‘I’ve let my family down’: Lachie Neale steps aside as Lions co-captain amid marriage breakdown

Lachie Neale’s playing future with Brisbane beyond 2026 is in doubt after he confirmed he had stepped down as co-captain of the Lions to rebuild the trust of his family following the break-up of his marriage.

An apologetic Neale fronted the media on Friday to confirm the split with his wife, Jules.

The dual Brownlow medallist said he was “extremely disappointed” in himself but refused to go into further detail or answer questions about the marriage breakdown.

When asked in his press conference if he had cheated on his wife, he said: “No, I can’t address those rumours.”

Jules Neale and their two young children, aged four and one, have returned to live in Perth.

The Lions players were told on Friday morning that Neale was relinquishing the co-captaincy role that he had shared with Harris Andrews across the past three years, including back-to-back premierships.

“I can confirm, though, with regret that Jules and I have now separated,” Neale said on Friday morning.

“While I won’t go into specifics, I can say that I’ve let my family down, and I apologise for my actions which have hurt those closest to me, and for that, I am deeply sorry.

“I accept this is a consequence of my actions, and I need to focus on rebuilding that trust with Jules as the future wellbeing of our children remain our number one priority.”

Jules Neale had posted on Instagram in the lead up to Christmas that she was dealing with an “unimaginable betrayal”.

She also took umbrage at a social media post by a female friend, Tess Crosley, that showed a picture of the Neales and Crosley and her husband standing in the middle of the MCG after the 2025 grand final.

She initially wrote that Crosley should remove the picture because she was “embarrassing” herself, before deleting the comment.

Lachie Neale is out of contract at the end of the year and an unrestricted free agent. He said he was committed to playing with the Lions in 2026 as they aim for a third-straight premiership, but he was non-committal about his future beyond then.

The 32-year-old star midfielder faces a year of uncertainty as he understands he needs to spend more time returning to Perth to see his young children, and he is expected to attract interest from both WA clubs.

“I’m extremely disappointed in myself, and I’ve put plans in place and measures in place to do the work on myself so that I can be the best version of myself moving forward,” he said.

“Given the personal matters that I’m currently working through, I’ve made the decision to stand down as co-captain and from the leadership group, effective immediately.

“Having been a captain and leader of the Lions has been a huge honour, but it’s time for the club to move forward with a fresh start.”

Neale denied that issues in his personal life would detract from his on-field performance.

“I feel that it [football] is going to be a great outlet for me, to be honest, with everything going on. I’m really confident that I can play some really good footy this year,” he said.

Neale, who has been the constant subject of tabloid stories about his private life, spoke with coach Chris Fagan over Christmas. Sources with knowledge of the discussions said Fagan was supportive of Neale prioritising his family and the decision to step away from the captaincy.

Lions football manager Danny Daly said the club agreed it was time to move forward with a fresh start.

“We acknowledge Lachie’s decision to step down as co-captain and from the leadership group,” he said. “Being a captain of the Brisbane Lions comes with a high level of expectation and commitment to uphold our club values and lead by example.”

While Andrews is favourite to retain the captaincy, the Lions will follow tradition and put the position to a vote before the new season begins.

Neale was traded from Fremantle to the Lions in 2018, and the prospect of a return to the Dockers following the 2026 season would be an obvious attraction for him should he try to seek a move to be closer to his children.

When asked about the possibility of a reunion with the Dockers, he said he hadn’t yet considered it.

“I think my decision was always going to be put on hold with my contract, regardless,” he said. “We will work that out over the next six months – we’ve got a bit of time.”

Jules Neale has spent a large part of the off-season in Perth. Lachie Neale, who is from South Australia, returned to his home state at the same time. Jules Neale has also removed details and links to their shared management company from her social media profile.

Lachie Neale has had huge success since joining the Lions from the Dockers, winning Brownlow Medals in 2020 and 2023 and back-to-back premierships in 2024-25. There were rumours linking him to a trade back to the Dockers at the end of the 2021 season when his wife was eight months pregnant with their first child. While connections admitted he had been speaking to management about a return to his wife’s home state of WA, a trade request was never put to the Lions.