UV2RL Drafting Experience – Part 2
Before you start this article, make sure you go back to read Part 1 of the UV2RL draft experience.
DRAFT DAY PART 2
Rugby league is awesome but for me one of the best things about fantasy football is the way it keeps a bunch of lads in contact that may have lost touch long ago.
Facebook has helped with that that to some extent but too often once a common location like school or a workplace is removed it is easy for a group of people who saw each other every day to fall out of contact entirely. Within moments of our Skype chat beginning I’m taken back to my Uni days, banter and footy talk, it’s like we never left.
Unfortunately Mick from the Shufflers and Ivo from the Ivonators will not be joining us for the night. They have arranged for other NRLCEOs to draft on their behalf. Both are in good hands. Webster has drafted for Mick on a number of occasions including last year where he assembled a team far superior to his own and Ivo has Czerny from the three-time defending premiers the Mean Machine picking for him. In other news Czerny and Alex still don’t have their own Skype accounts and are once again logged on under their wives accounts. I’d make a crack about getting their wives to pick for them if not for the fact Czerny and Alex are both very good drafters.
Now before you think we are picking a bunch of randoms very early in the draft, head on back to Part 1 of my drafting experience to see the 10 keepers that each of us have retained from 2013. But here’s a reminder:
Nez from the Snuffmonkeys has first pick but takes what seems like an eternity to make it. Apparently the 5 month off-season is not enough thinking time. Eventually he goes with Sam Tomkins. A high profile pick but a surprising one to be first cab off the rank.
“I thought he’d last longer,” remarks Todd
“Not the first time Nez has heard that Todd,” quips Jimmy.
Champagne comedy!
There has been a lot of speculation as to how well Tomkins will go this year and with Nez picking him in the first round my mind is cast back to last season where he picked Scott Moore in the first round; is this an omen?
Jimmy is up next and chaos starts to ensue. Las chimes in and says “Buhrer” and before Jimmy can make his pick Czerny assumes that Buhrer is the pick and calls on Azz to make his selection.
The efficient (impatient) Azz quickly snaps up Josh Reynolds before everyone realises it wasn’t Jimmy who picked Buhrer. You’d think after 12 years we’d know how to get this right. Azz’s pick is withdrawn but Jimmy opts for Will Hopoate leaving Reynolds to still go to Azz.
Todd picks up Josh Jackson, Alex takes Ben Hannant and Ivo selects Brenton Lawrence. I was really hoping to pick up Lawrence, I think he’s in for a big year and Las’ expletive indicates he also had designs on the Manly prop. Webster picks Roger Tuivasa-Sheck followed by Las with Antonio Winterstein. It’s getting closer to my pick and I know I want to get a quality forward and fortunately there are still a few from my short list left. Mick picks up Jesse Bromwich; that was of them. Damn!
Hamish selects Chris Heighington; that was another. F*#k! This leaves me with the only forward I had pencilled in as a safe first round pick, Tim Mannah come on down. It seems Czerny had the same idea and is very displeased with my selection. He eventually selects BJ Leilua and expresses his unhappiness at seeing all the players that got picked before his turn.
David Simmons is the first pick of the second round. In a comp where you can keep your 10 best players it’s hard to imagine why someone would let the leading try scorer go. However Simmons was at the Mean Machine last year so when you look at the ten they retained it’s a little easier to see why he didn’t make the cut. He could have another great season and then again he might not.
I still remember the year Reece Simmonds had an absolute blinder and Todd cut him the following season. Everyone thought he was mad and he was snapped up very early in the draft the next year but spent the whole time in Premier League. I don’t know whether by design or accident but Todd looked like a fricken genius.
Mitch Aubusson, Daniel Tupou, Jamie Buhrer, Alex Glenn, Chris Lawrence, Corey Norman, Blake Ayshford and Keith Galloway are the next players to be picked with Czerny declaring that Sully’s pick of Ayshford to be so far the worst of the night. I’m up next and with my second pick I choose Josh Dugan. Hamish points out that I’m going against my view on clubs needing a ‘No dickhead policy’ in order to be successful. I state that I don’t think it necessarily translates to fantasy football. Yes he is a risk and yes he is currently injured but at his best Dugan can bring a healthy return. Czerny takes Luke Bailey with his second pick.
Round 3 and Nez continues his questionable selections by going with Martin Kennedy. Las compliments him on making him his round 3 selection to which I laugh. Turns out Las wasn’t being sarcastic. In my view Kennedy is a very good player but I am doubtful of how productive he’ll be in a Broncos pack chock full of workhorses. Turns out I’m in the minority. The run on forwards continues with Buchanan, Kite, and Adam Blair going before Alex selects Terry Campese which leaves me shaking my head. Don’t get me wrong, I love Campo. I remember calling the Canberra Raiders Cup Grand Final back in 2002 when he was a lanky teenager playing on the wing for the Queanbeyan Blues, but his rate of injury is horrific. To me round 3 is far too early, turns out Alex has a plan. Brooks, Sam Williams, Inu, McCrone, Plum, Proctor and Mansour also go in the third round.
Round 4 sees Fonua, Dave Taylor, Vidot, McQueen, Simona, Edwards, Reed, Farrell and Brown all go before Hamish opts for Todd Lowrie giving us a new contender for worst pick of the night. Lowrie had a great year last year but it’s hard to see him posting similar numbers off the Broncos bench.
I opt for John Sutton, a player I had last year and Czerny takes Tariq Sims. Czerny’s praise of my selection leaves me thinking I stole his pick. Awesome!
The hour mark arrives and questions arise as whether we’ll go to 15 rounds to fill out the entire squad or stop at 12 and pick other players off the free list at another time. It’s been a long slog but with the confidence that we’ll get through rounds quicker as the talent pool dilutes we’re all in for the long haul. Besides where else does anyone need to be?
Round 5 sees Maurice Blair, Thomas Leilua, and Robson go first before Todd makes the whole world wait so he can ponder his next pick. He opts for James Tedesco (at least the wait was worth it!).
Joel Thompson, Robert Lui, Matulino, Taumololo, Tate, Peachey, Lafai and Tuqiri are all picked in quick succession but before we can steam roll straight into Round 6, TheBench website freezes for a minute or so. Czerny and Nez have been transferring players as we go but it seems we have a technical glitch which offers a timely opportunity for a quick break and to take stock of my draft so far.
Stay tuned for the final installment, Part 3 tomorrow
Geoff Adams
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