Not in the state: Manager rubbishes Cripps-Thomas golf rumours

Patrick Cripps is not even in Victoria so there’s no way he could have played a round of golf at Royal Park yesterday.

A screenshot was doing the rounds - pardon the pun - which had the Carlton captain teeing off at 10:20am alongside CEO Graham Wright, plus Tarryn Thomas and his former manager Ben Williams.

The image came out after it had been confirmed that former North Melbourne player Thomas was again eligible to play in the AFL.

The rumour mill was sent into a frenzy, but the impromptu round of golf in the middle of footy’s silly season never happened.

Cripps’ manager Matt Bain, from TGI Sport, says the bogus post couldn’t be true for two reasons.

“Apart from the fact Crippa isn’t even in the state, I didn’t even have to check with him because based on current form there’s no way he’d be off 14!,” Bain told SEN.com.au.

Bain was referencing the handicaps shown in the image with Cripps’ name next to a +14.2. A sly little dig from a close mate of the two-time Brownlow Medallist.

It was a cheeky idea from the perpetrator of the post just a few days after Port Adelaide star Zak Butters played a round with Essendon duo Darcy Parish and Sam Durham and his manager Peter Lenton.

Channel 7 cameras and reporter Mitch Cleary moved swiftly to the scene for some vision and a quick word with Butters.

The same can’t be said for the hoax involving the names of Cripps and Thomas.