Emotional Moment Captured: Lachie Neale at Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Amidst Personal Challenges

The Brisbane Lions are gearing up to defend their premiership title, and star player Lachie Neale has offered fans a glimpse behind the curtain, sharing a poignant moment.

Neale recently posted a photo of himself dedicatedly training in the weights room, preparing for the team’s opening AFL season clash against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, March 7.

However, eagle-eyed fans might notice the absence of his wedding ring, a subtle nod to the end of his marriage during the off-season.

In response, his former partner swiftly erased Lachie from her social media, unfollowed him and the woman associated with the controversy, and clarified that there’s no secretive reconciliation underway.

Jules has since relocated back to Perth with their children, Piper and Freddie, as their Brisbane residence is poised for auction.

Neale posted this image in the gym, tagging the Brisbane Lions, as he prepares for the upcoming AFL season

Neale separated from his wife Jules in the off-season with his estranged wife moving back to Perth

In early January, Lachie confirmed the couple had separated, publicly apologised for letting his family down and subsequently stepped down from his co-captaincy at the Brisbane Lions as he dealt with the fallout. 

Jules later relocated to Perth with their two young children, focusing on family life and sharing messages about resilience and new beginnings. 

Raised in South Australia, Neale relocated to Perth after being drafted by Fremantle, where he spent seven seasons and met Jules. 

However Lachie says he remains fully committed to the Brisbane Lions for the 2026 season despite speculation about a potential return to Western Australia. 

‘I haven’t really considered that yet,’ Neale said in January when asked if he might consider a move to Western Australia in 2027.

‘My decision was always going to be put on hold with my contracts regardless, so we’ll work that out in the next six months.

‘We’ve got a bit of time.

‘I’m going to be here (in Brisbane) this season coming up.

Neale travelled to Perth to spend time with his children Piper and Freddie recently

The Brisbane Lions are back-to-back AFL champions and will be looking to defend the premiership again starting March 7 against the Western Bulldogs

‘Fully committed to putting everything I can into footy, getting into training.’

Neale recently took time to travel to Perth to see his children, including daughter Piper who started her first day of school.

Jules released a series of photos on Instagram captioned ‘that’s some lemonade’  detailing her healing journey. 

In a telling gesture, she included footage of Lachie spending time with their children, suggesting a focus on co-parenting despite the split. 

Meanwhile Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has said Neale is enjoying his best pre-season in years despite dealing with significant personal issues. 

‘To Lachie’s credit, in terms of the way that he’s training and going about things, he’s having his best pre-season in a long while,’ Fagan said.

‘Normally, he’s finished seasons quite injured and been in rehab, but this year he had no injury at the finish.

‘He’s been able to train fully and in the best shape he’s been in for ages in terms of setting himself up for a good football season.

‘He’s in a good place at the moment, obviously got a bit going on personally, but he seems to be coping with that pretty well.’