Aussie sport’s best April Fool’s pranks: From a shock AFL comeback to an NRL star’s reality TV stint

Everyone loves a good old-fashioned stitch up, especially on April 1. 

Sporting clubs and fans across the country have embraced the spirit of April Fool’s Day once again in 2022 with a host of social media announcements that some people have fallen for hook, line and sinker. 

One of the leading April Fool’s pranks was a bit of a cheap shot, but it sucked plenty of NRL fans in nonetheless.

Facebook account The Rugby League Bible posted that embattled Wests Tigers coach Michael Mcguire had resigned from his role effective immediately in the wake of the club’s horror start to the 2022 season. 

It also comes after their shocking 8-6 loss to the Gold Coast Titans where the only try of the match didn’t come until the 80th minute.

Quite a few people didn’t check their calendar before responding.

‘Can’t blame him personally I only see a few players putting in for him out there’ Scott Carall said.

Terry Burgess said it: ‘Was only a matter of time’.

‘Madge is a great coach, players are the problem,’ Eddie Mark Tabu added.

The Parramatta Eels stitched up their half Dylan Brown in glorious fashion, making a ‘statement’ that he will be a contestant on the next series of racy reality show Love Island Australia.

Most people were awake to the prank, but Chris Ricketts did fly in with a zinger – at Wests Tigers’ expense.

‘This is not information that I expected to discover today. Love Island is the Luke Brooks of television programs,’ he replied to the Eels post.

Finally, the League Unlimited website went above and beyond with their prank, releasing an entire article.

They claimed that ARL Chairman Peter V’landys had ordered all players to come up with a unique name in their registration to avoid confusion, drawing reference to Will Smith of the Gold Coast Titans and actor Will Smith, who smacked Chris Rock across the chops at the Oscars.

 Sione Katoa and … Sione Katoa? One April Fool’s Day prank said the NRL was looking to crack down on players with the same name 

‘Both the Bulldogs and the Sharks had a Sione Katoa last year – how confusing is that? Our first plan was to simply terminate one of the contracts, which is what we did, but this new idea is a much fairer way forward,’ V’landys ‘said’ in the fake article.

Shifting gears and moving over to the AFL, Richmond couldn’t help but prank their fans with ‘news’ that club legend Matthew Richardson was returning to AFL action at 47 years of age. 

Richmond went to great lengths for their prank, posting a full video including an interview with Richardson saying he would join their Covid top-up list for the 2022 season.

‘I’m very excited. It’s a very slim chance that it will happen but look what happened at the West Coast Eagles,’ he said.

‘If we were to get down to the bare minimum of numbers I’m very excited to be able to help the club out and I think I am ready to go.’

The National Basketball League (NBL) has taken enormous strides forward in recent years, with a host of NBA and rising NBA talent playing in Australia.

The National Basketball League made an ‘announcement’ of a new franchise based in Perth as an April Fool’s Day prank.

The glamour club is the Perth Wildcats with over 10,000 members and a reputation as being the most successful sporting franchise in the country with 10 NBL championships and an unbeaten run of 35 straight finals appearances since inception.

The NBL threw a cat among the pigeons, releasing an image saying there will be a second Perth franchise coming next season.

Who knows? Maybe NBA and Australian Boomers star Joe Ingles will join the new franchise. A social media prank stating that his NBA days are over has also sucked in a few gullible hoops fans.

Australian Boomer and NBA Superstar Joe Ingles is currently injured and out for the Utah Jazz. While there is a chance he could finish his career in the NBL, this announcement is bogus