Footy heartthrob Bailey Smith has become famous for his blond mullet – so it’s little wonder fans were left dismayed when he and the Geelong Cats posted photos of his dramatic new look on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old was pictured with his head shaved in a shocking departure from his usual appearance, and many footy diehards were absolutely dismayed.
‘Please tell me this is AI,’ more than one supporter wrote.
‘This genuinely scared me for a second,’ added another.
‘I just fell to my knees,’ a third commented.
A fourth simply wrote, ‘NOOOOOOOO.’
Pictured: Bailey Smith sports his dramatic ‘new look’ in an Instagram post the Geelong Cats put up on Wednesday
The shaved head is a radical departure from Smith’s famous blond mullet
However, some Geelong fans thought the cropped hair was an improvement.
‘Here for it,’ one said.
Other comments included ‘now that’s better’, ‘okay Brad Pitt’, ‘still fit’ and ‘let’s hope every teenage boy follows suit’.
Of course, the shot was AI-generated for April Fools’ Day, and Smith’s mullet remains intact.
The gag was one of several sport-related pranks for April first.
The Tasmania Devils put up a post on Instagram announcing that NRL star Ryan Papenhuyzen had signed with the team.
A South Sydney fan page ran an AI-generated pic showing the statue of winger Alex Johnston covered in Roosters-themed graffiti after it was unveiled when he broke the NRL try-scoring record recently.
Cricket fans were also treated to the ‘news’ that Test great Brett Lee had signed for the Sydney Sixers Big Bash League side for the next two seasons, despite the fact he’s 49 years old and last played in 2012.
Several footy fans were sucked in by the club’s April Fools’ joke about Smith’s supposed new look
The AFL’s poster boy is reportedly keen on joining Channel Seven’s commentary team this year
Smith has recently been tied to providing colour commentary on Channel Seven’s AFL coverage later this year.
He’s keen to pursue the role in order to get fans to see him in a new light as a keen student of the game, according to respected AFL reporter and Seven star Caroline Wilson.
‘What I have found out in the last couple of days is that Bailey Smith wants football people to see a new side of Bailey Smith, and that is his footy IQ,’ Wilson said on The Agenda Setters last week.
‘He wants to work for Channel Seven on game days.
‘I’m not saying he’s going to come in as a special commentator during matches right now, but I can tell you that before midway through this season, I reckon we’re going to see Bailey Smith analysing games, potentially at halftime, pre-game or potentially post-game.’
Seven reported that the Cats are supposedly OK with Smith taking his first step into TV work.
One of the team’s assistant coaches, Nathan Buckley, works as an analyst for Fox Sports.
