Essendon star Jaxon Prior and his partner Bronte Thompson have been congratulated by some of the biggest names in Aussie sport after announcing their engagement on Tuesday.
Swim queen Ariarne Titmus, commentator Grace Hayden and a host of top AFL players including Harris Andrews, Ben McKay, Kai Lohmann, Andrew McGrath and Xavier Duursma all sent their best wishes to the overjoyed couple.
Prior and Thompson revealed the big news with a series of photos of his proposal as he went down on one knee at the luxury Jackalope Hotel on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, accompanied by the caption, ‘We’re getting married!’
The amazing news comes just over a month after Thompson was unwittingly caught up in the leak of the Brisbane Lions’ confidential ‘hit list’ on Essendon players before the teams’ clash on May 2.
Prior – who played for the reigning premiers before shifting to the Bombers last season – was targeted in leaked photos that revealed how the Lions sledged opponents over their strengths and weaknesses.
The images, which surfaced on a Facebook page, showed Brisbane’s whiteboard notes on all the Essendon stars ahead of the match.
Pictured: The moment Bombers star Jaxon Prior proposed to Bronte Thompson at a scenic spot on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula
Thompson couldn’t hide her joy after saying yes, with some of the biggest names in Aussie sport congratulating the couple after they revealed the brilliant news
The engagement news came just a few weeks after Thompson was unwittingly caught up in a scandal that broke when photos of the Brisbane Lions’ pre-game whiteboard were leaked
Prior’s only strength was listed as ‘Bronte’ – referring to Thompson.
Former Essendon captain Zach Merrett was described as ‘selfish’, while maligned defender Ben McKay had ‘low confidence’ written about him.
Footy fans lashed out online after the list was revealed to the public.
‘Toxic, sexist and paints a pretty decent picture of the men who play for Brisbane,’ one wrote.
‘Listing Jaxon Prior’s only strength as his Partner, probably speaks of the toxic masculinity that runs through that club,’ another commented.
‘Jeez that’s ordinary … bringing partners and families into that setting is a really slippery slope and a big no-no, it should never have been written down,’ added a third.
However, many other supporters believe the sledge was an in joke given Prior played for the Lions until the end of the 2024 season.
They claim the 24-year-old saw the funny side of being ribbed about ‘punching above his weight’ when he started dating her.
Prior (pictured with Thompson during his time with the Lions) had his only strength listed as ‘Bronte’ in the leaked images
Lions stars and coach Chris Fagan reached out to Prior after the story broke
The Lions reached out to Prior after their victory at Marvel Stadium.
‘I spoke to Jaxon out on the field after the game, as did a lot of our players, and had a bit of a laugh and a joke together,’ Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said.
‘Remember that player played at our club, and players all know him, and we know his partner as well, and there was nothing bad intended at all with that comment, not at all, zero.’
Lions star Josh Dunkley also reached out to Prior after fulltime.
‘He’s all good, which is nice,’ Dunkley said.
‘We love “Priz” and he’s been at our footy club for a long period of time so it’s good to see him going well for the Bombers.’
