Footy star Lachie Neale has admitted he ‘let a lot of people down’ as he opened up in detail about his split with wife Jules for the first time on Thursday.
Jules has moved back to Perth following the couple’s marriage breakdown, taking their two young children, Piper, four, and Freddie, one, with her.
She and Lachie split last November after she posted to Instagram that the Brisbane Lions star had ‘betrayed [her] in the most unimaginable way’.
Lachie admitted their split was a result of his actions in a press conference in January, after rumours swirled about an affair with Jules’ former friend Tess Crosley.
The footy player did not go into specifics, but admitted the couple had separated.
On Thursday he spoke about the ‘crazy’ toll the scandal has taken on him and his loved ones as he revealed his shock at the level of scrutiny he’s been under from the media.
Lachie Neale has opened up in detail about his split with wife Jules (pictured together) for the first time since the scandal broke last November
The Lions star said there was actually a silver lining to the disintegration of his marriage as he spoke out on Thursday
Neale (pictured on April 10) also discussed whether it is ‘sustainable’ for him to remain in Brisbane away from his children in the long term
‘When it’s your personal lives and your private matters, you probably don’t think it’s newsworthy,’ he told Triple M radio’s The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott.
‘In a sense, I get it, I’m the captain of a footy club and a public profile in a way, but it felt over the top.
‘It was pretty crazy there for a while, and it’s great to have the footy back on, which has taken over the headlines.’
Neale said the last few months have been ‘challenging’ before claiming there has been a silver lining to the upheaval in his personal life.
‘In a weird way, it helped my football,’ he said.
‘I was able to concentrate on getting the most out of myself and making sure I was prepared.
‘I felt like I had let a lot of people down, so I wanted to redeem myself by the way I came back into the preseason and games, in particular.
‘It felt like a year and a half wait for that [first game] during the preseason, but I was glad to get back on the field.
Jules returned to her home town of Perth with the couple’s children Piper, four, and Freddie, one after saying Neale had betrayed her ‘in the most unimaginable way’
Rumours swirled about Neale having an affair with Jules’ former friend Tess Crosley (pictured left with Neale, Tess’s husband Ben, and Jules)
‘I was itching to get back onto the field and do what I love.’
There was heavy speculation that Neale stood down as Brisbane captain as a result of what happened between him and Jules, but he denied that was the case.
‘I spoke to Fages [coach Chris Fagan] 12 months before, so heading into the 2025 season, and I said I think this will be my last year doing it,’ he explained.
‘We didn’t really have any conversations through the year, and it felt like the right time.
‘We had enough leaders there [in the club] that it felt like the right time to hand that over anyway.’
Asked about the possibility of him moving clubs to be closer to his kids in Western Australia at the end of the season, he admitted he has ‘got to be real’ about the situation.
‘I’m always thinking about it, and what the future is going to look like,’ he said.
‘It’s in the back of my mind, but I brush it aside, we’re only five weeks into the season, but I think in about three or four months from now, I’ll tap into that.’
The 32-year-old said he will decide whether living so far away from his children is ‘sustainable’, and said he believes he can keep playing until 2029.
The Brownlow Medal winner also hailed Fagan for being a rock for him as he navigated the scandal.
‘He’s been a great mentor in life, a great friend, and an awesome coach,’ Neale said.
‘I leant on him a fair bit through it.’
