Smiles on the sidelines! Footy star Lachie Neale looks unfazed by Grand Final heartbreak as he steps out with girlfriend Emma Field in Brisbane following tribunal disaster

He's just suffered the ultimate heartbreak of being excluded from the Grand Final—but dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale is certainly not letting it ruin his romantic life.

The Lions champion, 33, was spotted looking in remarkably high spirits on Wednesday, enjoying a relaxed Brisbane café outing and stroll with his new partner, Emma Field, just hours after his high-stakes tribunal challenge was dismissed.

Dressed in a casual white t-shirt, dark shorts, a white baseball cap, and aviator sunnies, Lachie cut a laid-back figure as he walked with Emma, who turned heads in a chic, Velocity burgundy activewear outfit and dark sunglasses.

Despite the footy challenges, Lachie and Emma couldn't hide their joy during their fun outing, looking entirely unburdened as they grabbed a bite to eat, chatting warmly and laughing across the table.

The pair later beamed as they strolled hand-in-hand down the street, with Lachie affectionately placing a hand on Emma's back.

The loved-up display comes amid a whirlwind week for the star midfielder, who has found himself trapped in a relentless storm of both on-field drama and off-field headlines.

On Tuesday night, Lachie's dreams of playing in Saturday's premiership decider were shattered after the AFL tribunal upheld a one-match ban for a striking incident involving Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan during last weekend's preliminary final. 

Despite a gruelling four-and-a-half-hour hearing where legal counsel argued the contact was merely a body-check, tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson KC dismissed the plea, leaving Lachie stranded on the sidelines for the biggest game of the year.

The suspension is expected to cap off a dramatic tenure in Brisbane for Lachie, with widespread speculation mounting that he could make a blockbuster move to Collingwood next season.

Meanwhile, the footy world has been sent into a spin elsewhere after the scandal surrounding his high-profile split from estranged wife Jules—and her former close friend Tess Crosley—was recently skewered in viral Mad Monday parodies, which Tess herself confessed she found hilarious.

Rather than taking offence at becoming the subject of the gag, Tess appeared to find the impersonation hilarious. 

'Jump scare warning next time pls,' she wrote underneath the post alongside several laughing emojis.

Her comment quickly attracted more than 180 likes, with other followers also getting a kick out of the elaborate costumes.

'Unbelievable knockers,' one joked. 'Actually the best,' added another.

The parody comes after Tess recently broke her silence on the scandal and addressed some of the more extraordinary rumours that have followed her since her affair with Lachie became public.

But with the chaos swirling around him, Lachie proved that romance and relaxation come first, leaning on Emma for support as he navigates his enforced Grand Final exile.

Speaking on Daily Mail's showbiz podcast The Debrief with Savanna Young, Tess revealed there was more context surrounding the friendship group than outsiders knew.

Among the most sensational claims to emerge from the saga were rumours that the friends had been involved in a secret swinging arrangement.

While Tess stopped short of discussing the private lives of those involved, she suggested the situation was more complicated than had previously been reported.

'There was a lot of context that people don't know... it was a friendship that just got way too close,' she said.

'Out of respect for the other people involved, I obviously can't talk about their private lives.'

Tess also clarified that she and Lachie's ex-wife Jules had not been lifelong best friends, revealing their friendship had lasted for about a year before the affair came to light.

The Debrief with Savanna Young is available on the Daily Mail's YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.