Elton Johns Wig
Premiership Ruckman
- Moderator
- #1
Hello everybody!! It's your resident drunk, Elton Johns wig, and I'm back with some new interviews this year in The Whine Room (see what I did there). It will be a series of casual chats with some of the major players of the SFA. I'll sit down, have a drink with them, hopefully get them drunk enough that they'll open up and share some memories.
I interviewed Cloud/Bless/Whatever last year, and was hoping to get a few more out, but real life got in the way. With events in the off season, my first guest to me seemed a bit of a no brainer. Former admin, and reigning failed admin candidate The Filth Wizard joined me, and it was great to catch up for a long overdue chat.
EJW: Hi Filthy, great to talk again, it's been too long. Before we talk about an imaginary online world, how's life? How old is the young fella now?
TFW: Hi mate, for what it's worth you've been busted down to virtual son #2 since The Jesus won the beez. (can live with that, love you Harvey/Jesus/Whatever)
The real world is a breeze but certainly more time demanding with some work changes and bouncing around a now 8 month old. It's certainly restricted my time within the Sweet FA though to primarily match threads which I'd say is reflected by my first time out of the top 10 in the beez in forever. Saying that it's been worth every second, my son is my golden boy.
EJW: You're a North Melbourne supporter, are you pleased with the appointment of Rhyce Shaw and can you sum up the Brad Scott years for us. Also, please tell the world I announced this in a PM on Jul17.
TFW: Yeah, I'm an unabashed Shaw fan. I think he's a whip smart coach with a background of success, a great sense of humour which I think is needed and most of all it's clear he's bought into North 100%. You can tell he has a great affection for his players.
I liked Brad as a person and I thought he did a lot with an ok list to get to a couple of prelims however his later years are really marred by his problem with being bogged down in same-ness. He's somebody that plays favourites and is not a play the kids coach which is basically career suicide in the modern game. I think strategically he is left lacking too... we were one of the first clubs to trial 6-6-6 and I think he even had a say in its development so not being able to adapt to it at the start of this season is unforgivable.
And yes, the evidence is there, you did give me the "rock solid" info.
EJW: Can you give us a rundown on your time in the SFA for the youngsters out there (and those of us too lazy to do research)? I hear of these fantasy Dragon times with wrestling type themes, and you were a Hawk.
TFW: A story oft told is the history of me but I started in Season 16 in a season which I truly believe was a pretty big kickstarter for the league as it is known now - the run between S15-S18 in particular not only brought in a glut of the most well known posters today, it heralded the start of the real theatrics of the Sweet FA where characters and storylines were part of the play. I started with the Dragons and was a big believer with the media, the rivalries, even multimedia in the podcast that the Sweet FA shared many parallels with pro-wrestling so I sought early, with like minded individuals, to nurture that mindset. You can see it today that even though some people sit firmly in the middle there are defined "face" and "heel" posters and sometimes they switch. It's part of building on the fantasy. I've always said we all come here for the fifteen minute sim post on a Sunday afternoon but we all stay for the spectacle of everything else. The nWo Dragons was a dodgy gimmick heel stable but it was timed perfectly (if it's not the biggest off season thread of all time I'd be very surprised), it rippled through multiple clubs and it's still spoken about five human years later. It not only embraced the climate of the league, it spiralled outside of BigFooty, was a key feature of the podcast and even now external Facebook groups for example are fantasised about as villainous entities.
And of course, then I was a Hawk. I'm proud of where they are as a club because when me, pants and Wacky went over there I'd say they were pretty close to being the first club in a long time to be dumped. It took a lot of work (I reckon three seasons just to be able to delist the inactives from that first season) and had some hurdles with pants and Wacky leaving the project but I couldn't have done it without the likes of Loonerty, Noobz0r, brahj, BRAB... we were able to bring some brilliant posters into the club (well, hello *blushes*), both existing and new, jagged an EKA (hello AGAIN!!) and a Mobbs Medallist. Agent93 has got the club in a great place and I genuinely think he's become one of if not the best captains in the league.
EJW: You recruited me, let's see, I think S23. I got sucked over here by Rodney Dangerfield to play Werewolf, next thing you know I was a Hawk. Why did you recruit me? Were you disappointed I left after one season? Is that why you don't return my calls? And, will we ever play on the same side again?
TFW: Look... the fairest thing to say is I don't remember why I recruited you. What I will say, and this is in the mindset that I'm sometimes criticised for not being too rookie driven, is I'm extraordinarily particular with who I recruit as a rookie as it's more important to me to have one poster who fits the team around them than five posters who'll post for the hell of it. I knew you'd be a good fit and that you took the to the team and to the league is a bonus for all of us. I'm pretty disappointed to lose any posters and yeah, a rookie you feel you had a hand in building up to a high enough status like an EKA is always going to stick in the craw because it's not like you were left wanting for a plum spot or leadership opportunities so you do have to wonder what turned the head - especially as you've achieved nothing since. End of the day though it's part of the job and it's always an opening for somebody else. As for playing together again? Ha, I reckon I can always find a spot where I am for you.
EJW: Actually, I always appreciated the plum spot. I think I went to the Demons because they were a bit flat after the BRAB blow up. I went to Wonders a season later as they looked in strife due to being hit hard by the Bombers. haydo and dogs105 looked like they could use a hand. I'm glad it worked out like it did, because more teams with depth, the better this place is. Now, I can find a spot for you....
EJW: Ok, down to it. You've been Admin before. You were actually the admin when you recruited me and I had absolutely no idea there even was one. Why is Ant Bear the wrong choice? And why is AB the right choice?
TFW: I'm gonna merge these because the admin is made or broken on their first season and it's far too early to make any judgements. I know he'll probably admit he's learning daily and lord knows I've done my best to put him through his paces in the committee. The admin though should always be somebody that loves the league and is committed to the betterment of it and it is undeniable that Ant Bear meets both of these guidelines. I know we butted heads during the admin campaign (and I'd stress to all to take into account my earlier comments about the theatrical nature of the Sweet FA before determining how much is real or not) but at the end of the day IMO it was going to be me or him and neither was going to let the game down.
However... Ant Bear has one monkey on his back (not BRAB) and this isn't his fault but I feel he's coming from way further back than any other admin and that is because he is the first admin not named by his predecessor. He's not the admin voted in, he's the admin half of the teams in the league voted against. This creates a real condundrum because by giving ownership to the clubs you also gave the clubs ownership to dissidence. It's an unfair stigma and one that does have an effect. Bless was an extraordinarily good admin but his replacement process was utterly flawed. Having three contenders where one was clearly not going to get through was a bad decision. People didn't know what they were voting for and some clubs had no input in the process. The "debates" were overrun by personal grievances from seasons ago. It was a circus and I'm not afraid to say I was mentally checked out weeks before the decision and hoping AB got through, a message I passed onto him in the days after he was appointed.
EJW: How long do you expect AB to last? And at the end of his reign of terror, will you be there to pick up the pieces?
TFW: IMO it's his for as long as he wants it. It's hard to know when is enough, I think Bless may feel like he went a season too long. Ha, probably Hate feels the same. Three seasons is the sweet spot.
I'd say my enthusiasm for the gig is pretty much done... especially if we are looking three seasons away. There's just particular tasks I really can't commit to, primarily the awards aspect. I don't have the time, after work and with a baby to sit and post things like the Mobbs Medal. The day to day is no issue and I did have a contingency in my last application for somebody to oversee the Mobbs for me but would I have that in a year or so? I doubt it, unless Ant Bear offers.
EJW: I really enjoyed the admin race from the sidelines. There was a bit being thrown about. I reckon bar taking pot shots at the Bombers that is something that has been missing for a while. Can you see things spicing up this season?
TFW: I think so. I think the rules will be central and we've already seen the drama with the simmer controversy. You never know what's coming in this place though... it just needs one blow up and in come the piranhas. And I hope it does happen too, this place is the best when people are at war.
TFW looked wistful at times, reminiscing. (DAMN, I KNEW I shouldn't have worn the plaid jacket!)
EJW: Ok, also, if you say you've lost the desire to be the Admin in the future, can you see any prospects on the horizon?
TFW: At the moment, the first Royals premiership is my only priority. (lel)
EJW: Are you still enjoying the SFA? How long do you think you've got left? (not that we're pushing you out the door)
TFW: For sure... it's a great community and I've spent so much time here now it's always part of my day. I don't really have a timer on it, there's no reason why anybody needs to really leave if they're still taking anything out of it.
EJW: Who are your favourite posters? And who are your favourite posters outside the Boys Club?
TFW:Of my contemporaries brahj, Blacky, Noobz and pants fill me particularly with joy. When I started it was quick to form a crush on beez. (I like all those guys, but I'm strangely particularly drawn to Noobz. I heard brahj laugh for the first time the other day....wow)
Recent seasons I've got a lot of time for Mang, TIF and Barry and I think JoshWoodenSpoon is an eccentric I wish I had more to do with. These lists are harsh though as I have a lot of time for 85% of the league and a little time for 10%. (the fact you haven't mentioned me here is both correct, and deeply hurtful at the same time)
EJW: That's 95%. Do you consider yourself to be 5% of the league? The ego on this guy
..I think we need more factions to help create tension. Any tips?TFW: Faux outrage and white knighting is a good start. Or a commitment to be bad because nobody cares about a good guy faction.
EJW: When I joined you had some sort of goon av. What are your top 3 favourite alcoholic drinks and why? (careful here, this is very important to me)
TFW: Ha ha... Homer's hired goon.
My main go to is red wine, a Shiraz preferred. Yes, I will partake in goon but I always have a Petaluma hidden somewhere. Little Creatures is my beer of choice, preferably the Golden Ale though I will go hard on Wild Yak. I drink a fair bit less though since I stopped smoking.
EJW: Fat Yak is a ******* disgrace!! It is the beer for bogans that want to look like they know what they're on about, it's garden variety s**t!! Thank goodness you preceded it with Little Creatures. You should actually delete some of your answer, but too late. Did you know I sell wine? I can get it at a great price. We should actually catch up and have a drink. Maybe get some dumplings. Tony Lynn 15 knows a place. When he invites me we'll go. He's promised you know.....
Hey Filthy, thanks for your time, and for the chat. Have a great season.
Ophidian Old Boys
