You knew the job was dangerous when you took it

Written by Father Dougal on March 14 2021

Hi Everybody!

 

Like most people, I have put a little time into my team.  Fiddling with it and thinking about who is in it and who isn’t, I realized I was pre-blaming myself for owning players who could go badly and not owning players who could go well. But that’s on me right? I knew what I was doing.  Reminds me of Super Chicken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y

The relevant part being “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”

Yeah. If I decide that Joe “The Groin Injury That Walks Like A Man” Daniher is worth the risk and then he injures his groin, well, I knew he was Joe Daniher when I took him. (Assuming I do) 

In the same vein, if I don’t end up with Clayton Oliver and he goes wild, and I don’t own him, well, I knew why I should own him and that I wanted to and it was on me I didn’t take him. I knew he was Clayton Oliver when I didn’t take him. 

What’s the point? Well, I’m finding it helpful to ask myself, so if “X” gets hurt, or performs below my hopes, and someone said to me, “Well, you knew he was “X” when you took him,”  would I have to nod and agree or would I be like, “Yeah so what?”  If I owned Lachie Neale and he got hurt and missed a few weeks, how would I feel? Well, fine. I mean he has been durable for years and years. I fail to feel bad or think I could have foreseen that. Ok, not fine in that I’d be pretty unhappy, but I wouldn’t have done anything wrong that I could have foreseen. If I owned Nakia Cockatoo, and he got hurt and missed a few weeks, how would I feel?  “Yeah, fair that, I knew the risks, now I take my lumps. ”  

It is a bit worse with players who do well that I don’t own, because I can’t own all the players I think will do well. But some it will hurt. Am I sure I don’t want to get the in the team somehow?

So I went through my team player by player. How would I feel? What was my gut telling me? Had I talked myself into anyone that I shouldn’t have? Had I bought into any hype or group-think that I didn’t really believe? Did I have anyone I was keeping in my team because they had been there a long time, but maybe it didn’t make a lot of sense to have now, for any reason? 

It turns out that yeah, at least one to all of those. So a few players went out and that made it possible to bring in guys I felt better about.  I also decided my fear of Daniher, while very valid, was also kind of irrationally strong, and that he was worth the risk. 

Which doesn’t mean I won’t swear at length when, I mean if, IF dammit! He gets hurt. But if he does, I knew he was Joe Daniher when I took him, and I’m not going to expect sympathy if I complain to anyone. 

So, go through your team and ask that about each player you have, and also think about the ones you don’t. See if you can clear out a spot and money for someone you really want. 

The other thing that helps me decide between things, is to pick the option that I will feel least bad if it fails.  Yet another way to get in touch with your gut and to handle it better when things inevitably go wrong. 

Calculated risks, sometimes we should take them, and if that means the Sword of Daniher is over my head for eight or so weeks, well, it is a decision my brain and gut reached agreement on, even if my gut has concerns. 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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8 thoughts on “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it”

  1. Going by your advice, I will have to start the season without Macrae, Bontempelli, Dunkley, Short, D. Martin, T. Phillips, Cripps, Walsh, Rowell, Taranto, J. Kelly, T. Green, Fyfe, Daniher, Impey, Ridley, Cumming, Butters, Bolton, Heeney, J. Cameron, for various reasons…

    … which makes it quite easy to create a final draft.

    Thanks!

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  2. Love these articles FD.

    Interesting that you mention ‘feel least bad if fails’; I tend to use the opposite mindset for 50/50 decisions ie: what if everything goes right?

    What if Daniher jags back-to-back 130s due to improved supply; what if Dow, who has a terrible scoring history converts those pre-season CBAs into a consistent output; what if Caldwell’s midfield move makes him a must-have like Danger, Beams, Parker, Macrae, Brayshaw before him; what if Jelly goes injury free?

    None of the above are in my side, but with the short supply of rookies essentially picking themselves, and 6-8 top end must-haves, your advice to reconsider group-think is very pertinent for those split decisions.

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  3. Absolutely classic Father!! Just love the:
    Joe “The Groin Injury That Walks Like A Man” Daniher line!!

    Keep them coming!!

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  4. I’ve been trying to ignore the groupthink a lot this year.

    Yes, it’s important to know who the rookies are that are likely to play round 1, but no I don’t need people telling me I’m a fool via thumbs downs to take Jayden Short rather than the perpetually missing Zac Williams, only to see Williams missing a game before the season begins (surprise surprise) and Short pumping out monster scores pre AAMI.

    The way I see it, if you have 12 or 13 guys you are comfortable starting with to run all season, at least 2 or 3 good captaincy options, and a lot of underpriced players and rookies to make money off you have a GOOD team regardless if someone is offended you took player A or left out player B.

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    1. I tend to reflexively question group think when I recognize it, but sometimes it sneaks in. More so when it is what I want t hear

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