Media BEST 40 THREADS IN THE HISTORY OF SWEET

[Headless]

Very embarrassingly, the first thread on the list - #40 - is actually one of mine.

As Season 32 rolled around, the Mount Buller Demons - reigning premiers - were struggling to fit all of their active players into the playing 20 each week. As such, the Demons' LG, led by manangatang and I, rotated out of the side to give others a go. To build the lore, I created this thread explaining how we had been captured by pirates and, therefore, couldn't play.

It fizzled a little in the end, but the people seemed to enjoy it. I wouldn't have had it in the top 40 ever, personally, but that's how the captains have voted!

Media - The city of Sweet and the world around it – WOW, talk about BIG! UPDATE: manang and Headless CAPTURED

As you are no doubt aware, the Mount Buller Demons won the premiership in Season 31. Just let that sink in for a moment – Mount Buller WAS, and IS, the GREATEST team in all of the land. 🥳 But it came at a cost. 😩 The Demons toiled through 21 games in Season 31 – the most possible under the...

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[Headless]

Number 39 is a silly little piece examining the impact - or lack thereof - that experience has on game performance. At time of writing, the team named for the Mount Buller Demons had registered a total of 4,236 games in experience, and the posting user - Headless, in this case - claimed that that would be enough to prove victorious on the weekend.

As Headless said (including typo):

I challenge any club to play a more experience group of 20. And, if you do, I take back everything I have said in this thread.

Media - When the going gets tough, experience rises to the top

In this game, there is no substitute for experience. And, beginning a fourth season of utter domination, it's an anodyne conclusion that experience is working for the Mount Buller Demons. Let's take a quick look at the Demons' starting line-up this weekend, and the number of games they have...

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[Headless]

Keen qootballers will remember that the end of the Season 33 home and away season was extremely tight. In fact, there existed a four-way fight for the final spot in the finals series entering the last round.

Always the analyst, league stalwart Headless put together this thread examining all the possible iterations at play for the Royals, the Demons, the Swamprats, and the Wonders.

A simple premise, but executed brilliantly.

Media - Four is not the same as one

As we enter the final home and away round for Season 33, a quick glance at the ladder tells us there's a four-way FIGHT for the last finals ("last finals" is an interesting phrase, isn't it?) position. Thanks to Ljp86, the current ladder: Team P W L D Pen For...

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[Headless]

In an uncharacteristic melt, league Hall-of-Famer Headless responded to recent All-Sweet FA selections pertaining to the interchange.

Expertly crafting an argument that Ant Bear would not choose any half-forward flanks on the basis of previous selections, Headless wowed the league, leading to equally clever responses like this one:

Headless for #beez this season.

Media - BREAKING: S29 All-Sweet FA Team Reduced to 16 Players

BREAKING: S29 All-Sweet FA Team Reduced to 16 Players H. Fewer Than, 26 February 2020 The Sweet FA has this afternoon been rocked by a major announcement pertaining to All-Sweet FA honours in Season 29. It is understood that just 16 players will be recognised come the end of the season - a...

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[Headless]

tony's origin story in the Sweet FA is well-known, broken by at-the-time Mount Buller LG member Harvey Manfrenjensenden, based on a squad submission typo by the Baghdad Bombers.

But once tony had joined the league, it was up to somebody - anybody - to give the league some insight into their newest poster. And, on this occasion, it happened to be Headless.

Media - The development of a Sweet FA poster: re-meet "tony"

tony's introduction to the Sweet FA was unusual to say the least - perhaps unique. But a touch over 24 months later, tony has blossomed into one of the league's best-known and hardest-working posters. For those unfamiliar with the story, tony's introduction to the league was one of chance...

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[Headless]

The league has some deep thinkers. But perhaps deepest of them all is MBD icon Headless.

At the start of Season 33, Headless was thinking deeply about club leadership, and penned an incremental thread examining each club's leadership stocks, including any changes from the season prior. A future captain themselves, you may be able to notice the leadership oozing out of the thread.

Media - SEASON 33 CAPTAINS: A changing of the guard?

Hello, everybody. The role of the Sweet FA captain includes posting team sheets, regretting team PMs, and becoming increasingly drained by round-about committee discussion. Or so I imagine - I've never been captain. But WHICH club has the BEST captain(s)? I'm always - always - asked that by...

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[Headless]

A thread doesn't need to be revolutionary or overly creative to be effective, exemplified by this beauty discussing each club's prospects ahead of Season 32. Written with objectivity and balance, the author engaged the whole league with their views.

What a great thread on which to look back (Proper Gander)!

Media - Season 32 club previews and discussion

In Season 32, Sweet will see its 32nd season of qootball for the first time EVER – that’s just the nature of numerical and temporal progression. But in such a historic season, which clubs will TRIUMPH? Which will TRIUMPH… less? Well, the league’s best and most-loved poster is here to help -...

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[Headless]

In a classic interview-style thread, Headless chatted with incoming co-captain Callums_Guns to discuss all things Mount Buller. We laughed, we cried, we nodded with agreement - and then the interview started!

Media - The rise and rise of captain #20

Callums_Guns. One of the most engaging, respected, and hard-working posters league-wide. You would be hard-pressed to find anybody that had anything negative to say about Callums_Guns. Hard-pressed. You would have to say that CG's Sweet FA career so far has been a successful one. Callums_Guns...

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[Headless]

An excellent thread in concept, but perhaps one that never fully reached its potential (YET), the 'Sum of Ranks' concept relies on Hate's revolutionary Sweet FA+.

Though it enjoyed only moderate success, that the captains voted this the 32nd best thread of all time indicates how deeply respected the concept was.

Media - Sweet FA Sum of Ranks

On Hate's Sweet FA+, each player profile indicates where that player is ranked - in the history of the league - for a large range of statistics. Here is my page, for example (see the "League Rank" column): What I'd like to know is who has the best 'Sum of Ranks'. That is, the smallest...

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[Headless]

Many players over the years - I'm thinking NaturalDisaster, for instance - have tackled the beast that is the traditional mid-season survey. But few if any have approached it with such ingenuity as Headless in the below example.

Tackling topics like expansion and club movement, the combination of analysis and statistics almost bumped this thread all the way into the top 30 of all time.

Media - [EXPANSION?] I revolutionised the infamous mid-season survey

Hi, folks. Those who have been here a little while might be familiar with the mid-season (and end-of-season) survey. I decided to take responsibility of the survey this season, but I did things a little differently. My contention was that the public nature of the thread was skewing responses...

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[Headless]

Rounding out the top 30, we have a discussion thread centred on 'blessings' and 'curses' of Season 29. Aside from the OP, top contributors included Elton Johns Wig, Tigerturbulance, and Proper Gander.

Discussion - Season 29 was a blessing and a curse

Join me in this thread to talk about blessings and curses. Don't you dare landfill this.

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[Headless]

We're into the 20s! And what better way to mark #29 than with this match thread OP from the Season 31 Semi Finals? Specific to the teams involved, this OP went deep into the ins and outs of the impending game. BLUEALLTHRU, Robertio, VainGlorious, and Kilroy were the biggest contributors to this particular thread.

Will we see any other match thread OPs in the top 40 list?

Official Match Thread - S31 Second Semi Final: Gold City Royals vs Baghdad Bombers at The Golden Throne

Hi everybody. Your good friend Headless here. Welcome to this specific ground for this specific match-up between two absolute POWERHOUSES of the Sweet FA. By that, of course, I don’t mean the clubs are actually houses full of power – although that may also be true. No, I’m referring to the...

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[Headless]

No way - what a coincidence! It so happens that the 13 captains have rated another match thread OP as the 28th greatest thread in the history of the league!

This one is from back in Season 33 - Round 3, specifically. It's only a two-minute read or so, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a bit of light reading!

Official Match Thread - S33 Round 3 - Roys FFC vs Mount Buller Demons at The BJO

Hello everybody. As you are no doubt aware, I have been personally asked – headhunted, if you will – to write these Round 3 match threads. The function of the opening post is, of course, debatable. Is it to provide relevant information pertaining to the two participating clubs and their...

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[Headless]

Before reverting to the Hawks, the East Side caused headlines when they controversially rebranded to the East Side Phoenix.

Some saw it as the 'death' of the Hawks as we knew them, and this thread is an interesting little time capsule to the sentiment at the time. NaturalDisaster certainly enjoyed their time there!

When they convinced me to change my mind from helping a struggling club, only to criticise my posting style when I actually joined...

Discussion - Post here your favourite memories of the East Side Hawks

A sad day today, as the East Side Hawks are no more. Use this thread to reminisce about your favourite Hawk-related memories. EDIT: POLL ADDED.

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[Headless]

Back when registered user Headless was new to the media game, they took it upon themselves to provide some background information on their career to date.

Feedback was generally positive:

Cloud_ landfill or merge. he already has a Headless 300 thread.

You really are bored

After seeing the uproar of another post being moved elsewhere and then reinstated then this thread has a fair place IMO. And like the aforementioned thread this one will slip from public consciousness fairly quickly.

Media - The Dragons Are Boring - Here's A Gift

Let’s be honest: nobody enjoys a match thread involving the Dragons. Even those who play for the Dragons. It’s up to Thursday, and honestly I still have no idea who plays for them apart from Hatchy1992. It’s a sad state of affairs, and something needs to be done in order to remedy the situation...

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[Headless]

At this point unknown to the Sweet FA community, Headless shared their journey near Underground Stadium on their way to 500 games. Featured players included Kennedy Parker, Mobbs, jackster83, philreich, and okeydoke7.

Media - I tried to find somewhere to rent near Underground Stadium

I've been playing in the Sweet Football Association for some time now. This is my 31st consecutive season, in fact. And whilst my career has been undeniably spectacular, it's come at a cost; these days, I just feel tired all the time. I spoke to Kennedy Parker about it one time, who said it was...

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[Headless]

Based on the captains' vote, it's time for another discussion thread! This one focuses on your almost Sweet FA stories - big moves that almost happened, but never did.

The OP was almost immediately 'schooled', as the kids say:

Almost told the funniest joke of all of time in a thread once but now I've forgotten so you'll have to trust me on it.

Please don't make a mockery of my thread.

I almost didn't.

Discussion - Your ~~~almost~~~ Sweet FA stories

This league is full of wheeling and dealing. Every season, there are scandalous moves and controversial stories. But what about those times that something big almost happened? When a coup nearly came off? When a rookie moving clubs after Round 1 was close to coming to fruition? In this thread...

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[Headless]

The off-season traditionally creates a lot of stories, and none would have been bigger than Headless exploring their options back in early 2022.

In a really very funny twist of events, the OP masterfully used the ol' 'bait and switch' to play a BIG PRACTICAL JOKE, resulting in the thread nudging the top 20 of all time.

Discussion - Five reasons to slide into Headless' DMs this off-season

FIVE REAONS TO SLIDE INTO HEADLESS' DMS THIS OFF-SEASON EXPERT CONSULTING I have been in the Demons' leadership group for a number of seasons and am happy to do what I can in contributing to league decisions, assisting with general leadership tasks, and recruiting. INTERCHANGE PROWESS The...

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[Headless]

Some players - me, for instance - are very interested in the career trajectories of other players. And this thread did a great job of highlighting how some players have fascinating careers.

Did you know, for instance, that ClarkeM played their first 10 games at the Mount Buller Demons? The more you know!

Discussion - Memorable players who had a short stint at a club

For example, our dear friend Grockadoc has played 332 games. 329 of those games have been for the Furies (Seasons 11-33). However, Grockadoc also played three games for the Demons in Season 10. Over to you, Sweet FA.

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[Headless]

In Season 33, Barrybran was openly chasing the Fred Medal. By Round 4, Barrybran had slotted four goals. In contrast, interchange specialist Headless had slotted six.

This thread, comparing the two, framed a potential shoot-out in their Round 4 match-up. Talk about HYPE!

Media - Goal shoot-out likely in Round 4 encounter

Goal shoot-out likely in Round 4 encounter Excitement is building ahead of a likely shoot-out in the Round 4 clash between the Demons and the Gumbies. Full forward for and ex-captain of the Gumbies Barrybran is openly chasing the Fred Medal in Season 33, which has, no doubt, caught the eye of...

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[Headless]

At number 20, it's time for CONTENDERS - a thread that highlighted potential award winners across the Mobbs (I Dont Care, Carson Dial, pantskyle, Callums_Guns), the Fred (NaturalDisaster, Mooch, Sab22), the beez (TheInjuryFactory, Kennedy Parker), and All-Sweet FA selection (WaynesWorld19, Elton Johns Wig).

Outstanding work, duly recognised in this top 40 list.

Media - CONTENDERS 💯

Hi everybody. Headless here - your friendly community helper. We're now a decent way through the season, and what a season it's been! Who could forget that time the Gumbies lost heaps of games, or that time that guy got nuked for doing weird stuff? What a jolly fun time we've all had. But we...

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[Headless]

In mid-2020, Headless, under HEADANALYSIS, created a statistical analysis looking at how closely beez Trophy placing correlated with match thread posting numbers. Based on the analysis, Kennedy Parker, Fizzler, Harvey Manfrenjensenden, BRAB, and TheInjuryFactory appeared to be efficient posters.

And Clarkey loved the thread, of course:

Always love someone that goes to effort for absolutely no reason. That's what this league is about and I love it. Well done Head.

Media - HeadAnalysis: What's a match thread post worth?

HEADANALYSIS: WHAT'S A MATCH THREAD POST WORTH? Hi everybody. Headless here - the Sweet FA's most-loved community leader and absolute icon of Sweet. You probably should have noted that already. Here are some ways you might have realised it was me, rendering my opening "Hi everybody" completely...

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[Headless]

As we all know, the 'Big Four' clubs are the West Coast Wonders (shaky ground these days, however), the East Side Hawks, the Sin City Swamprats, and the Mount Buller Demons.

In Season 25, one reporter examined the heres and theres of each club's circumstances.

Media - Undisputed "Big Four" With Varied Fortunes in Season 25

As you know, the "Big Four" of the Sweet FA comprises the West Coast Wonders (#lolwonders), the East Side Hawks, the Sin City Swamprats and the Mount Buller Demons. These four clubs make the league. Unlike other clubs, the league would be worse off without them, and season after season there is...

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[Headless]

In a really very funny twist, Headless decided to venture off the bench in Season 36 to (successfully) thwart okeydoke7 in their quest for 1,000 goals. As it turns out, Headless was the best full-back the league has, perhaps, ever seen - and this thread followed their defensive destruction.

Media - Goals conceded to opposition full-forwards - Season 36

NOTE: Headless was named at full-back for the Mount Buller Demons. The Bombers did not play, so have not been included. After Round 1 Warriors: 11 Furies: 7 Old Boys: 7 Phoenix: 7 Royals: 5 Roys: 5 Swamprats: 5 Wonders: 5 Bears: 4 Gumbies: 4 Dragons: 2 Demons: 1

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[Headless]

The less said about this one, the better!

Discussion - What to do when IRL friends discover you're a widely-respected legend of an online, anonymous, simulated text-based fantasy football league

Asking for a friend.

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