It’s a journalist’s worst nightmare, and this year was the worst yet.
April Fools day is terrible for gullible people, and for us at TotalRL HQ, we are ashamed to admit that we got caught on a number of occasions thanks to some mischievous press officers across the country.
A number of clubs got involved this year, and here are four of the pranks that were particularly mischievous this year.
1. Billy Slater to Batley
Yes, the Bulldogs had the audacity to claim that the iconic Australian full-back had agreed to become their new head coach for next year!
The only logic behind this was the serious injury suffered by Slater earlier this season, but if you are a bad morning person, it would be easy to get caught out.
The cheeky post was subtly left on the club’s news page, but certainly grabbed the attention of some of the fans. It even caught out our very own Martyn Sadler!
A coup at @BatleyRLFC. Billy Slater to be their coach next season. Brilliant move, especially for Billy. https://t.co/qOXRYOXEPo
— Martyn Sadler (@MartynSadler) April 1, 2016
2. Koukash sends Salford fans into meltdown
Marwan Koukash had Red Devils fans sweating heavily when he tweeted a picture suggesting Salford had been deducted EIGHT points by the RFL.
Thankfully for Salford, the tweet was a joke, and perhaps a chance to have a swipe at his beloved friends at Red Hall!
Will go to the highest court in the land to fight this decision that was made without a trial . Typical RFL pic.twitter.com/XhHhRa5bhe
— Marwan Koukash (@drmarwanK) April 1, 2016
3. Grass wars at Warrington
Warrington Wolves were at their cunning best this morning when they posted on Instagram that they would be launching an investigation after thieves broke into the Halliwell Jones Stadium overnight and stole sections of the pitch, including a picture as proof.
But it proved to be just another prank being played, much to the relief of the groundsman who woke up to quite the shock.
4. Paul March comes out of retirement
This was good because it was actually believable!
The Keighley head coach had been saying for years that he was going to hang up the boots, but only did so at the end of last year.
However, it appeared he might be dusting the cobwebs off when Keighley posted on their Facebook page to say he would be in the squad for the weekend.
As the hours passed, the club released their 19-man squad without March in the team, ending the most crafty prank of the day!
