The powerful women in Jules Neale's corner as she moves to Perth... and estranged husband Lachie faces a difficult choice

Following his public break-up, fallen AFL star Lachie Neale now must make a tough call on his footy career: stay with the Lions at season's end or return to Perth to be closer to his children.

After wife Jules allegedly uncovered the 'betrayal' that ended their marriage, she returned to her home state of Western Australia with the couple's two children, Piper and Freddie. Meanwhile, Neale was seen on Monday moving his belongings into a bachelor bad in Brisbane.

The two-time Brownlow medallist, 32, who relinquished his co-captaincy earlier this month, has been given the Lions' 'blessing' if he wants to go to Perth at the end of the 2026 season when he is off-contract and eligible to move clubs.

Lions coach Chris Fagan said on Thursday: 'I hope he does [stay], but he's an unrestricted free agent, so he can make a call on what he needs to do...

'But if he chooses to move back to Perth because he needs to be close to his children then he'll do that with our blessing. We're not going to hold anyone to ransom.'

But in the meantime, as Neale plays out what could be his final season with the club he led to back-to-back premierships, Jules can count on the support not only of her friends in Perth, but also a host of prominent women across the sporting world.

Jules, 35, was a successful hairdresser and business owner in Perth before her marriage to Neale brought her to Brisbane.

As Neale famously said during his 2020 Brownlow Medal acceptance speech: 'My wife, Jules, she's an amazing human being.

'Not many people probably know but she owned a salon in Perth before we decided to move to Brisbane. She had to sell that to come over here and follow my dreams.

'She was doing very well for herself over there but she always puts me ahead of herself when she shouldn't have to.'

Daily Mail understands that Jules's old circle in Perth is rallying around her and that, in addition to her influencer career, she may be mulling a return to the beauty industry.

Behind the scenes, sources say, she has quietly acknowledged a handful of media figures whose public support has not gone unnoticed.

In addition, several high-profile WAGs and socialites are rallying around her through supportive messages and likes on social media...

Earlier this month, Jules posted a video of her group of friends creating vision boards for 2026, calling on the universe to deliver love, wealth and happiness in the next year.

Among the notable individuals to respond with kind words were Tayla Broad, the Love Island star married to Richmond's Nathan Broad, who left a love heart and praising-hands emoji.

Kayla Boyd, the wife of former Brisbane Broncos NRL captain Darius Boyd, also commented: 'You deserve it all, darling!'

Fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines, clearly a fellow believer in vision boards, added: 'May the universe grant you every single thing on this list.' Jules responded with a heart emoji. 

Tellingly, Amie Rohan liked the manifestation post. Amie was famously once married to retired Geelong player Gary Rohan, who left her for the club physio.

Cricket WAG Emma Lyon liked it too - in a show of support that may raise eyebrows given that she was once the other woman in Nathan Lyon's split from his former long-term partner, Mel Waring.

Days earlier, Jules had posted a tribute to her son Freddie on his first birthday, prompting a similar show of support from her famous followers.

AFL WAG Jessie Murphy, wife of former Carlton skipper Marc Murphy, firmly placed herself in Camp Jules, commenting: 'Happy birthday, darling.'

Meanwhile, AFLW star Abbey Holmes wrote: 'Happy birthday, Freddie! Ya big cutie.'

While Lachie hasn't received similar public support outside of his club, he is still being followed on social media by prominent athletes such as Matildas striker Samantha Kerr, AFL legend Buddy Franklin and AFLW forward Moana Hope - although none of them has commented specifically on the marriage split. 

After weeks of speculation about the state of his marriage - sparked by Jules going public with their split and implicating Tess - Lachie confirmed they had separated during a press conference at Brighton Homes Arena on January 2, in which he also relinquished in co-captaincy.

'While I will not 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. And for that, I am deeply sorry,' Neale said.

'I accept this as a consequence of my actions and I need to focus on rebuilding the trust with Jules as the future well-being our children remain our number one priority. 

'I understand as a public figure that there is interest in my personal life. However, I do ask [that] the privacy of Jules and my children be respected as we work through our new situation and the next chapter of our lives.'

The conference escalated when a reporter asked Neale: 'Did you cheat on your wife?'

'I cannot address those rumours,' the star midfielder shot back.

It followed Jules publicly announcing she had experienced the 'ultimate' betrayal, before implicating her former friend Tess Crosley in the breakdown of her marriage.

In a now-deleted comment, Jules demanded that Tess remove photos from her Instagram account of the Lions' grand final celebrations that showed the Neales and Crosleys together after the game.

'Take these down, you idiot, you're embarrassing yourself,' Jules wrote. 

There is no suggestion that Ms Crosley has done anything improper and she has yet to respond to Jules's public statements.

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