Brisbane, December 26, 2025 – As the dust settles on one of the AFL’s most shocking festive scandals, Tess Crosley – the former close friend thrust into the spotlight over Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale’s marriage collapse – has continued sharing upbeat social media posts, shrugging off the drama with glamorous Christmas and Boxing Day photos.

The former Mormon missionary, married mother, and businesswoman, posted radiant images over the holidays: beaming in a strapless brown dress cradling her young son, sipping drinks with female friends, and later turning up the heat in a skimpy bikini and cowboy hat. Notably absent from the festive snaps was her husband Ben Crosley, adding fuel to online speculation.

Crosley, who sells women’s sanitary products and maintains a low-key but public Instagram, has not directly addressed the furore. Yet her continued posting – described by some as defiant – comes as Jules Neale publicly accused her of “embarrassing” herself in a now-deleted comment demanding removal of grand final photos featuring the group.

The saga exploded last week when Jules, 35, posted: “I want to make it very clear that I am not ‘working through’ anything. I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way. All I can do now is heal and do what’s best for my children.” Within hours, she scrubbed all traces of Lachie, 32, from her Instagram, unfollowed him and Crosley, while a removalist truck was spotted at their Brisbane home.

Rumours swiftly pointed to Crosley as the “other woman,” with fans poring over old posts showing the two couples as inseparable: viral TikToks, Gold Coast holidays in November, and grand final celebrations where Crosley and Jules playfully bit Lachie’s premiership medal. One source claimed Jules confronted Ben Crosley about an alleged “betrayal” between their spouses.

While no party has confirmed infidelity – and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Crosley – the fallout has been brutal. Jules jetted to Western Australia for healing, posting a bandaged heart emoji from Busselton Jetty. Lachie remains silent, still following Jules online.

Crosley’s recent posts, radiating confidence and joy, have divided opinion: some see them as tone-deaf amid the pain, others as a woman reclaiming her narrative. “I’m beautiful, so…” one insider paraphrased her apparent mindset, though no exact cryptic quote matching this has surfaced.

For the Neales – parents to Piper, 4, and Freddie, 1 – the scandal marks the end of a decade-long fairy tale that began with a 2018 wedding and Jules selling her Perth salon to support Lachie’s trade to Brisbane. Once hailed as a “solid” power couple, their split has rocked the AFL community.

As Crosley enjoys the holidays with loved ones, the story feels far from over. With grand final photos still up and scrutiny intensifying, whispers persist: What really happened on that final group holiday? And will the full truth ever emerge?