How a $10 fine (with interest) could drive the Cats to a flag

Young Geelong spearhead Shannon Neale opens up on his grand final heartbreak, a junior football injury that shaped his future, his carb-heavy pre-game routine and, of course, Bailey Smith. SportAFLAFL 2026How a $10 fine (with interest) could drive the Cats to a flagBy Jon Pierik March 6, 2026 — 5.30amSaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementGeelong goalkicker Shannon Neale has revealed the Cats forwards have implemented a player-driven fine system, which they hope will help deliver a premiership in 2026.Forwards will be hit with a $10 fine should they fail to lay a tackle.That penalty is doubled if not paid before the following week’s captain’s run.Making his mark: Shannon Neale has become a key figure in the Cats’ premiership hopes.Credit: Simon SchluterWhile the financial penalties are not steep, Neale said it helped to keep players accountable.“There are so many different ways you can have an impact for your team... Something as forwards we really pride ourselves on is tackles,” Neale told this masthead.“There’s a new fine system being implemented that if you don’t get a tackle on the weekend, as a forward group, you get fined. Everyone has got to have one [tackle].“It [the fine] is not too much, it keeps us accountable. You can have an impact in so many ways.”Under an earlier system, players required to buy the club beanbags as a penalty.After a break-out 2025 campaign when he booted 44 goals, the articulate and deep-thinking Neale, 23, is determined to have an even greater impact this season.AdvertisementLoadingHe opened up on his plans, what makes him tick and aspirations beyond footy.Breakout campaignAfter 20 senior games across his first three seasons, the 33rd pick in the 2020 national draft from South Fremantle logged 25 last year, flourishing in a season when Cats adjusted to life without three-time premiership great Hawkins.Neale’s strong marking and efforts when the ball hit the turf morphed him into one of the league’s most promising young forwards.“I came into that pre-season and into the last season thinking, or set out a goal, to play every game. That’s what I wanted to do. And, obviously, apart from that suspension late in the year, I pretty much played every game,” Neale said.“And now it’s starting to take that objective of playing every game and starting to sort of impact games, take my game to a more consistent level, and be a bit of a barometer for the team. I want to be a forceful forward in the competition and keep taking my game to that level and just keep being a good teammate.”Grand final disappointmentNeale had a rugged grand final, finishing with five disposals and one goal (he had six and one in the qualifying final win over the Lions). He wasn’t alone, however, on an afternoon when, with scores locked at half-time, the Lions soon took charge and stormed to a 47-point win. Neale’s direct opponent Harris Andrews was voted second best afield.Andrews, said Neale, was a “phenomenal” defender, blessed with skill, athleticism and composure, and he was “still trying to figure him out in some ways”.Making his mark: Shannon Neale celebrates a major last year.Credit: Getty ImagesNeale said he had never experienced anything like grand final week, including the Friday parade.“I remember it sort of shifted my preparation a lot, and it was going into a bit of the unknown really, like you hear about what it is and what takes place, but you can’t really replicate that outside of actually being involved in the grand final,” Neale said.“So, the experience, I’m going to be better for not just the game itself, but everything that went on around it. Hopefully, we will be able to put ourselves in that situation again this year.”Neale’s preference is for quiet pre-game preparation, including a stop at I Ragazzi’s pizza and pasta restaurant in Newtown.“I don’t mind stopping there before a game and loading up on the carbs,” Neale said, who is known to hoover up a couple of pasta dishes and a pizza in the one serving. An Instagram video he posted is testament to that.First sporting loveNeale represented Western Australia in the 400m and 800m, revealing he was “probably more passionate about athletics than footy, but I sort of had to play the percentages”.“Obviously, in athletics, you’ve got to be top 10 in the world to even have a sniff of making it,” he said.Neale and max Holmes bonded over athletics.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty ImagesThrough athletics he met Max Holmes, then a gun hurdler.Neale said athletics helped him bond with his father Chris, whom he describes as his “best mate”.“He was a shift worker - we sort of missed each other for a few days, I’d be going to school, and he’d be working. So when he got a day off, we would just go for a run and hang out,” Neale said.Neale is so determined to make his grandparents and parents proud that, if he feels he has underperformed, “I’ll either apologise for having a bad game or letting them down”.After a two-year long-distance relationship, Neale’s partner Cailan h