Lions co-captain Lachie Neale has praised “selfless” teammate Jarrod Berry for making the most of his opportunity to play in the heart of Brisbane’s midfield.
Berry, who had to settle for a spot on the wing for numerous seasons, has embraced the opportunity to get closer to the action in a Lions team that, after a poor start, has gone unbeaten in its last three games, including a 119-point thumping of Richmond over the weekend.
Berry’s transfer from the wing to the inside has resulted in impressive play, according to star midfielder Neale.
“His tenacity and competitive spirit serve him and us well.
“He is a team-first player who listens to all we ask of him in there. It’s excellent that he’s being rewarded for his efforts.
“He’s played such a selfless role on the wing for us for so long, despite being classified as an inside mid. He is being rewarded for all of his long-term sacrifices for the squad.
“He’s the ideal team player. He’s the first to admit that he’s willing to sacrifice his game for the team.
“I haven’t really noticed a change in his attitude, you just know the professional and person that he is … whatever role we as him to play, he’s just going to do it.”
“At the moment it’s a ball-hunter, an inside-mid and applying pressure and tackling and chase, and providing run through the middle of the ground which he’s doing really well.”
Berry is expected to play a crucial role in Brisbane’s attempt to defeat Hawthorn for the first time since 2019, when the teams meet at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Despite the Lions’ current excellent run, the Hawks have won four consecutive games against Brisbane.
“I feel like we’ve been a pretty good team for that period of time, and 2019’s a long time ago now, so hopefully we can buck that trend,” Neale stated.
Hawthorn lost by one point to Port Adelaide this weekend after squandering a 41-point lead late in the third quarter at Adelaide Oval.
“It was a dramatic ending, but the Hawks played wonderfully. “They played some amazing football,” Neale stated.
“Over the last month, the Hawks have demonstrated their abilities, and they will be extremely difficult to beat this week.” Their season is also still alive. “They’re competing against top teams.”They’ll be backing themselves this week, just as we will, so it should be an exciting match. We’ll need to be spot on to win.”
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