The son of former Bomber Merv Neagle, Jay was drafted under the father–son rule at the end of the 2005 AFL season.
[1] In his first season, Neagle suffered a number of injury setbacks, primarily with his ankles.
Despite lacking in fitness, Neagle was very impressive with his leading and marking and kicked his first senior AFL goal.
Despite missing large amounts of the pre-season and still having problems with his ankles, he appeared seven times in the Essendon senior side and kicked 10 goals, including three against West Coast and two against both Carlton and Port Adelaide.
His accurate goal kicking and strength in marking contests became a feature of his playing style.