Lachie Neale opens up about aftermath of marriage breakdown with Jules Neale

Lachie Neale has opened up about the aftermath of his split with wife Jules Neale.

The marriage of the AFL player, 32, and his wife Jules, 36, broke down in December after the latter publicly claimed she had been "betrayed", in light of rumours about the couple's marriage.

It was alleged that the betrayal was an affair with her former best friend Tess Crosley, who was married to Lachie's mate Ben Crosley.

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Jules has since moved back to Perth with their children, Piper, four, and Freddie, one.

The Brisbane Lions player shared an inside look at what their parenting arrangement has been since the split with The Age.

"[It's] obviously tough not having the kids here, but I'm pretty lucky that Jules, their mother, allows me to come and go from Perth," he shared.

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"I get Piper over here a fair bit … I am very fortunate that Jules has been very flexible with that, and I am able to go back to Perth with the club's blessing whenever I want.

"If I have to miss a day of training or whatever they are happy for that to happen. I am managing that pretty well so far."

The footy star will be reaching his 300-game milestone today when the Lions play against Melbourne at the MCG.

In a few months, he will be deciding which club he'll play for in 2027, amid his new family dynamic.

"For me, if it works well and everyone is happy – and the kids are the No.1 priority – and we think we can make it work playing here," he said of the club he was formerly co-captain of.

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The news comes just days after the dad-of-two broke his silence about the scandal.

During an appearance on Triple M's The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott, he told Ben "Dobbo" Dobbin, "When it's your personal lives and your private matters, you probably don't think it's newsworthy,

"In a sense, I sort of get it - captain of the footy club and a public profile in a way - but it felt over the top.

"It was pretty crazy there for a while but hopefully everyone's moving on and it's great to have the footy back on, which has taken over the headlines I think and hopefully everyone can move on."

In December 2025, his wife Jules set off a chain of events when she wrote in a social media post, "I want to make it very clear that I am not 'working through' anything.

"I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way. All I can do now is to heal and do what's best for my children."

The post led to Lachie stepping down from his position as co-captain of the Lions in January.

During the press conference, Lachie apologised publicly without any explicit confirmation of anything untoward.

"While I won't go into specifics I can say that I have let my family down, and I apologise for my actions which have hurt those closest to me," he said.

"For that, I am deeply sorry."

Lachie then added that he had to "accept" the consequences of his actions, but was focused on rebuilding trust with his estranged wife for the sake of their children.

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