WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A Facebook page features news about AFL club Carlton Blues.
OUR VERDICT
False. The stories are fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - Carlton fans are being targeted on social media by a stream of fake news stories about current and former players.
AAP FactCheck found multiple Facebook pages with names like "Bluebagger Central" and "Blue Army Footy" publishing dozens of stories that purport to be genuine club news but are mostly false.
The pages are operated out of Vietnam, Bangladesh and Egypt, according to Meta's page transparency details.
Many of the fabricated stories centre on Blues club captain Patrick Cripps, including a July 28 Facebook post that claims the two-time Brownlow Medal winner has been ruled out for the rest of the season "after suffering a serious injury".
The claim is false. Four days after the post was published, Cripps played his 250th game in the Blues' 76-point win over the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium.
Another post about Cripps includes an image that purports to show the star midfielder at his wife Monique's bedside shortly after she gave birth to twins.
"BREAKING: Patrick Cripps and his wife, Monique Cripps, have just dropped a DOUBLE BOMBSHELL baby announcement — he became a father — and it's the TWINS' NAMES that are breaking the internet!" the post reads.
However, the image of the Cripps only bears a passing resemblance to the real couple and OpenAI's verification tool confirms the picture includes a digital SynthID watermark, meaning it was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
The Cripps announced the birth of their daughter in April 2024 and a Google search returns no credible reports they have since given birth to twins.
The same claim about the "double bombshell baby announcement" and the twin names "that are breaking the internet" has previously been falsely attributed on Facebook to dozens of other celebrities, as reported in April 2026 by Lead Stories.
Another fake Facebook post about Cripps claims the player bought "a modest Melbourne home" and converted it into a $3.2 million recovery centre for women and children facing homelessness, addiction and domestic violence.
However, the same claim about the $3.2 million home conversion has also been attributed to numerous other celebrities on social media, including Melbourne Demons AFL player Kysaiah Pickett, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and rock legend Jon Bon Jovi.
A Google search returns no credible reports to suggest the stories about the recovery centre are true.
Other Carlton players have also been the subject of fake claims by the bogus Facebook fan pages.
A July 14 post by a page called "Blue Brigade" claims key defender Jacob Weitering has decided to leave Carlton.
"'I NEVER TRULY BELONGED HERE!' The Carlton Blues star has stunned fans by deciding to leave the club after a prolonged period during which he was reportedly left isolated and felt like an outsider within the Blues' own locker room," the post reads.
However, almost two weeks later, on July 27, the same Facebook page posted that Weitering had "stunned the entire AFL world" by signing a $6 million contract extension.
Neither claim is true and a Google search returns no evidence Weitering had either decided to leave the club or signed a $6 million contract extension.
In 2024, Weitering signed a six-year contract extension keeping him at the club until the end of 2031, according to an AAP report from October 2024.
Fake claims on Facebook about other sports stars supposedly signing $6 million contract extensions use almost identical wording.
Former Blues players have also been targeted by the pages.
A July 20 post by a Facebook page called "The Blue Era", for example, implies that former Carlton full forward Charlie Curnow died in a car accident.
"BREAKING NEWS: A former Carlton Blues star who once electrified the Melbourne Cricket Ground has tragically d.i.e.d in a car accident at just 30 years old," the post reads.
The post includes a photo of Curnow, who now plays for the Sydney Swans, and links to a bogus news article about the purported crash that also uses a photo of Curnow, though it does not directly name any player.
The claim that Curnow died in a car accident is easily disproved by the fact he continues to play for the Sydney Swans, including kicking three goals in the team's 19-point victory over St Kilda on August 1.
Bizarrely, the same Facebook page followed up its story about Curnow's supposed death with a separate claim five days later that the former Blue was set to re-sign with Carlton less than a year after his high-profile move to Sydney.
There are no credible news reports about Curnow planning to return to his former club.
Another fake Curnow story claims the former Coleman medallist kicked two goals in Carlton's August 1 win against Brisbane - despite the fact Curnow no longer plays for the Blues.
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