Taking the fan out of fantasy footy

AFL fantasy football competitions used to be a real test of a fan’s knowledge of the game. However, in the past five or so years it has turned into a game of chance which anyone with access to the internet and an ability to read can win.

I am a self-confessed fantasy football addict. I’ve been involved in numerous competitions over the past 20 years or so; AFL Dream Team, Supercoach, AFL Fantasy, Real Dream Team, Sportal Dream Team, Sportsbet AFL Fantasy, Fox Sports AFL Fantasy… I’m sure there are a few more.

I have been fascinated by sports statistics since I was old enough to read and write. By habit I would always turn the paper over and read from the back first, seeking out the box scores on the weekend to study every player’s statistics from each game. I would watch as much footy as I could get access to every round, which wasn’t always interesting pre-online streaming.

Once upon a time, this level of fanaticism and interest in statistics made me a very competitive fantasy football ‘coach’. These days it gives me no advantage over anybody else.

Take Supercoach, for example. For two months in the lead-up to the 2016 AFL season, you couldn’t go to a News Limited website or open a newspaper without seeing a Supercoach article. ‘The Phantom’ – who finished in 30th place in Australia in 2015 – gave his tips for who to lock in, who to monitor and who to avoid in every team, then in every position, and then in every price range.

All of this is well and good, because you still have to make decisions for yourself, as you can’t fit everyone into your salary cap. But then in the week leading up to the season opener, The Phantom revealed his starting squad for 2016!

So what is to stop every other entrant, including those who couldn’t name more than ten players outside of the team they support, from picking the identical team? If you didn’t like the look of The Phantom’s team, you could choose to emulate the squad of the 2015 winner instead – that too was made public prior to the first game of the season.

Of course, you could argue that it is one thing to start with a respectable squad, but you still need to make the right trades at the right time throughout the season.

But there is your mate, The Phantom, right by your side, providing you with all of the options that the fanatical ‘coaches’ are considering each week. All you have to do is toss a coin, take your pick, and perform a few mouse clicks. Simple!

Then, like every other coach making the most informed decisions possibly based on their own research (including actually watching the games), you cross your fingers and hope you have made the right call.

It’s the same in the AFL Fantasy competition, run on the official AFL website. Here you have a team of three experts known as ‘The Traders’ guiding you every step of the way.

Similar to The Phantom, they assess the merits of players by team, position, and price range. They also release their final squads in the week leading up to Round 1. Then, every week, they walk you through who to trade out, who to hold, and who to trade in. Again, simply toss a coin, pick an option and hope for the best.

Then there are the fan forums such as Fan Footy and DT Talk. Not only can you access ‘expert’ advice here, but you can see who everyone else is picking in their squads, as, for some reason, people like to make their squads public for feedback.

Remember this is a competition. If you thought a complete stranger’s squad looked pretty ordinary, why would you tell them how to improve it? Yet people do. On the other hand, if you were struggling to fit that one extra premium player into your own squad, why wouldn’t you just copy the structure of another squad posted in these public domains?

Maybe because it is a competition and the idea is to test your own skill and knowledge against everyone else’s? A bizarre concept, I know!

How many people actually know why they don’t have Daniel Talia in their squad, even though he is a dirt-cheap All-Australian? How many of them even know who Daniel Talia is?

The most disturbing part of all of this is that there is some serious money on the line. The 2016 Supercoach winner will receive $50,000. The winner of AFL Fantasy Classic will receive $25,000 in cash plus a grand final package worth another $4,410. The winner of the Real Dream Team on Sportsdeck will also win $25,000.

Wouldn’t it make sense if true AFL fans who watch the games religiously and take the time to study the statistics had the best chance of winning these competitions? If only the likes of The Phantom and The Traders would keep their expertise to themselves!