The woman at the centre of the public split between AFL star Lachie Neale and his wife Jules has broken her social media silence with a series of festive posts, but a key figure was conspicuously absent.
Cheerful posts hide a notable absence
Tess Crosley, the close friend whose falling out with Jules Neale precipitated the marriage crisis, shared a carousel of nine photos and a video on Instagram on Thursday, 26 December 2025. The images showed her and her young son celebrating Christmas, appearing cheerful and unaffected by the ongoing scandal.
However, keen-eyed followers noted that her husband, Ben Crosley, was nowhere to be seen in the uploads. The pair have been together for at least a decade, yet Ben was absent from the Christmas Day visuals. Furthermore, Tess Crosley was not pictured wearing a wedding ring.
Byron Bay getaway follows online clash
The following day, on Friday, Crosley posted another collection of pictures and videos from what appears to be a sprawling property in Byron Bay. The carousel included three bikini photos of herself alongside snaps of family members and her son enjoying the holiday period.
This online activity comes after a tense public exchange. Last week, Jules Neale left a now-deleted comment on an older Instagram photo posted by Crosley, which showed the two couples celebrating the Brisbane Lions' 2024 grand final win. Jules's comment simply read: "Take these (pictures) down..." before she removed it.
Marriage breakdown confirmed by Jules
The social media friction underscores a deeper rift. Just one day before the screenshot of Jules's comment circulated, the Perth-born hairstylist addressed the status of her marriage directly. On social media, she denied reports that she and Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale were "working through" their issues.
"I want to make it very clear that I am not 'working through' anything," Jules wrote. "I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way. All I can do now is to heal and do what's best for my children."
Jules has since unfollowed both Lachie Neale and Tess Crosley on Instagram, though she still follows Crosley's husband, Ben. She has also removed all photos of Lachie from her own account.
It is understood the couple spent Christmas apart, with Jules returning to Western Australia to be with family, while Lachie remained in South Australia with his relatives. The future of one of the AFL's most high-profile marriages remains uncertain as the new year approaches.
