Published: 14:47 BST, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 14:54 BST, 6 August 2026
Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia's most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip before it makes the news
When you're the most scrutinised player in the AFL, it helps to have a manager who answers calls from journalists.
Lachie Neale has had a busy few months. Having blown up his marriage after an alleged affair with the ex-Mormon best mate of his wife Jules, he is now rumoured to be courting busty Gold Coast glamour girl Emma Field after they were papped together at Brisbane Airport.
But reports of his new squeeze prompted an unexpected intervention from PGA golfer Jack Wright, who took to Instagram with this curious claim.
'Only a week or 2 ago he was trying to slide into my sister's DMs again after being denied the first time,' Jack wrote.
Just seven months after his wife walked out on him following his alleged affair, ex-Lions skipper Lachie Neale was pictured at Brisbane Airport with rumoured new squeeze Emma Field
The reports prompted an unexpected intervention from PGA golfer Jack Wright, who took to Instagram to claim: 'Only a week or 2 ago he was trying to slide into my sister's DMs again'
It's unclear which sister Jack was referring to. He appears to have two, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Jules (left). Mormon mother-of-one Tess Crosley is pictured right
It's an odd flex, chiming in that a footballer tried to pick up your sister, but given Lachie's past, it does seem on brand.
It's unclear which sister Jack was referring to. He appears to have two, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Jules.
Unfortunately, his manager, Tom Petroro, has embraced the iPhone equivalent of an outer-suburban Ring camera: Call Screening, the feature that forces callers to declare the purpose of their call and is increasingly used to fob off reporters.
Eventually, Tom replied by text to say he was 'tied up in meetings'. My request for comment, however, went unanswered.
While Sydney heiress Francesca Packer was sipping champagne and celebrating her second wedding during a lavish three-day Spanish extravaganza, one of her former friends was making a far more low-key appearance back home.
Ex-bikie associate and convicted criminal Mark Judge was spotted at celebrity favourite Bills in Bondi this week, flanked by a ferocious-looking dog and a glamorous blonde companion.
