After a turbulent 12 months played out under an intense public spotlight, Lachie Neale is about to enter an even bigger AFL fishbowl.
And he is not pretending to be excited about all of it.
The three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player and two-time Brownlow Medallist has opened up about his blockbuster move to Collingwood, admitting the relentless media attention that comes with playing for one of the AFL’s biggest clubs is one part of the switch he could do without.
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Neale made the candid admission during an interview with Ben ‘Dobbo’ Dobbin on Triple M’s The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott, where the conversation turned to the scrutiny awaiting him in Melbourne.
“I say this with the deepest love: you can be prickly with media and you’re going into Melbourne, which is the biggest fishbowl. Does that excite you?” Dobbin asked.
Neale conceded it did not.
“I don’t know if that excites me… but being a part of a powerful club like Collingwood and the amount of fans they have across Australia, everywhere we travel will be a lot of Collingwood fans. That’ll be exciting, but maybe not the media.”
It is a telling admission after a year in which Neale has faced significant attention both on and off the field.
Listen to Triple M’s The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott here.
His private life came under intense scrutiny following his highly publicised split from wife Jules Neale in late 2025.
Jules moved back to Perth with the former couple’s children following their separation and publicly accused the AFL star of betraying her “in the most unimaginable way”.
Subsequent allegations centred on an affair involving Tess Crosley, who had been a close friend of Jules and is married to Neale’s friend Ben Crosley.
Neale has since gone public with his relationship with Emma Field, with the couple becoming increasingly open about their romance after initially keeping a relatively low profile.
Field was front and centre during Brisbane’s grand final celebrations, watching from the stands in a custom leather jacket emblazoned with “NEALE 9” before joining Neale in the celebrations.
Days later, the pair attended Brisbane’s Club Champion dinner together, with Field sharing a loved-up photo of the couple that Neale reposted to his own Instagram Story.
Against that backdrop, Neale told Triple M the past year had forced him to learn more about himself.
“I think the last twelve months has taught me a fair bit about myself to try and improve and get better as a human,” he said.
“A strength of mine is my resilience. I suppose the resilience I’ve shown through the year, especially on the field to compartmentalise and go out and play… it was another case of that.”
Now the midfielder is closing the door on Brisbane altogether, revealing the “weird” conversation he had with Lions coach Chris Fagan and football boss Danny Daly when it came time to confirm his departure.
“It’s a little bit uncomfortable but I think everyone knew for a while now that it was on the cards. Both of those guys (Danny Daly and Chris Fagan) have been in contact with me throughout the year, especially Danny… and Fages as well,” Neale said.
“It wasn’t a shock to anyone, but it was a bit weird to say it to two guys who you’ve worked alongside for a long time and achieved some special things. It’s a weird conversation to have.”
While the goodbye was uncomfortable, Neale is already looking ahead to what could become one of the AFL’s most formidable midfield partnerships.
He revealed he has already spoken to Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos about what the pair could achieve together next season.
“It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing his training habits and his preparation up close. Even though I’m a decade older than him, I’m sure he’ll be able to teach me a bit,” Neale said.
“I’ve spoken to him already about what we might be able to do next year and we’re looking forward to working together.”
After a year spent learning to deal with scrutiny in Brisbane, Neale will now find out what life looks like under the Melbourne microscope.
