Holding out for a hero
“Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?”
– Bonnie Tyler
How does a song from a movie about a kid who rebelled against authority through dance have so much resonance in 2016 and fantasy football?
“It doesn’t”, you might say, but hear me out.
Fantasy football is experiencing a changing of the guard. What we know about NRLCEO goes completely out the window. The addition of Metre Eaters and the NRL interchange is just the start. It seems that more than ever, the some of the fantasy must haves aren’t quite the certainties they once were. Where are all the gods indeed!
Some players who were fantasy football royalty no longer have the same lustre they once did. At least that’s what we’re told. Avoid this player because they’re too old. This guy’s minutes will suffer. That guy won’t do well at his new club.
Throughout the off-season, during the Auckland Nines and in people’s season previews everyone was all about who was going to be the next big thing. I guess you have to unearth talent to stay ahead of the game. There’s no point talking about the same old names, it’s all about being first with the new stuff.
Rugby league in general has a long tradition of axing star players because the coach thought they were past their prime. Perhaps the most famous was when Wayne Bennett moved Wally Lewis on from the Broncos in favour of younger talent.
But of course it goes way further back than that. Back in biblical times, Judas, as captain/coach of the Jerusalem Camels wanted to get rid of Jesus Christ. This was despite Jesus’ miracle left step and his ability to be everywhere at once. Judas felt Jesus’ best days were behind him. Jesus called it the ultimate betrayal and of course, it all escalated very quickly from there.
Bennett was eventually proven right with the Broncos going on to win back to back premierships 2 years later. The Camels though, were never the same, with Judas eventually chased out of the club and into obscurity. Meanwhile, Jesus rose from the dead, converted to Union, and ever since, rugby has been the game they play in heaven.
“Where’s the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?
Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?”
– Bonnie Tyler
The balance between sticking with the players that have done the job before and gambling on the next generation is a tricky one. When do you decide it’s time for a player to move on? It’s been the foremost thought going into this season more than any other.
It’s one thing to make a call on when a player is past it. It’s another thing to be right. The idea that Paul Gallen has lost value because of Origin/injury is a complete misnomer. Gallen scored 24 workhorse tries last year.
And sure Billy Slater spent much of last year injured but the guy still scored 4.3 points a game last season. At his best he is still capable of running rings around any other fullback in the league.
And it’s not limited to the over 30 crowd either. Somehow there are still people who think Semi Radradra is not the real deal. Last year they said he wouldn’t be able to back it up after Hayne left. Now they’re saying it will be because he’s playing outside Michael Jennings. As if that will stop him!
But those three are still gun players, no one is denying that. For all our speculation on who to pick, there were plenty of surprises when the Round 1 teams were named. Players who looked like certainties were suddenly on the outer. Those who had picked the right rookies were beaming.
What happened to the trimmed down Konrad Hurrell? What did Elijah Taylor do to be playing off the bench? Didn’t Michael Maguire see Damien Cook score 33 NRLCEO points in three games last year?
Meanwhile those that had Latrell Mitchell instead of Joe Burgess, Jordan Rankin over Justin Hunt and Jaelen Feeney instead of Jake Mamo were all feeling pretty pleased with themselves. Incidentally, my side’s archrival and nemesis, the Bass Straight Mean Machine had all three of those selected players. The bastard!
“Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need”
– Bonnie Tyler
A look at the Top Draft Pick rankings shows those with the track record are heavily favoured.
Unsurprisingly, Johnathon Thurston was the highest picked player overall with Sam Burgess ranked second.
Rounding out the top three was the aforementioned Semi Radradra. What’s interesting is that the man Semi beat out for the try scoring title last year, Curtis Rona, the man who only scored six tries the year before that, was only the 29th most popular pick.
Some other quick fire observations include little love for the St George Illawarra Dragons backline. The team with the second worst attack in the league last year boast some of the lowest ranked starters of all including Kurt Mann (193rd), Tim Lafai (197th) Jason Nightingale (201st) and Euan Aitkin (221st).
The Metre Eater option is definitely going to have it’s place this season. Despite scoring 32 fewer points than James Tedesco in 2015, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was more popular than the Tigers custodian in this year’s drafts.
If you consider yourself a NRLCEO tragic and yet still find yourself just missing finals football this year and think hey, that’s not so bad. Just remember, 28% of people picked Kane Elgey, season ending injury and all, so, you suck!
Finally, if looking at your fantasy team keeps you up at night thinking where did it all go wrong, remember, this is just the beginning, there’s always next week’s Team List Tuesday.
Geoff Adams
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