale’s performances since he arrived at The Gabba in 2018, is Lions coach Chris Fagan.

He was full of praise for Neale as he watched one of his team’s leaders announced All-Australian.

“He played at a consistently high level in 2020 to win the Brownlow Medal and his form this season has been of similar standard if not better,” Fagan said.

“His clearance work, hard running and defensive efforts have been a feature of his play.

“Lachie has an outstanding work ethic and desire to continue to improve his game.

“He trains with intense purpose and competes on game day as well as anyone I’ve seen. His ability to read the play and gather the ball cleanly is exceptional.”

The Brisbane Lions also had fellow talented midfielder Hugh McCluggage and electrifying forward Charlie Cameron named in the initial 44-man squad.