Frustrations of Luke Sayers' daughters as their father's 'babe, no' texts to mum go public - but they only have themselves to blame: LUCY MANLY

By LUCY MANLY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 13:04, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 13:04, 30 May 2026 One of the most extraordinary - and under-examined - aspects of the Sayers v Sayers saga playing out in the Melbourne courts is the role the estranged couple's daughters appear to be playing behind the scenes. Claudia and Bronte Sayers publicly backed their father, Luke, soon after it became clear the matter was headed to trial. Together, they issued a statement that, on its face, appeared to have been shaped by his new media advisers. But as the case has escalated into the full-blown media circus it was always destined to become, the sisters are, according to a source, now frustratedly telling friends they are 'just sick of it and want it to go away'. If that is indeed the case, they are going about it in an odd way. Those close to them say there was plenty of head-shaking after Bronte posted a photo on social media of the now-infamous 'F*** them all' cake - widely seen as a jab at her father's enemies. Claudia amplified it by sharing a screenshot of a subsequent news story about the cake. 'It was like pouring petrol on the fire,' a source told me. The sisters' actions raise an obvious question: if they genuinely want the matter to disappear from public view, why continue feeding it? After all, it is one thing for your Instagram post to make the pages of the Herald Sun. It is quite another to then post the article yourself. Meanwhile, they now appear trapped in an extraordinarily awkward position. Luke Sayers (centre) with daughters Claudia (left) and Bronte (right). Their public, and some would say provocative, support of their father has been compared to 'pouring petrol on the fire' A batch of text messages between estranged couple Cate and Luke Sayers (above, in 2024) reveal how things fell apart as a statement was released announcing his exit from Carlton The central issue before the court is not how much they love either parent, but whether Luke Sayers can ultimately defend himself against his wife Cate's defamation claim. Crucially, Mr Sayers' legal team has not filed a truth defence against the allegations. If they had, then Claudia and Bronte might well have had a role to play in supporting their father's account of what he claims happened when a flaccid d*** pic briefly appeared on his Twitter account alongside the name of a Bupa executive. Instead, Sayers is advancing a qualified privilege defence - in essence, arguing that his statutory declaration to the AFL, in which he made allegedly defamatory claims about his wife Cate, was produced 'in performance of a legal, social, professional or moral duty', and is therefore defensible. Realistically, it is difficult to see what Claudia and Bronte could add here. Presumably, they were not present when their father, then president of Carlton, appeared before the AFL's integrity unit. The sensible, dignified course would be to remain silent. It is already an embarrassing saga, with dirty laundry aired in open court. It has now morphed into a social media tit-for-tat, driven in part by two privileged young women who, in my view, should know better. It comes as text messages released this week between the ex-PwC chief executive and his estranged wife cast last year's lewd photo scandal in an even messier light for him. The messages, exchanged in the immediate aftermath of the January 2025 d*** pic scandal, reveal the fallout after the nude image appeared on Mr Sayers' X account. The photo remained online for around 12 minutes before Mr Sayers deleted it and issued an apology to followers, claiming his account had been hacked. 'Sorry, my account has been hacked - please ignore all posts,' he wrote. Bronte Sayers appeared to deliver a pointed message about her parents' court battle. When it made the local news in Melbourne, Claudia posted the article on her Instagram  Sayers, previously the CEO of PwC Australia, was seen strolling hand-in-hand with his new girlfriend Alexandra Elms before his legal battle with Cate kicked off in March Luke's daughter Claudia (right) joined the couple on his pre-trial stroll in East Melbourne  Sayers has consistently denied responsibility for uploading the image, with an AFL investigation - conducted without examining the phone or interviewing Cate and other relevant parties - later concluding the photo had been posted by someone else. Cate went on to launch legal action against her husband, alleging he defamed her, breached her confidence and invaded her privacy through a statutory declaration provided to the AFL during the investigation. The text messages revealed this week show Sayers repeatedly apologising after Cate felt she had effectively been left carrying the blame. According to court filings, Sayers allegedly told Carlton and AFL figures that Cate was responsible for posting the image. In the messages, however, he insists a hacker was behind the upload. Cate denies posting the photo and claims the scandal seriously damaged her reputation and public standing, prompting her lawsuit. The exchange took place between January 22 and 23, shortly after Sayers resigned from Carlton. 'I've left Carlton just announced,' he wrote. The photo of Sayers' flaccid penis remained online for about 12 minutes before he deleted it and issued an apology to followers, claiming his X account had been hacked  It's difficult to understand what role Bronte Sayers (pictured) and her sister Claudia might play in their father's qualified privilege defence. It begs the question: why say anything at all? Cate replied: 'Wondered why I just received a swuillion messages from people in oz. Also, I don't like the last line – everyone now thinks I posted it 'someone who has access to his account'.' Sayers responded: 'No they don't…I was very clear about pursuing this hack privately from this day forward…which I am on.' Cate then fired back: 'No luke – read the media. You are once again cleared – you looked after yourself well but your media people have left it on me – thanks.' 'Babe no no no….its [redacted].. it couldn’t have been clearer in the statement,' Luke answered, to which Cate wrote back: 'Ffs read the statement. The world thinks I posted it. Thanks.' Pleading, Luke texted: 'I have tried to call. I love you. It breaks my heart how you are feeling. Nobody we know thinks in any way you did it, that’s all that matters.' The messages were sent while Cate was still in Italy. 'I am furious with you. I need space. Find another hotel,' she wrote. 'You saved yourself and again dumped me right in it as the person who accessed your account. Read the media narrative. I am gutted and don’t think I can ever return to Australia now. But you can! So well done you.' Sayers also texted: 'I was hacked. I've said it repeatedly. It's like bs I pushed Dan Andrews down the stairs... it's all c***. The bottom line is we are together, we are one, and we are setting how it should have been five years ago. I love you. Pls can we meet now for a coffee to talk through.' Sayers' reference to Daniel Andrews concerned an online conspiracy involving the former Victorian premier and his 2021 back injury on the Mornington Peninsula. But that was not the only unusual political crossover orbiting the saga. Adding another layer is FMRS Advisory - the consultancy founded by four former senior Andrews allies. Bronte and Claudia reportedly received assistance from FMRS in preparing their public statement about their parents' legal battle. In that statement, the pair publicly backed their father following the scandal that tore the family apart. 'This dispute sits within a long and complicated family history, with very different accounts of past events. Based on what we have lived and experienced, we stand behind our father and his position,' they said. The statement came as lawyers for both parents faced off in court over whether the defamation proceedings should be heard publicly or behind closed doors in the Family Court, where matters are suppressed. In Australia, the Family Court exists largely for children's wellbeing and to protect a child's right to maintain relationships with both parents - not to shield adults from embarrassment. Yet even if he cannot shift the matter into a private forum, Luke appears to be relying on his daughters to assist him in the court of public opinion. Back when Bronte posted the infamous cake image, Claudia chimed in with: 'Thanks dad for always being in our corner.' It was a curious choice of words. Most would agree it is Luke who should be thanking them. 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