In a dramatic twist to the Lachie Neale saga, fresh details have emerged about the length of his alleged affair, as the woman at the centre of the scandal faces our cameras – and tough questions – for the first time.
Neale sensationally stepped down as Brisbane Lions co-captain earlier this month after it emerged over the Christmas break that he had ‘betrayed’ his wife Jules in an ‘unimaginable’ way – with Jules’s former best friend Tess Crosley caught in the middle of their messy marital break-up.
Earlier this week, it was reported that influencer Jules, 35, discovered the affair between Tess, 30, and her AFL star husband, 32, after another Lions WAG had caught the pair in a car together.
After seeking advice from another woman from the Lions clique, this unnamed WAG then told Jules what she had witnessed.
A source with knowledge of the situation now tells the Mail that this alleged vehicular encounter was not a one-off for the two-time Brownlow Medal winner.
Our insider claims that Lachie and Tess’s affair went on for three months before they were rumbled. Given that word of the Neales’ split got out in mid-December, that would mean the alleged relationship began just before the 2025 AFL Grand Final.
In a dramatic twist to the Lachie Neale saga, fresh details have emerged about the length of his alleged affair with his wife Jules’s former best friend Tess Crosley. (Lachie is seen left outside his former marital home on Tuesday; Tess is seen right, also on Tuesday, at a cosmetic clinic)
An insider says that Lachie and Tess’s alleged affair went on for three months – starting around the time of the 2025 AFL Grand Final. (Pictured: Tess, left, and her husband Ben Crosley, second from right, with Lachie, second from left, and Jules Neale, right, after the game)
However, we note that a source within Lachie’s camp disputed this timeline, instead insisting that the car rendezvous was the extent of the indiscretion.
The Lions had smashed Geelong at the grand final on September 27 – but the victory now appears to be tainted by a rather telling post-game photo at the MCG showing Lachie and Jules celebrating the win alongside Tess and her husband Ben Crosley.
In that photo – which Jules would later demand Tess remove from her Instagram because she was ’embarrassing’ herself –Â Tess could be seen cuddling up to Lachie, touching her knee to his.
Whether Lachie and Tess had already crossed a line when the photo was taken remains unclear – but the strangely intimate moment suggests a growing closeness between the pair that aligns with the intel from our source.
Lachie was contacted for comment via his management.
On Tuesday, our photographer spied Tess visiting a cosmetic clinic in Brisbane, after celebrating her 30th birthday at a South Australian winery.
We approached her for comment on camera – the first time she has fielded direct questions about the scandal after limiting comments on her Instagram last month.
‘Did you want to say anything about Lachie?’ she was asked while behind the wheel of her SUV, to which she replied: ‘No, I have to make an appointment.’
Lachie Neale and wife Jules (pictured) have dominated headlines since before Christmas after their marriage imploded – with Jules’ best friend Tess Crosley dragged into the drama
Photos of the Neales and Crosleys celebrating the Lions’ AFL grand final win last year show how close the two couples once were
‘And you’re back home with your hubby? You’re trying to work it out?’ the snapper asked. Tess answered: ‘No comment… thank you, bye, see ya!’Â
On the same day, the Mail also spotted a sombre-looking Lachie returning to the former matrimonial home he shared with Jules in Seven Hills to collect a few items, including a shoe box and kitchen tongs.Â
Jules vacated the home over Christmas and is reportedly bound for her home state of Western Australia with the couple’s two young children, Piper and Freddie.
Meanwhile, Lachie has moved into an apartment in Brisbane as he prepares for what could well be his last season with the Lions.Â
The saga began back in December when Jules took to Instagram to deny a report by Herald Sun gossip columnist Jackie Epstein that suggested she was ‘working through’ unspecified marital issues with Lachie.
‘I want to make it very clear that I am not “working through” anything,’ she wrote.
‘I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way.’
This triggered weeks of speculation about the state of his marriage – with Tess emerging as a central figure after Jules publicly ordered she remove photos of her and Lachie at the AFL grand final from her social media account.
‘Take these down you idiot you’re embarrassing yourself,’ she wrote in a since-deleted comment.Â
On Tuesday, our photographer spied Tess visiting a cosmetic clinic in Brisbane, after celebrating her 30th birthday at a South Australian winery
We approached her for comment on camera – the first time she has fielded direct questions about the scandal after limiting comments on her Instagram last month
Lachie would later confirm he and Jules had split during a press conference at Brighton Homes Arena on January 2, during which he also relinquished his co-captaincy of the Brisbane Lions.Â
‘While I will not 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. And for that, I am deeply sorry,’ he said.
‘I accept this as a consequence of my actions and I need to focus on rebuilding the trust with Jules as the future well-being of our children remains our number one priority.
‘I understand as a public figure that there is interest in my personal life. However, I do ask [that] the privacy of Jules and my children be respected as we work through our new situation and the next chapter of our lives.’
The conference escalated when a reporter asked: ‘Did you cheat on your wife?’
‘I cannot address those rumours,’ the star midfielder shot back.
On the same day, the Mail also spotted a sombre-looking Lachie returning to the home he shared with Jules in Seven Hills to collect a few items, including a shoe box and kitchen tongs
Jules vacated the home over Christmas and is reportedly bound for WA with the couple’s two young children, Piper and Freddie. Meanwhile, Lachie has moved into an apartment in Brisbane
With Jules resettling in Perth with her children, Lachie is yet to decide if he will follow her to the west coast or stay with the Lions when his contract is up.Â
The former back-to-back premiership-winning captain is entering the final year of his contract with Brisbane and will then be a free agent.
Last week, head coach Chris Fagan said Lachie would have his ‘blessing’ if he wants to return to Perth – where he previously played with the Fremantle Dockers.
‘I hope he does [stay], but he’s an unrestricted free agent, so he can make a call on what he needs to do,’ Fagan said.
‘But if he chooses to move back to Perth because he needs to be close to his children then he’ll do that with our blessing. We’re not going to hold anyone to ransom.’
Meanwhile, according to our insider, Jules is having the last laugh post-split.
A source close to the former WAG tells us men have been flooding Jules’s DMs, begging to score a date with the stunning blonde now that she is back on the market.
JULES AND LACHIE NEAL: READ THE FULL STORY ON DAILYMAIL+
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