CRAIG O’DONOGHUE: Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale’s marriage drama biggest threat to three-peat hopes

This is how sporting dynasties unravel.

Lachie Neale’s decision to stand down as co-captain of the Brisbane Lions, admission that he and wife Jules have separated, and public apology for his own behaviour are the types of things which sporting teams struggle to recover from.

Elite sporting teams rarely fall apart due to a lack of talent. Sometimes they lose hunger, but the biggest problem is when off-field dramas create distractions.

Distractions don’t come much bigger than when your co-captain, dual Brownlow medallist and premiership hero steps down from his leadership position in January while his private life is being splashed across the news throughout the country.

Premierships are bloody hard to win. So much needs to go right. So little can afford to go wrong. Players have to be focused all the time.

Clubs spend all of their time searching for that extra one or two per cent that can be the difference between winning and losing. The energy that gets sapped away by off-field issues usually adds up to a lot more than one or two per cent.

Neale naturally looked drained when talking to the media on Friday. He’ll naturally feel drained throughout the season too.

He talked about putting plans in place to make himself a better person. Whatever those plans are will change the footy routine that has made him so successful.

Every time Neale has a quiet game, questions will be asked about whether his off-field life is impacting him. He’s now living in a different state to his kids. It’s hard not to imagine that being challenging.

When the Lions travel to Perth to play against West Coast in round 19, Neale will be followed everywhere he goes to see if there’s any personal interactions. That’s going to be a distraction.

Will Neale remain in Queensland working on his game when the Lions have byes in rounds two and 15, or will be travel to Perth to see his kids? You’d expect he would use those breaks as a chance to come to Perth. But that’s adding more time in the air to an already challenging season.

Will Neale run out with his kids for his 300th game in round six? Even that milestone will be impacted by what has happened.

When teammates speak to the media during the season, how many times will they be asked about the issue? That’s the last thing they’d want to discuss publicly.

Those teammates will also have partners who may be close to Jules Neale which means private loyalties will be tested.

Neale is a free agent at the end of the season and has previously flirted with the idea of returning to WA. His contract will be a major issue as well. He was asked about that on Friday morning.

“I haven’t really considered that yet,” he said.

“I think my decision was always going to be put on hold with my contract regardless. We’ll work that out in the next six months. We’ve got a bit of time.”

The difference between being a contender and a pretender usually hangs around one or two games. Had the Lions lost one more game during 2025, they’d have finished sixth. Lose two more and they’d have been eighth.

That’s why adding off-field issues to a season becomes so costly.

History tells us that teams need more than talent to be successful.

West Coast’s premiership defences in both 2007 and 2019 were badly impacted by off-field drama.

Melbourne fell apart off the field with board room bickering and player misbehaviour after their 2021 flag.

Think of how badly Adelaide imploded because of their controversial pre-season camp after losing the 2017 grand final. The players didn’t lose talent. But they plummeted to 12th.

Neale’s marriage issues have been compared by some to Wayne Carey’s departure from North Melbourne. This is nothing like that.

Carey was having an affair with his vice-captain’s wife, got caught when players and partners were at a private party and quit the club. The ramifications of that are still being felt, so Brisbane will be desperate to avoid Neale’s issues impacting the group.

The Lions are currently clear premiership favourites. They have recruited well by adding Oscar Allen and Sam Draper to the squad as free agents, while also selecting Academy star Daniel Annable at pick six.

Will Ashcroft is only 21 yet has two Norm Smith Medals. His brother Levi just turned 19. Jaspa Fletcher will celebrate his 22nd birthday in February. The club has youth, experience and a scary amount of talent.

But now they have a major distraction.

For everything that Neale has done wrong, he certainly got one thing right. His decision to address the media on Friday was the way any public figure should handle being caught up in controversy.

He read a prepared statement which took full accountability for his actions and apologised. Then he answered questions despite clearly being uncomfortable. Plenty of people would have bunkered down and hoped the story would disappear. That never works.

Instead of kicking the can down the road, Neale got on the front foot and that has given the club the best chance to recover.