Brisbane Lions reveal captaincy trio to lead quest for a hat-trick of premierships after Lachie Neale scandal

Reigning premiers Brisbane have named three co-captains to lead the Lions’ bid for a hat-trick of flags following Lachie Neale’s decision to stand down from his skipper’s role. Vice-captains Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley have been elevated to co-captaincy status alongside star defender Harris Andrews. Andrews and dual Brownlow medallist Neale had been co-captains of the Brisbane teams that reached the past three AFL grand finals and won back-to-back premierships in 2024 and 2025. But Neale stood down as co-captain and from the club’s leadership in early January following the breakdown of his marriage, after a scandal that dominated headlines during summer. Neale separated from his wife Jules amid speculation of an affair with her former best friend Tess Crosley. “I can confirm though with regret that Jules and I have now separated,” he told reporters. “While I won’t go into specifics, I can say that I have let my family down and I apologise for my actions that have let done those that are closest to me. And for that I am deeply sorry.” When asked bluntly if he had cheated on his wife, Neale responded: “No, I can’t address those rumours.” The scandal blew up after Jules commented on an Instagram post of Crosley, calling her out for not deleting pictures of the Lions’ grand final celebrations in September that contained both her and Neale. On Monday, Lions coach Chris Fagan said the appointment of Andrews, McCluggage and Dunkley as the team leaders was a “logical decision”. “It was quite unique to have three guys that are more than capable of being great captains at your one club at the one time,” Fagan said. “If you have three good people, then why not have three captains? For us, leadership is a teamwork thing, so to have three captains reinforces that philosophy and we work really hard to build leadership density at our footy club. “These three are our best trademark players, they are fine young men, they are different personalities, so they bring different strengths to the table.” An eight-man Lions leadership group will also include two-time Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft, Jarrod Berry, Cam Rayner, Jaspa Fletcher and off-season recruit Oscar Allen, a former West Coast Eagles co-captain. “We have real leadership density and are really proud of the entire leadership group,” Fagan said. “We are still building on our young group underneath, and in our team, we have plenty of guys who have been in the leadership group before which is a great advantage.” Fagan was full of praise for Andrews, McCluggage and Dunkley. “Harris is a champion player to start with and a champion bloke who is so enormously respected by his teammates and is a two-time premiership captain for a reason,” the Lions coach said. “He cares deeply about the team, in games he steps up in the big moments, is a total professional, has a growth mindset and is a great man for the community, so he just ticks so many boxes. “Hugh’s growth from the quiet young Vic country lad that he was when he first turned up to the club to now has been exceptional, “He isn’t a loud leader, but he is a leader by example and has incredible emotional intelligence, so if I want a read on the group he will give me the best read that I can get. “‘Dunks’ is impatient for results but also a very encouraging guy. He is incredibly honest – disarmingly so at times. “If he has something on his mind, he will be the first to walk into my office and just tell me. “And look at the way he plays. He is a rare beast that tries every bit as hard on defence as he does on offence. “If there’s ever a man who would do a job for the team it is him.”