Brisbane star Lachie Neale was held to just 16 disposals by St Kilda's Marcus Windhager, whose tactics drew the ire of Lions coach Chris Fagan.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan claims star midfielder Lachie Neale is having to fight his way through "rough treatment" from AFL opponents.
One of the competition's premier ball-winners, Neale was held to just 16 disposals by St Kilda tagger Marcus Windhager on Friday night.
The Brownlow medallist appeared frustrated at times and he was involved in several off-the-ball incidents.
The Lions ran out 15-point winners in a boost to their top-four prospects but Fagan wasn't all smiles post-match.
"I thought (Neale) played a really selfless team role tonight and I was really pleased about that," Fagan said.
"It was interesting how he was tagged, I'll just say that, that he was blocked off the ball and various other things during the night.
"I guess that's the way it goes. He gets pretty rough treatment, I reckon."
Fagan hinted he might seek clarification from the AFL umpiring department about some tactics being used against Neale.
"I'd like to have a look at the tape and see what it looks like, and I know it happens a lot, but players shouldn't get blocked from getting to the ball like he does," Fagan said.
"I want all ball players to be looked after, not just the blokes in my team."
While Neale was kept relatively quiet, midfield partner Hugh McCluggage played a crucial role in Brisbane's win at Marvel Stadium.
McCluggage had 23 disposals just hours after driving back to Melbourne from Warrnambool, where he attended his grandmother's funeral on the day of the match.
"He desperately wanted to play and he put on a good show," Fagan said.
