Premier League winner Lachie Neale's Christmas joy as baby boy – realestate.com.au

Lachie Neale with new baby son Freddie and wife Julie. Photo: Annette Dew

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Premiership-winning Brisbane Lions co-captain Lachie Neale is overjoyed to bring home the biggest Christmas present yet, saying his new “boy is better than the premiership”.

Julie Neale, wife of the two-time Brownlow Medal winner, gave birth to Freddie Oliver at Mater Mothers' Private Hospital on Monday, December 16 at 9.30pm. He weighed 3.02 kg and was named after his star father's father.

“Look, it's been a big year,” Mr Neale said. “Having a healthy baby is better than the premiership.”

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Lachie Neale with his new baby son Freddie. Photo: Annette Dew

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An excited Mr Neale described the birth as exciting and “very different to winning a premiership” and already has a crack at the sport's potential.

“We looked at his calves and they're skinny – hopefully he'll play golf one day,” he joked.

Mr Neale, who is committed to the Lions until the end of 2026, received an outpouring of congratulations when he announced his son's arrival on social media with almost 17,000 likes on his Instagram post 'Welcome to Freddy's world'.

Mrs Neale said Freddie was “keen to come” and was born nearly two weeks early.

“Freddie was due on December 29 but it seems he was in a rush to join us for Christmas this year,” she said.

Brisbane Lions midfielder Lachie Neale is the captain of the team. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen/TheAustralian

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The Neales have plenty of room to accommodate their growing family this holiday season, and Freddie will return to a three-year-old home on a beautiful tree-lined street with a perfectly level, fully fenced back yard.

Neales owns a five-bedroom property in Brisbane's Seven Hills bought for $2.43 million during the pandemic.

Mr Neale said he would have a quiet celebration with his family in Brisbane this Christmas.

“We're going to stay put and have some family time,” he said. “Having a little girl and a boy is really exciting.”

She said her daughter Piper cried when she met her brother for the first time on Tuesday and refused to leave.

“It was special to see them together for the first time,” Mr Neale said.

AFL star Lachie Neale's home is in Seven Hills, Brisbane.

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The house is just 5km from the Gabba, the home base of the Lions, and has increased in value by $320,000 since the couple bought it in 2022.

The Hamptons-style home features 8-foot ceilings, louvered and louvered windows, an open-plan living and dining area, an open-plan kitchen with a stunning farmhouse sink and glass-framed in-floor swimming pool. swimming pool.

The property is within the catchment area of ​​Seven Hills Public School and there are several private schools nearby including Saint Thomas Catholic Primary School, San Sisto College and Saint Martin Catholic.

Plenty of room for the family.

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The star Lions midfielder's dream home is on a 696sq m block with a triple garage and lawn, which Mr Neale has found a solution for – teaming up with Husqvarna for a ride-on mower to keep the grass down when he's out training.

Born in South Australia, he retired from the Fremantle Dockers in Brisbane after the 2018 season, sinking his salary into a $1.77 million home in Coorparoo, south of Brisbane, in November of that year.

Their first Brisbane home in Coorparoo was resold this year for an undisclosed sum.

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He sold his first Brisbane property in 2022 for a whopping $2.6 million during the pandemic – a profit for him of just under a year's salary in value appreciation.

Mr Neale earns about $850,000-$950,000 a year, eight to nine times the average salary in Queensland, and has seen him ranked 23rd in the News' AFL 100 for 2024.

His first home was resold last month for an undisclosed price, but given the 70 per cent rise in house prices in Brisbane since the pandemic, it's sure to be significant.