FOX FOOTY Podcasts · Fox Sports Australia

AFL 360 - GRAND FINAL WEEK IS HERE! Will Lachie Neale return for the Lions? + Gaz passionately defends concussion protocols - 22/09/25

·22 min·1 clip

Patrick Dangerfield is declared the GVP winner with 12 votes after a “nearly as good as I’ve seen” preliminary final.

1. FOX FOOTY Podcasts’ AFL 360 on 22/09/25 covers grand final week, the Brownlow medal count, and the Brisbane Lions-Geelong grand final matchup. 2. Gerard Whateley hosts with Gary Lyon, and both matter because Lyon is handing out the GVP votes and debating concussion protocol. 3. The episode asks whether Brisbane can manage injuries, Geelong can handle the pressure, and the AFL can stage grand final week without compromising player safety. 4. Whateley notes the preliminary finals drew 195,620 fans across the two games and lifted television numbers again. 5. The Saturday twilight prelim is described as the most watched sporting event in Foxtel history, and Friday night is called the fourth most watched AFL game of all time. 6. The Brownlow discussion focuses on Nick Daicos, Zach Merrett, and the possibility of more than one winner. 7. Lyon awards the GVP three votes to Patrick Dangerfield, two to Harris Andrews, and one to Will Ashcroft. 8. He says the three-vote structure makes the award more concentrated than other voting systems, which is why Dangerfield’s total matters so much. 9. Lyon describes Dangerfield’s preliminary final as nearly as good as he has seen, saying the game kept producing decisive moments. 10. Brisbane’s path is framed around Chris Fagan’s side, their back-to-back chase, and the need to manage the week carefully. 11. The show says Lachie Neale’s calf injury has moved from hopeful to “live proposition” territory for grand final selection. 12. Lyon says medicos are treating Neale as a “dead-set chance,” but he also warns about the risk of forcing a return too quickly. 13. The Brisbane injury list includes Barry, Josh Dunkley in a moon boot, and Lohman, which creates a broader availability problem. 14. Geelong’s preliminary final comeback is credited to Patrick Dangerfield, with Lyon saying the Cats were un-Geelong-like early before regrouping. 15. Lyon says the centre-square work and clearance goals swung the match after Geelong gave up the first three goals. 16. Tom Stewart’s concussion absence becomes the episode’s strongest policy argument, and Lyon says the AFL deserves credit for stopping a rushed return. 17. The tone moves between celebration of grand final week and hard-edged tactical debate, with both hosts speaking quickly and in a back-and-forth format. 18. The episode also carries a live, on-air feel because Brownlow picks, coach appearances, and week-ahead programming are being set as the discussion unfolds. 19. Listeners who follow AFL finals, Brownlow voting, and selection news will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a light recap without injury and protocol debate may skip it.

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