TikTok Inspector goes nuclear on false rumour about site checks. Plus, women in Lachie Neale saga find common ground – and the REAL story behind Luke Sayers lawsuit: COSTELLO’S MELBOURNE

Inspector fixes dodgy chatter

Zeher Khalil might be the most talked-about figure in the Victorian building industry.

Known as the ‘TikTok Inspector’, Khalil commands an audience of millions on social media with videos that uncover building defects on behalf of homeowners.

Dodgy builders run for the portaloos when Khalil shows up on site, understandably nervous that he’ll cast his keen eye on their shoddy work.

Indeed, Khalil’s boast to ‘show you what your builder won’t’ has captured the public’s imagination – which in turn has no doubt been a boon for his company, Site Inspections, which offers ‘forensic investigations of homes and building defects’.

So on-the-pulse is Khalil that he recently teamed up with the king of self-promotion himself, Adrian ‘Don’t Call Me Lambo Guy’ Portelli.

Portelli, of The Block fame, has been locked in a battle with builder Michael Strom over a $39million job in Portelli’s Melbourne penthouse.

Portelli and Khalil’s inspection notched up 726,000 views on YouTube.

But with social media fame comes unwanted chatter, and Costello’s Melbourne has heard a rumour doing the rounds – which we accept is false – that a major-volume builder had tried to seek an arrangement with Khalil to leave their sites alone.

We tried to get to the bottom of it – and, to our surprise, the TikTok Inspector has grown so big, he now has a manager fielding such questions.

After some initially cool back-and-forth, the managerial gatekeeper and I found some common ground and we managed to put the chatter to Khalil directly.

‘Any allegation or inference that Site Inspections has arrangements with any builder for favourable treatment is false and defamatory,’ Khalil told Costello’s Melbourne – and we do not suggest otherwise.

To underscore his position, Khalil sent through video of sites that he had inspected that were linked to the company in question, effectively settling the matter.

As a matter of course, we also went to the building behemoth in question, which confirmed via a spokesperson that any suggestion of a deal was ‘100 per cent false’.

So there you go – rest assured your favourite TikTok building inspector may have a flair for the dramatic, but his integrity remains beyond reproach.

Common ground for Jules and Tess

Since Brisbane Lions WAG Jules Neale took to social media to accuse her former friend Tess Crosley of ’embarrassing’ herself, the saga surrounding Lachie Neale‘s marital indiscretion has been the hot story of the summer.

The friendship between Jules and Tess is dead and buried (as you would expect), yet the two women have somehow found common ground… over a viral video.

Melbourne author Kate Forster recently caught the algorithm wave with a hot take on the Neale affair. Her video scolding another social media user for trying to turn the break-up into a soap-opera ‘deep dive’ has been viewed more than 833,000 times.

‘Hey, pet,’ Forster lectured in the clip. ‘Listen, with your 955 followers, talking about someone else’s worst moment is not content!

‘Being married to a well-known person does not make you a public figure.

‘It doesn’t mean your marriage, or the breakdown, or your children, suddenly get to be discussed.’

It’s a curious perspective.

For the record, Jules Neale has more than 99,000 followers on Instagram – a larger audience than most linear TV programs.

Still, Forster’s ever-so-slightly pearl-clutching observation struck a chord – and it has reached a surprisingly broad audience.

This column has observed that both Jules and Tess ‘liked’ Forster’s video – and we have the screenshot to back it up.

Fancy that – they agree on something!

After a summer of salacious headlines, both camps seem ready for some more peaceful days ahead.

Toss-up for Tiley

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has been showing off his skilled return-volley when it comes to questions about his future.

Tiley, also the tournament director for the Australian Open, was reportedly being courted to jump ship to the US Open late last year.

But at least one Grand Slam champion told Costello’s Melbourne this week: ‘I’m pretty sure he isn’t leaving.’

We asked Tiley himself and his response was just as intriguing.

Tiley – who made his name as an elite coach – has guided Tennis Australia to great heights, but faced a rough summer in 2022 amid the Novak Djokovic deportation mess.

The Serbian ace was stuck in quarantine detention at the shabby Park Hotel in Carlton, after failing to meet the entry requirements for Australia.

He later claimed the room service at the Park Hotel had given him food poisoning.

(The Park Hotel has since been repackaged as the Crowne Plaza Carlton by IHG, where guests unperturbed by Novak’s stomach issues can ‘indulge in Carlton’s rich Italian history with seasonal produce’.)

Eventually, Australia deported one of the fittest men on earth on ‘health and good order’ grounds – only for Novak to return in 2023 to win the Open.

Tiley resisted calls for his head.

As far as potential successors go, Tiley’s deputy Tom Larner would surely have to be in the mix if the job came up.

Larner has been Chief Tennis Officer for Tennis Australia since 2021. He understands the organisation and its stakeholders.

Former doubles legend Todd Woodbridge is another name being thrown around.

But Todd’s television career has taken off since he won the hosting job on Channel Nine’s Tipping Point.

Retiring Victorian MP Sam Groth could also add value to Tennis Australia in numerous roles. He’s passionate about the game with a contact book full of powerful people.

However, it may be too early for anyone to start polishing their résumé.

Costello’s Melbourne approached Tiley this week about his future, and his response was blunt, to say the least.

‘This is all speculation, which I am not going to fuel any further,’ he said.

Well played, Craig.

Hair-raising whispers 

Sam McClure isn’t nicknamed ‘Scoop’ for nothing. The TV and newspaper journalist knows a story – and he goes hard to get it.

This summer, McClure expanded his on‑air duties at Channel Nine… and, eagle‑eyed viewers couldn’t help but notice, his hair appeared to expand right along with them.

With the departure of sports presenter Clint Stanaway – who quit Nine after nearly 25 years to focus on breakfast radio – McClure has taken the role of a roaming reporter for the network’s coverage of the Australian Open.

TV viewers famously love to split hairs – and Sam’s follicles have become a talking point.

More than one media figure remarked to Costello’s Melbourne that McClure’s locks are looking more luscious in 2026, having returned from the summer break with an impressively voluminous ‘do.

Good on him, we say. The typical short-back-and-sides sported by the average reporter gets so dull.

But in the vain world of television, cosmetic changes get gossiped about obsessively.

McClure’s on-air colleague Tony ‘Chompers’ Jones is often mocked for performance-enhanced smile.

So has McClure said ‘yeah yeah’ to Advanced Hair or something similar?

Costello’s Melbourne put this claim to Nine’s hair and makeup room who swear, hand on heart, that Sam ‘hasn’t had it done and just wanted to try something new’.

So, it’s all just the magic of the comb, then?

Sayers ain’t so

Melbourne man-about-town and former Carlton president Luke Sayers is being sued for defamation by his estranged wife Cate.

That’s the story that came in on Tuesday evening right as I was filing this column. Breaking news has always had little regard for deadlines.

The lawsuit is in the earliest stages and, naturally, centres on that ‘d*** pic’ scandal that has made Sayers’ life hard ever since it was erroneously published to his Twitter account on January 9 last year.

I can’t say too much – but what I can tell you is that this case is about more than the Sayers’ marriage. It could well challenge some very powerful forces in Melbourne – including, some insiders believe, the so-called AFL boys’ club.

The crux of the matter is Luke Sayers’ statement to the AFL after the penis picture was posted on his profile along with the Twitter handle of a woman who worked for health insurer BUPA.

BUPA is a Carlton sponsor and the post triggered an investigation by the AFL’s integrity unit.

Sayers claimed he’d been ‘hacked’ and that it wasn’t him who uploaded the image.

What he allegedly said in a sworn statement during that AFL probe will form the basis of Cate’s defamation action.

Initial reports indicate Cate believes Sayers implied she was responsible for posting the lewd photo, and that he made ‘damaging’ comments about her mental health.

Sources close to Cate strongly deny this suggestion.

(There is no suggestion by the Mail that Sayers had blamed Cate for posting the lewd photo. There is also no suggestion that Cate was responsible for publishing the photograph on Twitter/X.)

Cate Sayers was apparently never contacted as part of the AFL’s probe, and she believes not enough was done by Luke to clear her reputation.

The matter will draw attention from a number of high-profile figures.

Luke Sayers is amongst a posse of cashed-up Melbourne men dryly referred to by some as the state government’s ‘approved millionaires club’.

The group includes movers and shakers such as property tsar Max Beck. The late music mogul Michael Gudinski was also considered a member.

Sayers was a key advisor to former premier Daniel Andrews in the drafting of the Suburban Rail Loop infrastructure plan.

Luke and Cate Sayers were in Italy together when the ‘d*** pic’ was posted for the world to see. They are now separated.

At the time, Sayers retained the advice of then-consultant Sharon McCrohan to handle his PR. Not an enviable task.

McCrohan has since been hired by the AFL as the league’s Executive General Manager of Corporate Affairs.

Cate has spent time in Italy in recent months, but a defamation action could reunite the estranged couple in court.

An action like this could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damages being paid, should Cate be successful.

When the photo scandal broke, Sayers had counted on the advice of prominent lawyer Leon Zwier.

Zwier is now acting for Daniel and Kate Andrews in the notorious ‘Bike Boy’ matter.

It’s unknown if Zwier has been retained by Sayers for this defamation action.

Sayers now has 28 days to file a defence. Trust me, it’ll be the civil trial of the year.

A break for 3AW’s Lane 

The changes keep coming at Melbourne’s most celebrated AM radio station, 3AW. This time, it’s a line-up reshuffle in the football coverage.

For many years, iconic commentator Tim Lane has led 3AW Saturday afternoons.

Lane is one of football’s most-respected voices, and his Saturday panel with Caroline Wilson and AFL GOAT Leigh Matthews is must-listen-to radio.

But after years in charge, Lane is reducing his professional commitments and won’t be hosting the pre-game program – though he will still call about a dozen matches throughout 2026.

‘A man’s got to know his limitations and after more than 50 years, it’s time for me to scale back,’ Lane told Costello’s Melbourne.

‘I stumbled into sports broadcasting as a uni dropout in Tassie in 1972 and could never have imagined the career it would bring me.’

Lane, a favourite of management who were keen to have him stay on air, began calling matches for the then-VFL (precursor to the AFL) in the commercial-free paradise of ABC Sport, before joining 3AW in 2010.

He’s done his fair share of TV as well, fronting footy for Ten and cricket for Seven.

3AW Football will also start the 2026 season with a new boss behind the scenes, with former AFLW player Meg McDonald named executive producer late last year.

Russians have still got it 

In the early 2000s, bar-owning brothers Nick and Dan Russian competed with the late Darren ‘Razzle’ Thornburgh for the title of Melbourne’s best venue.

Thornburgh ran the legendary Boutique in South Yarra. The Russians entertained the A-list at Eve in South Melbourne.

For those fortunate enough to remember them, Dan’s Baywatch-themed birthday parties at Eve became a staple of the January calendar.

Well, last week, Dan celebrated another lap around the sun at the Russians’ current venue, Bar Bambi in the CBD.

‘My rig certainly isn’t what it used to be in the Baywatch days,’ Dan joked to Costello’s Melbourne.

‘But with the big 5-0 coming up next year, I’ll have to put some special effort into it!’

There’s an old (new) saying: what happens in Bar Bambi, stays in Bar Bambi. 

But I can probably get away with this: while the Baywatch outfits may be a thing of the past, those Russians still know how to throw a party!

They also know how to follow it up.

Shortly after Dan’s birthday bash, his brother Nick and sister-in-law Rozalia were seen enjoying the Australian Open.

Rozalia was chic in black as she watched Polish second seed Iga Swiatek claim victory at Rod Laver Arena.

The Russians were joined by former Carlton skipper Marc Murphy and his influencer wife Jessie.