Neale and Crosley may have been hiding a secret during the Lions’ road to a historic grand final win, insiders have claimed.
Lachie Neale may have been hiding his affair from the mother of his children for up to six months, it has been alleged, meaning it may have been ongoing during Brisbane’s road to a historic grand final win.
Neale was allegedly caught with Tess Crosley, a close friend of his wife Jules, in a compromising position in a car, it has been reported.
Now, sources claim Neale and Crosley were “not discreet” in public or private places, the Herald Sun reports.
Neale’s management has been contacted for comment.
Crosley refused to make any comment on the situation when approached by a Daily Mail photographer on Wednesday.
When asked about Neale she said: “I have to make an appointment.”
When asked if she was trying to “work things out” with her husband Ben Crosley, she said: “No comment, thank you … bye.”
The couples, Jules and the Brisbane star and Tess and her husband Ben, lived just minutes away from each other.
Jules has since moved back to Perth where she will now raise the couple’s young children supported by her family.
In a clear indication their relationship is beyond repair, Neale was spotted picking up some of his last possessions from their former home in Brisbane’s Seven Hills.
Since his split with Jules, the dual Brownlow Medal winner has moved into an apartment in Brisbane.
Neale spoke to the media about the off-field controversy on January 2, saying he takes full responsibility for the marriage breakdown.
“While I won’t 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. For that I am deeply sorry,’’ he said.
With questions lingering surrounding the breakdown of the marriage, Neale was asked bluntly during his press conference if he had cheated on his wife, to which he responded: “No, I can’t address those rumours”.
He answered another question by saying he has “regrets” about his personal life.
It comes after the off-field drama erupted when Jules responded to a report that she and Lachie were experiencing marriage problems.
She rubbished claims they were “working through” their problems before details of what transpired surfaced.
Crosley, who is at the centre of the marriage breakdown, has remained mostly silent throughout, but did a major purge of her Instagram account, removing photos of her celebrating Brisbane’s grand final victory over Geelong in September.
One photo in particular, showing Crosley’s knee leaning into the Lions star as the two couples celebrated the premiership win, was at the centre of the scandal.
That has now been deleted.
Crosley was also spotted on Tuesday out and about without her wedding ring, visiting a cosmetic clinic in Brisbane.
The 30-year-old, who was seen in a casual white dress, was in a hurry as she both entered and exited the building, snubbing an awaiting cameraman as she quickly rushed off in her car.
It is not the first time she has been without her ring either, with several recent snaps shared to social media distinctly without her bling, hinting her relationship with Ben is over.
Her husband has also been notably absent from her recent 30th birthday post and Christmas celebrations.
The finance director — who shares a toddler with Tess — chose to escape the noise by flying to Bali for a boys trip as he began the new year.
He has been spotted at Bambu Fitness in Bali alongside friends Tom Bennallack and Seth Mutton.
While the couple have not publicly declared their marriage is over, the lack of wedding rings in recent pictures suggests that may be the case.