Neale played an important role in Freo’s 22-point win over Adelaide on Saturday night, collecting 26 disposals.
He spent a few minutes post-match talking with assistant coach and former Sydney premiership great Brett Kirk – who was one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen.
“I missed a couple of tackles on the night, so I was just explaining it to Brett,” Neale said.
“He told me to just keep working at it.
“By the end of my career I want to be known as a ferocious tackler, one of the best at the club.”
Neale said he was pleased to find a lot of the football on Saturday, but disposals were not his main focus.
“I’ve got to keep working on my defensive side, that’s my number one focus at the moment,” he said.
Neale played his fourth game of the season on Saturday, and 15th in his career.
The 20-year-old said he was beginning to feel more comfortable with every outing at the elite level.
“Last week against Richmond I was a little bit scratchy, some of my skills were not at my best and I wasn’t where I want to be,” he said.
“I hadn’t played a game of AFL in a while, but compared to last year, I’m a lot more well-rounded player now and, hopefully, that continues to grow and I can contribute my part to the team.”
Senior coach Ross Lyon was impressed with Neale’s efforts against Crows.
He predicted a bright future for the South Australian recruit.
“He (Neale) delivered tonight, he wins the ball really well,” Lyon said after the game.
“We were frustrated a couple of times with his use, but, as he gets more aggressive in his tackling and he gets fitter and fitter, we think we are going to have a very good midfielder.”
