Former Fremantle Dockers and Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale and wife Julie Neale announce baby news

Former Fremantle Dockers star Lachie Neale and his wife Jules have announced their growing family of three will soon become four.

The AFL power couple took to Instagram on Tuesday to tell their thousands of followers that their second child, a little baby boy is on the way.

The heartwarming post included a photo of their daughter Piper dressed in a cute fairy costume and holding up an ultrasound image of her baby brother.

“And then there were four ✨,” the caption said.

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“We cannot wait to meet you little one!

“Feeling so incredibly blessed to be able to grow this little family, It didn’t come easily but then nothing worth having ever does ✨anyone out there on their own TTC journey, sending you all the love and luck in the world.”

The post also featured a video of the couple getting the “biggest shock of our lives” during a gender reveal.

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The Brisbane Lions co-captain and his influencer wife couldn’t believe their eyes when they found out they would soon be parents to a boy.

After cutting into a cake to reveal a blue sponge, the pair sported expressions of disbelief before hugging and kissing with elation.

Fellow sport and fashion personalities took to the comments delighted at the happy news.

Channel 7 sports presenter Abbey Holmes said: “OMG !! Yessssssss 😍🙌🏼🥰💕 best news! Congratulations guys xxx.”

Dockers star Andy Brayshaw said: “Letsss goooooooooo ❤️❤️❤️.”

Purple Wiggle Lachy said: “Ohhh Congratulations Jules and Lachie!!!!! 💜💜💜💜.”

Perth-born influencer Tayla Broad said: “Congratulations guys 😍.”

Earlier this year, the duo opened up on the difficulties of trying to conceive Piper before finally falling pregnant in 2021.

“There’s so many in the same position, but no one really talks about it much,” Jules told the Courier Mail in March.

“I talk about it now because we’re out of it, but it was really hard in the moment. When you’re going through it, it’s all you can think about. It consumes you. Changes your behaviour. Talking now feels easier, because [Piper] is here, and it’s less scary.

“We tried for two-and-a-half years. If we got to three and I hadn’t fallen pregnant, we said we’d do IVF. I was on heavy medication, having regular scans, blood tests, trigger hormone shots – everything you do before IVF. There were surgeries for my endometriosis and a lot in the lead-up to figure out what was wrong.”

Lachie said: “Family means the world to me, not just Jules and Piper, but our parents and siblings. We are all very close, and we’re so lucky to have found an amazing friendship group. Being able to balance my lifestyle can be tricky, but I make every effort to ensure our family time is uninterrupted. We don’t let anything distract us from that time together.”

The announcement comes just days after Lachie and Holmes were caught up in controversy after sharing a hug and kiss on the cheek after a post-match interview.

Neale and Holmes both responded to the backlash, with former AFLW player Holmes saying Jules had texted her in a show of support amid the public’s outcry calling it “inappropriate”.

Lachie Neale of the Lions and wife Julie Neale pose for portraits after Lachie was awarded the 2023 Brownlow Medal. Credit: Albert Perez/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“Jules Neale even sent me a message this morning saying, ‘I hope you’re okay - this is ridiculous’. I’m like, ‘mate, I know, Lachie’s a friend of mine,” she said.

“It’s really frustrating for me. Lachie is a good friend of mine, so that’s just something that you do – you greet your friends. Whether that’s a hug or a kiss on the cheek. The fact that this has been blown up out of proportion to the actual incident itself. It’s really upsetting for me.”

Lachie said on Channel 9: “The fact that it’s been brought up a week later is a little bit strange. I didn’t really know about it until the other day. It’s sort of come as a bit of a surprise.”