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GVBBL Fantasy | Weather throws spanner in the works of round two action
No matter how well prepared you are, circumstances will always serve to conspire against you.
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After hours of research ahead of the start of the Shepparton News GVBBL Fantasy competition, marquee unavailability decimated teams across the tournament.
It left many sides scrambling to balance only two trades before round two of the Goulburn Valley Bush Bash League while trying to remain true to the original — and quite complicated — structure of the fantasy extravaganza, only to watch a huge storm wash away their chances of a big score.
Just as many fantasy outfits though took the opposite approach, electing — or failing — to make any changes to their original squads.
It paid dividends for some — with Gregor Mactaggart's Disco Shoulders and Kasey Duncan's Duncman's Dogs chief among them — but for others like Stuart Turner's Flying Mongooses it left them with plenty of ground to make up ahead of round three action on February 2.
We can forgive Turner for forgetting about changing his fantasy team on Sunday morning after his Bloods knocked over Nagambie on Saturday, but it did cause his side to drop from 12th to 20th in the rankings.
Mactaggart secured the largest rise of the week, jumping from a lowly 22nd all the way up to 13th with a round score of 241 thanks to owning half of the top 10 scorers, while Duncan managed 216 and watched a number of the top owners drop past him on the table.
A fantasy coach who did tinker with his outfit to great benefit was Mick Mattingly, his Mueller's Men edging Mactaggart by a solitary point thanks largely to whacking the armband on Cobram Panel Works Panthers star Michael Eckard.
The all-rounder's 45 was the highest score of the round by any player owned by a GVBBL fantasy side, although SRP Mud Dogs spinner Alistair McCann snared second-week honours with 49 thanks to three wickets and the 15-point bonus that comes with the haul.
On the scoring, there was no need for the patented Mitchell-Maher method this round due to play getting under way in the clash between Hurley's Hotel Hounds and Jarvis Delahey Crushers before wind, hail and rain intervened.
It means all scores stand, although the fantasy organisers took pity on all and sundry and allowed players who did not take part in the match despite being on the teamsheet — such as Hounds skipper David Newman — to be replaced by a squad's 12th man.
Only one team needed this leniency — Brendan White and his Crack Foxes — and although Ash Saunders’ five points off the pine does not sound like much help, it lifted him from 20th to 17th overall.
News senior sports journalist Alex Mitchell leads the way overall — for real this time — and the Tarisai No More squad will be hard to catch in the race for a $500 Hip Pocket Workwear and Safety voucher.
Panther James Seymour — who will return in round three — remains the highest scoring player with 111 points, while his skipper Matt Jaensch is in the same boat as McCann as an unowned top-10 scorer.
But those looking to hold or trade in Crusher Richard Oliver (95 points) take pause, because he has become unavailable for the remainder of the Crane Aid GVBBL.
GVBBL FANTASY TOP 23 ROUND TWO
1. Mick Mattingly (Mueller's Men) 242
2. Gregor Mactaggart (Disco Shoulders) 241
3. Josh Pearce (Return of the Jeddi) 220
4. Kasey Duncan (Duncman's Dogs) 216
5. Paul McIness (Consistent Fantasy Animals) 214
6. Aydin Payne (Payney's Panel Beaters) 211
7. Tyler Maher (Van Zyl-ophones) 209
8. Chris Crouch (CC And Dry) 205
9. Alex Mitchell (Tarisai No More) 203
10. Liam Nash (The Umpire Strikes Back) 200
11. Brian Nisbet (The Weapons) 199
12. Tennyson Tinning (Blue Brick Beer Guts) 198
13. Brendan White (Crack Foxes) 195
14. Ron Anderson (The Verminators) 193
14. Matt Jaensch (Kiss My Chaminda) 193
16. Ash Williamson (Chillby's Champs) 181
17. Ron Holland (Half Trackers) 180
18. Stuart Turner (The Flying Mongooses) 171
19. Joe Wilkie (The King Pairs) 168
20. Peter Holland (Skeet's Stars) 163
21. Michael Van Dorsser (Van's Visitors) 157
22. David D'Elia (All The President's Men) 154
23. Abe Lake (The Abe Lakers) 148
GVBBL FANTASY TOP 23 OVERALL
1. Alex Mitchell (Tarisai No More) 713
2. Kasey Duncan (Duncman's Dogs) 688
3. Peter Holland (Skeet's Stars) 681
3. Tennyson Tinning (Blue Brick Beer Guts) 681
5. Ron Anderson (The Verminators) 669
6. David D'Elia (All The President's Men) 666
7. Josh Pearce (Return of the Jeddi) 660
8. Aydin Payne (Payney's Panel Beaters) 642
9. Paul McIness (Consistent Fantasy Animals) 604
10. Mick Mattingly (Mueller's Men) 571
11. Joe Wilkie (The King Pairs) 553
12. Tyler Maher (Van Zyl-ophones) 552
13. Gregor Mactaggart (Disco Shoulders) 521
14. Liam Nash (The Umpire Strikes Back) 515
15. Ron Holland (Half Trackers) 509
15. Ash Williamson (Chillby's Champs) 509
17. Brendan White (Crack Foxes) 505
17. Chris Crouch (CC And Dry) 505
19. Matt Jaensch (Kiss My Chaminda) 504
20. Stuart Turner (The Flying Mongooses) 501
21. Brian Nisbet (The Weapons) 497
22. Abe Lake (The Abe Lakers) 433
23. Michael Van Dorsser (Van's Visitors) 430
TOP PLAYERS ROUND TWO
Alistair McCann (Mud Dogs) 49
Michael Eckard (Panthers) 45
Hamish Winter-Irving (Mud Dogs) 34
Michael Archer (Hounds) 33
Mark Nolan (Mud Dogs) 33
Joel Brett (Mud Dogs) 30
Keegan Armstrong (Mud Dogs) 29
Matt Jaensch (Panthers) 27
Jedd Wright (Hounds) 26
Riley Gow (Panthers) 25
TOP PLAYERS OVERALL
James Seymour (Panthers) 111
Richard Oliver (Crushers) 95
Jedd Wright (Hounds) 95
Mark Nolan (Mud Dogs) 87
Joel Brett (Mud Dogs) 77
Michael Eckard (Panthers) 62
Layton McCann (Mud Dogs) 59
Michael Archer (Hounds) 49
Alistair McCann (Mud Dogs) 49
Matt Jaensch (Panthers) 47