Which AFL star’s cheating wife is the talk of the school gate? Plus, billionaire targeted in shocking Mykonos robbery – and the brutal aftermath of The Hammer’s sex tape leak: THE GROUP CHAT

Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news 

Hammer time

I can’t say I’m the most popular girl in NRL circles right now. 

My scoop last week, revealing that Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was embroiled in a sex tape scandal with a woman who was definitely not his girlfriend Jaime Chapman, hit Queensland’s Origin side like a ton of bricks.

While it didn’t stop them from besting New South Wales in the July 9 decider, I am reliably informed the Maroons and Tabuai-Fidow’s club were quite frazzled by it all.

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Rugby league golden couple Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Jaime Chapman (pictured together in happier times) called it quits after he was embroiled in a sex tape scandal with another woman

After the dust settled on this year’s Origin trilogy, I made the trip out to Redcliffe Peninsula, the home of the Dolphins, to track down the man himself and ask the question on everyone’s lips

And spare a thought for poor Chapman – who happens to be the poster girl of the women’s competition and a NSW Blues representative. She was said to be blindsided.

A quick recap: on July 3, I reported the existence of a video showing the 23-year-old league star – known as The Hammer – receiving a consensual sex act from a woman he’d met at Brisbane’s Su Casa nightclub then brought back to his Redcliffe home.

After the dust settled on this year’s Origin trilogy, I made the trip out to Redcliffe Peninsula, the home of the Dolphins, to track down the man himself and ask the question on everyone’s lips.

Why’d you get the camera out, buddy?

I managed to briefly catch up with Tabuai-Fidow after his five-hour-long training session at Kayo Stadium.

To his credit, he didn’t slam the door in my face and was honestly more polite than he needed to be – but I could literally see the moment his soul left his body when I said the words ‘sex act in question’. 

With a half-smirk and a nod, he acknowledged the tape, did not deny a thing but chose not to comment. 

Tabuai-Fidow was surprisingly polite to me as I fronted him after his five-hour training session at Kayo Stadium. He acknowledged the tape, did not deny a thing but chose not to comment

After bouncing the Hammer at his home, I received an angry phone call from the Dolphins’ media guy who branded my door-knock ‘disgusting’ and ‘poor form’

Fair enough, he didn’t need to. The tattoos on display in the video – including a distinctive crowned bear on his right thigh – said it all.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the video was filmed on June 7 while Chapman was away at camp with her NRLW team, the Gold Coast Titans.

Neither Tabuai-Fidow nor Chapman has spoken publicly about the tape, but those in the know tell me the footage was the final straw for the footy power couple.

Now, there’s an interesting postscript to this story.

As I sat in my hotel room later that night, I received a call from the Dolphins’ media guy Trad McLean (yes – Trad) who seemed to have a lot to get off his chest.

Trad – whom I accidentally called Trent during the entire call – branded my door-knock ‘disgusting’ and ‘poor form’ during his strongly worded dressing-down. 

I gently suggested he redirect his outrage at players misbehaving on camera rather than journalists doing their job – a line that, shockingly, didn’t go over well.

Red’s requiem

A Who’s Who of Perth high society turned out in force to farewell one of its most iconic matriarchs, the unfailingly glamorous and fiercely loyal Eileen ‘Red’ Bond, first wife of beloved swindler Alan Bond.

Hundreds of friends, family, and familiar faces from Western Australia’s business and political circles packed into St Patrick’s Basilica in Fremantle, the town where Red was born and raised. She died earlier this month aged 87 after suffering a stroke.

Known for her fiery hair and even fierier spirit, Red was remembered by eldest son John Bond as a woman defined by four fabulous F’s: faith, family, friends and fun.

Spotted among the pews were her ‘car king’ cousin John Hughes, former premier Richard Court, Perth A-listers and ‘car dealership heiress’ Joanna and Tony Millard, and a glittering array of Bond clan members, including diamond dealer Olivia and loungewear designer Kate, the wives of Alan Bond’s grandsons Jeremy and Banjo, respectively.

Eileen ‘Red’ Bond is pictured with her grandsons’ wives Kate (left) and Olivia (right) 

A signature red cape made an appearance one last time at the Oval, draped lovingly over her usual seat, surrounded by flowers

But Red wasn’t just old-money sparkle; she was a footy diehard through and through.

A decades-long patron and proud #1 ticket holder for South Fremantle, Red never missed a Saturday at the Oval if she was in town. 

And yes, the Freo girl’s signature red cape made an appearance one last time, draped lovingly over her usual seat, surrounded by flowers.

It was a fitting send-off for a woman who managed to blend high society with hometown heart.

Perth – a city known for its wannabes and pretenders – won’t forget her anytime soon.

Bling ring hits billionaire

Hours before The Group Chat was set to go live, a trusted source dropped a late-night tip that just couldn’t wait.

I’m told WA tech billionaire Laurence Escalante‘s first night in Mykonos ended in disaster when his luxury villa was ransacked by thieves while he partied with a group of 20-something women he’d flown in for the occasion.

The robbers cleared out Escalante’s collection of luxury watches, as well as designer clothes, cash and personal belongings from his guests – all worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to our island spy, Escalante was earlier spotted flashing his $1million Richard Mille x Pharrell watch while partying at the exclusive beach club Scorpios.

WA tech billionaire Laurence Escalante’s first night in Mykonos ended in disaster when his luxury villa was ransacked by thieves while he partied at Scorpios. (Perth native Phyllis Narula is pictured left at the Mykonos villa that was ransacked by thieves, and right on a private jet)

Escalante – founder of the $3.2billion online gambling giant Virtual Gaming Worlds – is furious but choosing to stay on the island 

Ironically, that was only piece of bling the thieves didn’t get their hands on.

Escalante – founder of the $3.2billion online gambling giant Virtual Gaming Worlds – is furious but choosing to stay on the island. That said, celebrations are reportedly on pause.

It’s a blow for the eight young women he’s hosting, who put their day jobs on ice to party-hop across Europe.

Turns out, what happens in Mykonos doesn’t always stay in Mykonos.

The (sushi) boys are back 

If you are a survivor of the ‘Sydney fusion fad of 2019’, chances are you’ve heard of the name Kyle Stagoll.

He was the co-owner, operator and very enthusiastic promoter of SASH, the short-lived sushi-pizza restaurant that somehow turned seaweed, raw salmon and mozzarella into one unforgettable – and inedible – dining experience.

Now, Kyle is back in business. And this time, he’s not selling spicy tuna flatbreads – he’s selling ‘financial freedom’.

Oh, dear.

Having rebranded as a ‘crypto trader with a finance economics degree’ – to quote his Instagram profile – the Bitcoin believer is peddling crypto courses with the kind of dead-behind-the-eyes intensity we’ve seen a million times before on TikTok.

Now, if you’re the sort of impressionable young man who might be tempted into spending your hard-earned money on one of these ‘gurus’, here’s a word of advice from me: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

(With that said, I am not suggesting Kyle is doing anything dishonest – only noting that most successful traders don’t need to supplement their income by selling courses.)

Kyle Stagoll (left image, left) and Dave Nelson (left image, right) were the geniuses behind the the short-lived Surry Hills sushi-pizza fusion restaurant SASH

Kyle now offers financial freedom as a ‘crypto trader with a finance economics degree’

His Surry Hills hospitality failure behind him, Kyle (right) now seems to be living a charmed life

Kyle’s former business partner Dave Nelson is also helping people actualise their financial destiny on Instagram through his ‘AI-powered wealth planning’ – whatever that means

As it happens, Kyle’s former Sash business partner Dave Nelson is also helping people actualise their financial destiny on Instagram through his ‘AI-powered wealth planning’ – whatever that means.

The cocky pair’s Surry Hills restaurant lasted all of three months before it was placed into liquidation with debts of $436,000, with the founders blaming high wages, high rents, a slowdown in consumer spending and UberEats.

It takes a special kind of confidence to turn such a spectacular public failure into an origin story for your AI business or get-rich-quick classes.

But if anyone can pull it off, it’s Kyle and Dave. In fact, I may have a cheeky acronym for them: FARTTs (Failed at Restaurants? Try Trading.)

Star’s wife plays the field 

Another footy scandal? Yes, it’s a very unusual Group Chat this week. 

In a story that’s got both the football world and the school gate buzzing, I can reveal the wife of a former AFL player had an affair with one of the dads at her kids’ school.

It’s doubly embarrassing for this yummy mummy as she is employed at the school.

I’m told her outraged husband ‘blew up’ when he learned of his wife’s extracurricular activities and alerted the school to what was going on.

‘On the last day of term, he called the school to report the affair and get her fired,’ says a source with knowledge of the situation.

‘Now, not only does the school know, but their kids know, too.’

The fling has rocked the tight-knit community and is now the talk of the school car park and Saturday sports games.

Following the affair, I am told the footy couple is now playing happy families again – like nothing ever happened – leaving other parents both outraged and fascinated.

‘It looks like a showmance to me,’ one school mum snipes.

• The subjects of this blind item are not mentioned or pictured elsewhere in this column