Lachie Neale's Brisbane Future in Doubt as 'Behaviour' Questions Emerge Amid Contract and Marital Woes

Lachie Neale's professional life is in limbo as reports come out that the Brisbane Lions did not offer him a new contract, with questions emerging over his behaviour and relationship with teammates. It's another blow to Neale's already tumultuous year following a highly publicised marriage breakdown.

'My understanding is that Lachie Neale was not even offered a deal in the end by the Brisbane Lions, because they've known from pretty much early in the year that Lachie Neale was going,' said sports journalist Caroline Wilson, discussing the Australian Football League (AFL).

Uncertain Future

Wilson said the Lions heard that Neale would be going back west. Later, reports linked him to Collingwood. There were already reports about jersey numbers at Collingwood.

'I just wonder whether, as good as he's been this year as a player... whether it's probably time Lachie Neale found a new home,' said Wilson. 'The meeting at Collingwood, the reports coming out about what number he was going to wear.'

'I reckon there'd be teammates at Brisbane who are pretty much jack of him,' Wilson also said. In August, former footy players criticised Neale's 'tone-deaf' and 'inappropriate' meeting with Collingwood, a day before a match with Carlton.

Teammate Dayne Zorko also addressed Neale's reported meeting with Collingwood. 'It's not normal practice in years gone by, but this is the new age of the sport we live in... It is what it is; we understand the AFL and player market is big business,' Zorko told Sports Entertainment Network.

Wilson said Brisbane management would have understood if Neale was headed to Western Australia to be closer to his children. She also suggested that Neale's recent off-field behaviour had not helped his position at Brisbane.

'Obviously, the personal life stuff has been tricky... posting stuff on social media on the day of games,' said Wilson. Neale and his estranged wife, Jules, had a very public breakup following her allegations of infidelity.

Jules Neale's Public Appearance

Jules was recently photographed attending Claremont Quarter's spring and summer fashion show, her first public appearance since discussing the marriage breakdown on a podcast and accusing Neale of cheating with multiple women, including her best friend Tess Crosley.

Jules moved to Perth with the two children she shares with Neale following their public breakup at the end of 2025. Last month, she revealed her side of the breakup in a podcast.

'I guess it was an ongoing, four-month affair with my best friend, behind my back,' Jules told Petropoulos on the 'Pretty Sure' podcast. 'I was told it was a kiss and that's all it was. I actually packed up and left because of that, and then when I got to Perth, it all came out...'

Crosley later spoke on another podcast: 'I have made some bad decisions I deeply regret, but I believe that I'm not a bad person.' Crosley did not go into detail about the specific allegations.

Neale has not publicly addressed the specific infidelity allegations. However, he stepped down as Brisbane Lions co-captain amid the fallout, shortly before the 2026 season started. '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.