Baby, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

Outside of music, my biggest passion is football and in particular the Essendon Football Club. This explains why I am still sans girlfriend.

All my friends know where I stand with my loyalty to the club - unflinching and unwavering support through the good times and...well...the present. It is true, the red and the black aren't doing too well at the minute. We (it is always we, never they) have a young list and a coach still finding his feet but I believe we have a strong foundation and a massive amount of pride that will ensure that we will be back on top a lot sooner than our detractors think.

So for someone who has been spoilt by success for so long, how does one attempt to maintain that winning feeling?

That's correct: Fantasy Football

This solves a few things (and further compounds the girlfriend problem). I can passionately follow opposition players in the league without becoming a turncoat of my beloved Bombers. By keeping up with said players I become more interested in games that don't involve Essendon. This is a scenario that I never warmed to in the past but seeing any team at the top of their game is a stark reminder of what your own club can achieve (given better draft selections and another summer of skills training).

My involvement thus far with fantasy football (called Super Coach in my case) has been obsessive to say the least (just as one would expect). I have spent an inordinate amount of time on opposition websites gaining an understanding for upcoming team selections and training reports from similar one-eyed fanatics. Is 'so and so' going to get up for Round One? How's his pre-season form been? Is he over priced?

Has it helped at all?

Well to roll out some tired football cliches: I'm better for the run and at this stage I'm just taking it one week at a time.

Let's keep things in perspective shall we. This is my first year in charge so I will be prone to rookie mistakes at the selection table. This is to be expected from an amateur.

Until of course my fictitious Club President tells me I have the full backing and support of the board. Then I know I'm fucked.