We’re introducing our first FanFooty player award, and one of the current co-leaders may surprise you.
I have been ruminating on this concept for a little while now. The idea is taken from FanFooty’s successful live scoring pages, which have become famous for the little icons next to most player names. indicating news about them, including form and injury status. Over time, I have developed intricate rules for how each icon is allocated and when, which are explained on the page itself as in the one for this week’s Friday night game, and I have largely followed these rules for every game.
For instance, the star is awarded only once per game, to the player who I think would be awarded best on ground, especially in the Brownlow. The gun, also awarded only once (except on very rare occasion!), is a more fantasy-specific award. The heart is usually reserved for players who play through injury or other adversity for a decent score. The “hot” symbol, known as the fireball or sun, is for players who are on track for or have reached a Dream Team ton. Finally, the garbage bin symbol is for players who rack up meaningless stats during junk time when a game is well and truly over as a contest… but those points mean just as much in Dream Team as when the heat was on!
Following these rules, I have decided to award votes for each game on the following basis:
: 5 votes
: 4 votes
: 3 votes
: 2 votes
: 1 vote
The FanFooty Superstar page lists all the votes by round and the cumulative totals. I was interested myself to see who was leading, given that I have allocated out the icons without reference to any award. Gary Ablett jnr has dropped behind with his injury layoff, leaving the ever-reliable Dean Cox and Saint Leigh Montagna in the lead. Montagna has racked up three stars, two guns and a fireball, while Cox has just the one star, a heart, four guns and a fireball. GAJ has three stars and two guns, with Steve Johnson in fourth with two stars, one heart and two guns.
I’m not sure if any conclusions can be deriven from any of this… perhaps those of you who are betting on the likes of Lenny Hayes for the Brownlow might take a second look at Montagna’s odds? Interesting to see that Leon Davis does not figure all that prominently, as he is currently second behind Ablett in the Super Coach Brownlow votes.
I don’t know what I’ll be able to do with the final results, as I’m not sure I’d be allowed to present the winner with his prize… and I don’t know what I’d give him anyway. A FanFooty cap, maybe? A permanent colour in the FF chat? 😀
Chuck Norris
May 26, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I guess it’s a good thing in a small time villagey way. I love what Monty’s done so far – but this thing needs to grow. THis fantasy footy site concept will be emulated soon by better, more skilled cashed up operators.
Monty – think big before the exodus eventually happens. You really need to make serious meaningful contact with your site users as in social events, services. If you dont do it sooner rather tha later – someone else will. Please Monty – sieze the day.
the dud
May 26, 2009 at 6:16 pm
splendid
Masterchef (respect your ingredients) Guy
May 26, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Well that was an exciting read, yeah?
Much better than reading a weekly wrap and discussing who did well, and who people are keeping an eye on…
Masterchef (respect your ingredients) Guy
May 26, 2009 at 7:16 pm
What a bunch of shiite… yeah?
FIRESWORD
May 26, 2009 at 7:20 pm
yeah i agree this was cr@p
Brendan
May 26, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Wat?
This post and concept is interesting because its not the same old same old.
Masterchef (respect your ingredients) Guy
May 26, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I’m sure all the brownlow judges are really interested in whether gary ablett gets a picture of a sun next his name on a fantasy football site. Get some perspective yeah?
Masterchef (respect your ingredients) Guy
May 26, 2009 at 8:40 pm
The thing that makes this site worthwhile is the discussion about players in regards to playing DT or SC. Match reviews, writers’ opinions and more often the opinion of other forum members are what people log on for, yeah?
Not betting odds or some half-baked thing about monty’s little pictures.
Get your core business right before this crap… yeah?
benno
May 26, 2009 at 8:50 pm
@ Pierce
sometimes the live scores link line doesn’t come up first time you go to the site when there’s a game on. just refresh the page, and it should appear straight away.
@everyone else
people can complain if they want to. that’s the strange thing about blogs – we go to them every day and it becomes part of our life, giving us a sense that we have some kind of ownership of the site, right or wrong.
that’s why it was so disappointing that the regular blogging and the fresh content dropped off *after* our presence, and the site’s popularity, had been parlayed into a bunch of new advertising – including the betfair-owned blog.
get us hooked, then sell our eyes, while delivering less? not a great model.
SammyH
May 26, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Monty, the crowd is turning, and you still don’t seem to feel the need to address us. We’ve come here every day for 1 to 3 years, got your numbers up, tolerated your junior burger commentators and in return?
You disrespect your regulars, provide shoddier services, while clearly making some $$$ from advertising (particularly Betfair, whom we can’t even comment on, while you’re getting the kids hooked on gambling; I refer you to Mike Sheahan’s article in today’s Herald Sun).
WAKE UP!
I have posted numerous times, without using offensive language, simply asking you for an update or an explanation and NOT ONCE have I had a response. NOR HAS ANYONE ELSE.
The second these stats are available off the AFL website and off this one, I am gone. And I will never be back.
Footytragic for their wrap.
Dreamteamtalk for captain’s and boys on the bubble.
Fanfooty for fu*k all – you seem to forget every second week anyway.
YOU ARE A DISGRACE!
WosrttDreamTeamerEVERintheHistoryofSTupidNamesthatAreWayTooLONG
May 26, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Yeah I kind of had been subconsciously using the star/gun/hearts as a measure of who’s likely to win the Brownlow.
Love your work Monty 😉 Great stuff as always!
Athomas
May 26, 2009 at 10:00 pm
this is shizen.
who the fuck cares…
so the spud is -10??
m0nty
May 26, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Geez, you blokes are talkative today.
First, I have been out playing golf all day today, as I do every Tuesday. I work all weekend, and I need a day off. I’m pretty tired now, as I always am on a Tuesday night, but you guys do deserve some sort of answer on blog frequency.
Second, I’m not sure why some of you are quite so riled up about this issue. A couple of you seem to have taken it upon yourselves to be my personal nemesis, or something, which is pretty weird when you think about it. Is abusing me or threatening me going to have a positive effect? Do you think that bargaining with me or calling me names helps in any way? I am just not on your wavelength.
Third, yes, I am disappointed in myself too when I don’t abide by my own deadlines. I would like to post as often as ESPN’s Matthew Berry, deliver a comprehensive news snippet service like Rotoworld, produce a pro-quality video podcast like DT Talk, etc etc. You will notice that DT Talk has about six blokes, Footy Tragic has three, Rotoworld has a bunch of paid writers, ESPN is a multi-million dollar company, and on and on. I am just one bloke. I would argue that I already do more work than any one person out there in providing fantasy Australian footy content, when you add up the live game stuff, the podcast, blogs, database work, admin crap, plus the huge amount of coding that I do which you don’t see. Yes, I would like to do more, but I only have so much energy, especially on a Monday when I’m burnt out.
Fourth, to be brutally honest, blogging doesn’t actually earn me anything, because it represents a tiny percentage of FF’s page views. The week before last, for example, when I did a full complement of eight blog posts, the blog represented just 1.13% of FF’s total traffic. The forum did three times as much as the blog and I give that almost zero effort! The blog is just not worth my time on a monetary basis. I am spending most of my midweek hours on non-FF projects which actually do pay me decent coin, so that I can continue to fund a lifestyle where I do have time and money to keep FanFooty up and running.
Having said that, I do continue to want to blog on a regular basis, but I am struggling to fit it in with all the other stuff I have going on right now. I hope that answers your questions, even if you don’t agree with my priorities.
Hank jnr
May 26, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Great work Monty,love ya stuff,keep it up,,,Thanks
Tricky
May 26, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Relax everyone….
It’s a free site. If you don’t like it, just don’t come to this website.
It’s like complaining at a restaurant, which sells bad food. If you don’t like it, why would you go to it. In addition, why would you go to it and complaint? Waste of time if you ask me.
Disco (UK)
May 26, 2009 at 11:41 pm
@m0nty – you don’t have to justify anything. It’s your website mate, and a great one at that.
micklovin
May 26, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Geeeeeeezzzzz is everyone on here suddenly on the brownlow voting panel? FFS give mOnty a break, the guy’s doin us all a service (and a fine 1 at that) and all most of u can do is pick out everything wrong with this…
He didn’t tell you to place your brownlow bets according to the site dammit! Settle the f*ck down!
I do however agree with the 1 post mOnty, gun = 4 and heart = 3
m0nty
May 26, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Heart gets more votes than gun because the player has had to work harder for the points, in my opinion. Others are right to point out that the gun tends to get put on good players just because they’re good in general, not because they stood out in a particular game. That’s why the heart gets 4.
Manikato1
May 27, 2009 at 12:05 am
Last few weeks have not been up to your usual standard Monty. Having said that this seems to have been the case ever since the newspaper article that mentioned FF appeared so I’m guessing you are feeling the strain of a one man show that has suddenly hit the limelight.
As for the DH who keeps mentioning you make money of this site so what. WE PAY NOTHING. If you buy your ticket to the show then you get the right to complain but when it is a freebie shut up and go somewhere else.
As for the blogging you need to filter the language Monty. I can swear with the best of the them but the DH’s who swear just for the sake of it do nothing but show that they are DH’s. And it contributes nothing
You need a partner Monty. One who has the money to upgrade the site and bring in the support you need but is still willing to give you control of content and let you spend time doing research etc to write the interesting stuff we punters can never work out or think of for ourselves.
Get one quick before someone else gets the jump on you.
m0nty
May 27, 2009 at 12:13 am
Manikato1, such a person does not exist, or I just haven’t found them yet.
The bottom line is that FanFooty is not currently making enough money for me to devote 100% of my time to it. That may change in the future as the site grows and the economy improves. Believe me, I am more frustrated about this situation than any of you – I have been at this for four years now.
As for someone else coming in and “stealing” what I’ve done here… they’ll have to go through four years of the crap I’ve had to put up with first! ;D
Manikato1
May 27, 2009 at 1:06 am
You just haven’t found them yet. But things are on the improve as your advertising has increased considerably. Persist or perish. If you are gunna do something do it with passion or don’t do it at all.
Dicko
May 27, 2009 at 1:36 am
Pay no attention to the abuse Monty. If they don’t like the site they should go elsewhere, if they have a valid point to make , it should be made politely. Some people reckon the world owes them whatever they want. Keep up the good work!
benno
May 27, 2009 at 1:42 am
@tricky: of course it’s free mate – it’s the internet. only some p0rn isn’t.
what if it’s you favourite restaurant, where you have been going for ages, that suddenly changes the menu and the decor? well you would have a word with the owner, who by that stage would feel like someone you knew.
m0nty, and there we were thinking you were doing it for the love. i think yr blogs are great – live chat is just a way to waste time talking shit during games and no-one really comments much on the sc forum.
i’m trying to be a nemesis, but i have considered it cause the betfair blog is really offensive. i feel like a john laws fan after cash-for-comment.
i like reading about footy and this has been a great place to do so. i only get to visit when my woman and baby have gone to sleep, so i find the loud popup ads quite bloody rude.
by the way i think yr spot on with the ratings points.
m0nty
May 27, 2009 at 1:55 am
Do you blokes go over to DT Talk and complain about their Sportingbet material? I don’t see any in their comments on their latest betting post. How about the Herald-Sun and Sportsbet? Or the Richmond Football Club and Luxbet?
benno: I don’t have a day job, unlike the DT Talk boys, so I have to spend time making money to eat and pay rent. I don’t think I have to apologise for that.
Disco (UK)
May 27, 2009 at 3:02 am
Gotta hate Generation Y, not prepaired to work for anything, expect everything to be handed to them for free. Paris Hilton worshippers…
Love how the vocal minority have plenty of advice on how to run a website business ‘you gotta do this’, ‘i think you should do this’, ‘you need this’ yet none of you run a successful website nor have run a business and are probably undergraduates, at best.
@benno – mate, its not cash-for-comment, look it up. monty is not making comments for cash and passing it off as his own opinion or as editorial commentary. Quite clearly its a guy from Betfair [Nick T]. Plus, under eighteens can’t open a Betfair account. Perhaps a Betfair logo and an obvious disclaimer, along the lines of ‘dont drink acid’, is needed, at worst. Give it a rest.
Resch
May 27, 2009 at 6:22 am
I get information from many sites. DTTalk, Tooserious, Big Footy etc. I check them, if they have anything interesting, I stay, if they don’t I go to another site. No dramas.
Like many I have been coming to Fanfooty since it began. In the days prior to head to head scoring (when you could get SC scores live!) I used it to update my spreadsheets. It is still my primary site for scores during the weekend and the simple interface with a few comments is brilliant. If it doesn’t refresh, I press refresh and get the scores – no issue.
Monty’s advice pre-season has been gold and a fantastic help. For that I am grateful.
Any content during the season is interesting and insightful, but if it is not here I go somewhere else – pretty simple really. I takes seconds and no physical work.
Thanks for everything Monty. At least with all the abuse it has made people who appreciate all your work over the years come out and support you. I won’t be going away.
Simonoz
May 27, 2009 at 6:23 am
Mony – great site – but I do wish there were more blogs though and less abusive posts to you, achieves nothing.
With that said, I’m not sure you can really compare page views on the forum Vs the blogs.
A blog is on one page vs many pages for the forums. So click thru’s will be far greater on the forums as you go to each topic etc….whereas a blog is opened once and scrolled down and read multiple times.
Also – its the information / format here on FF blogs that brought most here to begin with…ie…..the blogs is where it all started.
I’m pretty sure that if all that is left here are the forums, then its no longer a FF website and just a place for the rabble to post, and 50% of the forum posts are just plain not relevant….not sure how to mod that though.
The blogs drive this site mate – everything else lives because of them.
If you need help….there are certainly some great guys on here in the know that would gladly help….you probably know of about a dozen posters on here that you’ve known for a while and respect their thoughts & opinions.
You could Guest Blog each week to one of these, and we the readers can ‘comment’ etc each week on their input and vote or something….much like you did with Mitch.
I dont think it would be hard to find a dozen guys, one a week, to guest blog for you……they could just email over to you Sunday night their Round Rewind, or a Rookie Review or something….
Keep it up mate – everything always needs to be tinkered with unfortunately 🙂
Simon
The black monkey
May 27, 2009 at 7:57 am
Get that Mitch kid back if you want more blogs
BIG dean COX
May 27, 2009 at 9:18 am
Geeeez. Talk about not being able to take a bit of feedback. we only raise these issues to better your site monty. Its not that we don’t want to use FF, thats the whole point! bloody hell……….blog this!
Sammy H
May 27, 2009 at 9:58 am
Unfair comment, Marty, the DT boys don’t restrict comment and the fella there picks his own bet.
The Sportsbet advertising they have doesn’t offer “sure things” but does give users with existing accounts free bets.
Fair difference.
Also, why so defensive? I’ve started forum threads devoted to you sorting out your time maintenance issues, seeking alternatives, etc… look it up, sunshine.
And Disko (UK). Just stay there, mate.
Dicko
May 27, 2009 at 10:21 am
Changing the subject. Anyone have the true word on Higins? Also I heard a rumour that Liam Anthony had broken his hand and would be out even longer, any truth?
crazytoma
May 27, 2009 at 11:39 am
Don’t get that Mitch kid back.
BIG dean COX
May 27, 2009 at 2:05 pm
@crazytoma
I agree mitch was not a welcome addition to FF.
Howie
May 27, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Leave Mitch alone and leave Monty alone. Go take your aggresion out on your tools, get on Redtube and flog off.
If you dont like this site then go elsewhere.
That simple
Howie
May 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Dicko, its Hurley with the broken hand I believe
RatPack
May 27, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Hey Monty, you have FF caps? How can we get hold of one?
masterchef (respect your ingredients yeah!)
May 27, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Good idea monty, and dont steal my name whoevers doin it. gun should be before heart though
tom
May 27, 2009 at 4:01 pm
@m0nty, i’d defs by a fanfooty t-shirt so would a whole lot of other geezers on this site
m0nty
May 27, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I have changed the FF blog comments so that you can only log in and post using your FanFooty username.
RatPack
May 27, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Hey Monty, if you don’t already have merchandise, think of the possibilities, caps, tshirts, mousemats, even barmats 🙂
I can get you in touch with someone who makes all types of merchandise.
Lakey91
May 27, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Monty – youve got a great site, with information (especially the fantasy statistics) in a fantastic setup that is easily accessible.
While i understand your time committments, a few more blogs (not just match reports) but maybe about upgrade targets, good rookies etc would be good.
Also – is there somewhere on this site with a link to donate? FFgenie Tooserious accept donations for their work, and while it may not bring in a great deal of cash im sure the hearty souls who love fanfooty will contribute every now and then.
Oh, and im sure finding another couple of bloggers would help a bit too.
Overall – top site, and i cant see why anyone would ever complain!
SuperAlex
May 27, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I am the true masterchef. You are merely an insignificant fool. Yeah?
SuperAlex
May 27, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Lakey is right… lots of good stuff here, but I think a lot of people come on to talk about potential trades (and rubbish other peoples’ ideas of potential trades), and all you have to do (or get someone to do it for you) is provide a current space to do it.
You’re getting some pretty powerful feedback here, and some solutions… why wouldn’t you listen?
turts111
May 27, 2009 at 5:43 pm
wow m0nty, some interesting stuff here. i think u do a great job mate, but i think fantasy footy is taking over the world, and people are willing to pay a small amount for the best site available to them. dont get left behind m0nty.
m0nty
May 27, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I am listening, SuperAlex.
Lakey91: I don’t believe in donations. Just a personal thing.
As for other bloggers, my email is always open if someone wants to put their hand up.
camross
May 27, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Hi Monty really enjoy the site i think the Bin should be -1 not 1 as really why should you get any points if you did nothing when the game was hot.
dylan123
May 27, 2009 at 6:03 pm
turts111 im not so sure he would get that many people paying to use the site. Lots of people that go on this site are under the age of 18 so they would need their parents to pay online since they would not be able to, which i know i would not ask my parents to pay(might just be me). Once im over 18 i would not mind paying for the site because i could do it myself but again thats prob just me.
also m0nty just another idea even though you are probably sick to death of them but is it possible that you could set up like a weekly blog thing with just a trade topic/ideas where it has Upgrades/Downgrade/ideas/questions and all we have to do is just fill it in. This would then allow us to talk between each other without you having to spend a large amount of time writing this since you could use the same thing every week.
m0nty
May 27, 2009 at 6:32 pm
dylan123: I know that DT Talk and others have that forms-based type of post but I’m not into that, myself. I know it makes it easier for you guys to comment, but I’d rather you wrote in complete sentences and thought a bit more about what to say. Of course, I’d be more than happy for that sort of thread to exist on the forums.
jehan
May 27, 2009 at 8:49 pm
nice to see you replying more monty, its what the fans want.
SuperAlex
May 27, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Weekly wrap, anyone??????????????