After missing a call up in September last year, Lachie Neale said playing in his first final last Saturday was a great experience.
 
The second-year player has not missed a game since round 17 this year and has cemented his name in Freo’s best 22.
 
Neale left Simonds Stadium with 21 disposals, the fifth highest possession getter for Freo, but the 20-year-old said it took him awhile to get into the game. 
 
“It was obviously fantastic to get the win,” Neale said.
 
“I was a bit slow getting used to the game, it was going at a pretty frantic pace.
 
“I settled down a little bit in the second half and I thought I contributed after that.”
 
Having never played in a final, Neale noticed the change in intensity from the home and away season.
 
“The pressure was a step up again from the normal season, which is already at a pretty quick pace, so it was pretty fast out there,” he said. 
 
Neale said the focus now was to stay in the moment and prepare for a home preliminary final.
 
“We’ll have a sharp review, the boys gave good effort, now we need to move on and get ready for two weeks time,” he said.
 
“It’s exciting, but we’ve got a job to do.”