When the fantasy becomes reality

[CK]

It all starts in late February. The first tentative forays into studying the player lists more carefully with the pre-season Cup competitions. Trying to work out if the new kids drafted last year will play much game time and from when. Scanning the season schedules to look at the matchups to find who will play GWS and Gold Coast twice. Poring over the injury reports of the older players to try and anticipate their return dates and whether they will be there in round one. Wondering whether the new coaches will start the lineup with a clean slate or go with the tried and true positions.

Then the first emails arrive….the discussions start about whether this person is an option or whether that one will do it all properly. The group chats commence about whether to bring X back this year after he dropped off so badly when he lost interest. The invitation from that bloke in Accounts that you didn’t know was so much into it. Trying to juggle the possibility of having so many entries to contend with.

Yep, that time again. Fantasy Footy. Supercoach. DreamTeam. Whatever the name, how many of us get caught up in the spectacle each year, no matter how many times we swear in September that we won’t do it ever again, and really this time, promise. The annual sweat over finding that team name – that one, that in the words of Principal Skinner in the “B-Sharps” Simpson episode, “…that's witty at first, but that seems less funny each time you hear it” Making sure the jumper design doesn’t cross that awkward line between being colourful and perceived as..*. Then…the biggest challenge of all. The mathematical labyrinth that becomes The Salary Cap. The desire to have Gary Ablett Jnr, Chris Judd, Lance Franklin, Dane Swan AND Dean Cox all in the same lineup, tempered with the realisation that to do so, you will need to pick a few kids whose names you have never heard of, and having to scour their TAC Cup statistics to try and work out whether they will average more than 41.5 points a match IF they get game time.
Getting to the limit of the salary cap and wondering how the heck it was possible to get to that point and still need another seven players.

That doesn’t even take into account that nervous feeling on Thursday night of round one, when the AFL teams release their squads, and hoping that you don’t have too many Carlton and Richmond players for the Thursday night and wondering if that means you can exploit the “Captaincy Loophole” in that case (seasoned players will be nodding wisely at this point. Others will be mystified at this expression and making a mental note to check this one next year). The sighs when you see that a gun is out injured until round three after slipping on concrete outside a nightclub (and wondering what WAS he doing out on a Wednesday night anyway). Being relieved that the bye situation is alleviated this year and hoping that the GWS kids don’t get too badly smashed too early. Hoping that, at 5.35pm, the system doesn’t crash under the weight of everyone trying to finalise teams before lockout, and sitting there fuming as you have to keep hitting “refresh” while the “cannot be connected” error message flashes mockingly at you.

As for those first few games….well admit it, it changes the way you view a game nowadays, doesn’t it? Who among us hasn’t watched a game and been barracking for that opposition player you used to dislike, but is now wearing the captaincy tag for you against the office boffin’s team - the bloke who always seems to be in the Top 1000 nationally, but can’t make conversation at the Christmas Party. “Get it to Juddy”, you mutter late in the game, as a nervous kid seeks out the Carlton skipper and you cheer as he dashes to the forward 50. Until you remember that Carlton are playing your mob in AFL, of course. Sitting on the computer, watching on http://www.afl.com.au and the live scores window and fuming as it crashes under the weight of 48,924 other punters all doing the same. The nervous few seconds as you check the Live Scores in the Head to Head battle and mentally doing the calculations to see if you can win while trailing by 237 points in the last match, but knowing you still have your captain to come, and muttering under your breath as your opponent’s unheralded kid playing his first games from the Riverina slams through his third goal of the final term to carry him over the line.

Then Monday morning arrives, the results are all being debated in the office and the Monday Experts nod sagely about the wisdom of naming Pendles as the skipper because “he usually carves up North Melbourne and averages 116 points against them in the last four seasons”. Sweating on the injury lists and hoping your cash cows from the bottom teams will add enough value to the team to cover for the top midfielder who is only getting 16 touches a game at $495,400….and the cycle starts again.

Fantasy sports have become one of the great rides of sport now. Yep, I play it in winter, but spare a thought for blokes like me…who get caught up in the summer version also. Not being an A-League fan, but getting caught up in that competition due to league invites. Being a NBL nut who lives and breathes the sport in summer and seeming to be one of the first to set up that league each year, and being glad I got Jerai Grant in round 1 when he was still $92,000 and being $168,000 now, but watching Adam Ballinger’s price keep plummeting and wondering at what point to grab him…and sweating each Monday morning to see if I’ve held my place in the top 800 nationally.

Now, where are those TAC Cup highlights again……

[A Mum]

All so true - I am just an amateur - so don't resort to all those lengths..lol.
But I do often wonder just how much time some of you guys actually put into this

That was a good read CK

[redandblack]

You've nailed it nicely, CK, well written.

After going through exactly what you've described for years, including trying to keep up while overseas, last year I decided that all that time spent in coming 2,786th out of a zillion didn't really do it for me, so I decided to stop all activity for dream teams, etc.

I can now watch a game and barrack for who I want, I don't panic when closing time for picks come around and it's been vastly more enjoyable, except that Westies have generally lost

I can recommend abstinence.

(dream team abstinence, that is)

[Q.]

February? Mate, it's started now

[Booney]

After not really spending any time on it* in 2009 I thought I'd give 2010 some level of commitment.

After not really spending any time on it* in 2010 I thought I'd give 2011 some level of commitment.

After not really spending any time on it* in 2011 I thought I'm out of this and not going to bother doing it* again.

[Rik E Boy]

After not really spending any time on it* in 2009 I thought I'd give 2010 some level of commitment.

After not really spending any time on it* in 2010 I thought I'd give 2011 some level of commitment.

After not really spending any time on it* in 2011 I thought I'm out of this and not going to bother doing it* again.

ACK! That's another couple of coaches needed for the Piglet next year. Hope they aren't 18 team leagues!

regards,

REB

[whatever]

yep 18 team leagues next year, we will have head to head games during the bye weekends. only 30 man squads so doughnuts galour during rounds 11, 12 and 13.

[whatever]

:lol:

All so true - I am just an amateur - so don't resort to all those lengths..lol.
But I do often wonder just how much time some of you guys actually put into this

That was a good read CK

If you are a true adict of the game you have worked out the formula for price fluctuations.

Any research prior to the NAB cup is worth naught though

[Hondo]

2012 player prices are out already and I have already done the 1st, 2nd and up to 10th versions of my team

[Hondo]

But I do often wonder just how much time some of you guys actually put into this

Honestly, over pre-season I would hate to think of the hours I spend on it. I reckon in the last two weeks before round 1 lockout I'd be on the site tinkering at least one to two hours per day. On top of that is the mulling away over options I do in my spare time.

Pre-round 1 lockout I find is the most intense time. After that you only have 2 changes you can make it each week.

Last year's winner of SuperCoach said that he spent something like 30+ hours a week on it

[A Mum]

You're all mad !

And I mean that in the nicest possible way

lol

[mighty_tiger_79]

But I do often wonder just how much time some of you guys actually put into this

Honestly, over pre-season I would hate to think of the hours I spend on it. I reckon in the last two weeks before round 1 lockout I'd be on the site tinkering at least one to two hours per day. On top of that is the mulling away over options I do in my spare time.

Pre-round 1 lockout I find is the most intense time. After that you only have 2 changes you can make it each week.

Last year's winner of SuperCoach said that he spent something like 30+ hours a week on it

30+ hours per week - did he not work for a living?

supercoach is not something that has completely grabbed my attention, but i can see how easily addictive it would be. I wonder if there is a Dream Team Anoymous helpline?? lol