Lachie Neale has taken part in his final Mad Monday celebrations with the Brisbane Lions, as AFL fans continue to criticise comments he made after his team’s grand final victory.
Looking relaxed, Neale joined his teammates at Tetto Rooftop Bar in Everton Park, north-west Brisbane, following the Lions’ 96-89 win over Fremantle on Saturday.
The departing Brisbane midfielder wore an oversized T-shirt and loose-fitting pants, carrying a ribboned trophy in one hand and a full plastic bag in the other.
Neale has faced backlash over his post-match speech, in which he confirmed his departure from the Lions and thanked his loved ones for their support after a turbulent year and the breakdown of his marriage following a cheating scandal.
‘I’ve got great people around me,’ Neale said.
‘I’ve had great support for the last 12 months from a lot of people that love me and who I love very much.’
His new girlfriend, Emma Field, was among the crowd at the MCG, while his former partner Jules shared a photograph of herself wearing a Fremantle scarf before the match.
Field wore a black jacket emblazoned with ‘Neale 09’ on the back and later posted a photograph celebrating with the midfielder as he displayed his premiership medal.
Lachie Neale took part in his final Mad Monday celebrations with the Brisbane Lions amid criticism of his comments after the grand final win
A relaxed Lachie Neale joined his teammates at Tetto Rooftop Bar in Everton Park, north-west Brisbane, after their 96-89 victory over Fremantle on Saturday
Neale celebrated with his teammates in what will be his final Mad Monday gathering as a Brisbane Lion
The scenes were a sharp contrast to the previous year, when Neale celebrated Brisbane’s triumph with Jules and their children.
Some social media users focused on that difference as they criticised Neale’s post-match comments.
‘I was so upset when he got interview time, I had to look away,’ one person said.
‘Everyone went quiet when he got his medal,’ another claimed.
Others questioned Neale’s comments about the people who had supported him.
‘No, because who has he really got left? His therapist?’ one person wrote.
The backlash also extended to Neale’s dramatic escape from suspension, which had placed his participation in the premiership decider in doubt.
He was handed a one-match ban for striking Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan in the stomach during the preliminary final.
Dayne Zorko was all smiles as the Lions celebrated their third consecutive premiership
Lions players arrived at Tetto Rooftop Bar in Brisbane to celebrate their third consecutive premiership
Brisbane Lions players celebrated their grand final win in Brisbane on Monday
Brisbane Lions players make their way up the stairs to the Tetto Rooftop Bar on Monday
The tribunal upheld that penalty before a successful appeal cleared him to face his former club on the biggest day of the season.
For some critics, the combination of his reprieve and another premiership fuelled their frustration.
But other fans pushed back against the personal attacks, questioning why footballers were expected to serve as examples in every aspect of their lives.
‘We really need to remember they’re footy players,’ one wrote.
‘Making them role models or idols is where people are going wrong.’
Neale’s relationship breakdown became public in December, when Jules rejected suggestions the couple were working through their problems and said she had been ‘betrayed in the most unimaginable way’.
Her former friend Tess Crosley was subsequently linked to allegations of an affair with the footballer.
Field wore a black jacket with ‘Neale 09’ across the back and later shared a photograph celebrating with the midfielder as he showed off his premiership medal
Jules Neale posted a photograph wearing a Fremantle scarf before her former partner faced the Dockers
Emma Field celebrated with Neale after watching Brisbane defeat Fremantle at the MCG and arrived back in Queensland with her beau
It comes after Neale split with his wife Jules (pictured right) after admitting to infidelity
Speaking to Daily Mail in August, Crosley said she regretted decisions she had made and described the previous 12 months as ‘really, really chaotic and hard’.
‘First of all I have made some bad decisions I deeply regret but I believe that I am not a bad person,’ she said.
‘I also think it is important for people to understand that I was a nobody and I was in a high-profile scandal without all the high-profile help.’
The ongoing attention surrounding the saga was highlighted again last week when an Instagram account posted a Mad Monday costume photograph featuring three men dressed as Neale, Jules and Crosley.
The Neale impersonator wore Brisbane gear and stood between two men in blonde and brunette wigs.
‘Tess, Lachie and Jules on Mad Monday,’ the account captioned the image.
Crosley responded in the comments: ‘Jump scare warning next time pls.’