Lachie Neale’s wife Jules received ‘vile’ messages as trade rumours swirled

Lachie Neale has revealed his wife Julie received “vile” messages from strangers when he was embroiled in a bombshell trade saga.

AFL star Lachie Neale has opened up on the “vile” backlash he and his wife Julie received after he was linked to a bombshell move back to Fremantle, before choosing to stay put in Brisbane.

The 28-year-old was thrown into the limelight during the off-season when reports emerged revealing he and Julie were considering returning to Western Australia to raise their family.

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Neale has completed three years of his five-year deal with the Lions and was savaged over the reports.

Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson said he had “done the wrong thing” by the Lions, while AFL reporter Damian Barrett called Neale “a manipulator”. Others, including former players, came to his defence.

Lachie and Julie’s on Brownlow night 2020. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Speaking to reporters this week, Neale said the whole situation was confronting.

“It was disappointing … my character and Jules’ character got questioned,” he said.

“I think I got called a manipulator and people were saying I was doing it for money, which certainly wasn‘t the case. If I’d left, I’d probably take less money to go back.

“We had camera people outside our house for three or four days, which was pretty off.

“Jules was getting messages from randoms, which was pretty vile.

“The fact nothing even came of it was the most disappointing thing, that people were trying to attack my character and hers. That was the disappointing part, but I can‘t control that.

“I feel like I’m a pretty loyal person, an honest person.”

After the furore, the Neales welcomed their first child into the world in late September, a daughter named Piper Rose Neale.

The Lions star played seven seasons and 135 games for Fremantle between 2012 and 2018 before making the move to Brisbane and winning the Brownlow Medal in 2020.

Neale had an interrupted 2021, suffering an ankle injury in April and missing two months of footy.

Lachie just wants to get down to business. Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But he said despite feeling forced into a quick decision about where to play in 2022, he believes he made the right decision for his family.

“I‘ll never apologise for doing what’s best for my family and that’s all I was trying to do, and in the end what’s best for us is to be here (Brisbane),” Neale said.

“Probably when the story came out it rushed my decision.

“I feel like I would have gone through the process and came up with the same result. We just did it in two days instead of maybe two weeks.”

Neale, a two-time Dockers best-and-fairest winner, was slammed for the bombshell rumours, as the Lions revealed he and his wife were “weighing up where they would like to raise their family”.

Asked if he’d consider a move back to WA at the end of the year, Neale said he was comfortable with where he sits now.

“I’m contracted for two years, and I think at the end of that contract I turn 30, so hopefully the Lions still want me then,” he said.

“I feel like this year is super exciting, we‘ve got a young group, next year will be exciting once again.

“I feel like we‘re in the sweet spot at the moment and hopefully we can deliver.”