Opinion
3 January, 2026
Another fallen sporting star. Private problem or public issue?
Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale has stepped down from his leadership role
Another fallen star.
Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale has stepped down from his leadership role at the club after a separation from wife Jules.
He says it’s a personal matter and refused to answer a number of questions when he fronted a media conference on Friday.
But hang on. Neale is a dual Brownlow medallist. The Lions have won the last two AFL premierships.
Like it or not, the Lions are public property.
And Neale, whether he likes it or not, built his career and his success on being part of that.
In terms of public figures, he is about as public as it gets outside of politics.
Filling his cup on public admiration when the times are good but shutting down when times are bad.
He says is deeply sorry and he has let his family down.
What about his teammates? Brisbane Lions fans? Sponsors?
Members of the general public who continue to idolise anyone who makes a name for themselves on the sporting field?
We all have our personal problems but we don’t choose to play our lives out in the public arena.
Neale’s behaviour will impact heavily on the reputation of the Lions and the AFL in general.
Think Wayne Carey. Think Ben Cousins.
Think hundreds of sporting professionals in recent years who have made poor decisions. Some of them have survived, some of them haven’t.
Some of them (ie Wayne Carey) have forged very successful careers in the media and everyone tends to forget why they ended up in the media box instead of coaching a VFL or AFL club to premiership glory.
Neale is one of only 13 players AFL/VFL history to win the Brownlow Medal twice.
Kids worship him. Fans flock to see him.
I’m glad he apologised to his family.
But did he go far enough?
Not by a half measure.
He says he wants to focus on his personal issues but is “fully committed to putting everything into footy”.
That’s a very mixed message from someone regarded by many as a hero.
“I have put things in place to become a better person and hopefully we will see that,” he told reporters on Friday.
Hopefully?
We don’t know exactly what happened and at the end of the day exactly what happened is inconsequential.
It’s a simple case of expecting the best from our best personally and professionally both on and off the field.
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