Fantasy Olympics Day 2 – Aussies ruined me

Hello everybody. My name is Tomo Bujas and I am an addict. I am addicted to two things. Cigarettes and winning. Before the Fantasy Olympics, in order to increase my stamina, I have decided, for the 100th time in my life, to stop smoking. The question always arises. What do I like more, winning or smoking?

After the first day of the Fantasy Olympics I was comfortably on the top and somehow in my head I decided that maybe smoking and winning might coexist one with another. Like a ying yang fight that goes within each of us. After the second day, my ying yang theory was down the drain. After a brilliant start which saw my team, appropriately named „MVP“, take the number one spot, the second day got a lot of my emotions flowing and me, my lungs and I ended up looking down the same barrel we were avoiding to look at just a few days ago. But one would think that after suffering such a grave defeat it would make me try, for 101st time in my life, to stop smoking, but noooo… Not this Fantasy Manager. Seeing my team plummeting all the way to the fifth place got me spiraling out of my addictive mind. „What did I do wrong?“ „How could this be?“ „Am I just not good enough for Fantasy Olympics?“. These and many more questions I was asking myself and all along smoking my confidence away.

Before the second day started, I have made some changes on my right side. I decided to rest my player Stefan Vidović and have opted out to bring some new blood to the table. Based on his performance against Croatia, I decided to bring in a free agent, Kazakhstan’s own Rustam Ukumanov. He had a solid game and a solid score. On top of his playing qualities I wanted to diversify my team even more. That corporate sponsor money could do us all a lot of good. Unfortunately he did not have a good game. No goals, two lost balls, he earned two extra players and was excluded himself two times. So all in all not a big contribution. Kazakhstan was playing against Serbia and clearly I underestimated Serbians left side. Prlainović and co. Meanwhile Stefan had a way better game and even made a goal. Inhales a cigarrete. „Why did I changed Stefan in the first place?“ „Why why why?“ I could have used his 1.76 score instead of Rustams 0.96. Exhales a cigarete. I have decided to change Rustam with Mr. Blai Mallarach. He became a free agent after somebody, who will remain unmentioned, from our Fantasy League decided that he won’t need the services of Mr. Blai anymore. After two hard games against Serbia and Montenegro (two countries) Spain is going to have an „easier“ task on day 3. They will be playing against Kazakhstan and I am hoping that this fast shooter will manage to make his impact at this game and secure me some badly needed points. And when I say badly, I mean desperately.

In a surprisingly even battle between the Japan and Hungary, I saw my Balasz Erdely tally a few goals and some other statistics which gave me a lifesaving score of 4.86 for his performance. The Hungarians are a bit unrecognizable on this tournament, but their next game is against the RSA. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I think you understand me when I am saying that I am expecting the same, if not even a way better score than against Japan, from Erdely.

During the course of that day I saw my Vlachopoulos score only one goal in a tight match between the Greeks and the Italians. I was not pleased with that, but I was pleased that Italians also didnt have any dominant player so that meant that some of my Fantasy Managers will also not get a lot of points from this game. Except for Total Waterpolo who had the Greek Concrete Zerdevas on their goal.

The last game of the day had four of my starting players playing. Bijač, Bukić and Obradović for Croatia playing against Australia with my starting CF Tomašević. What started very promisingly with Bijač making 5 saves within the first 8 minutes turned into a nightmare with Croats failing to do anything meaningful for the next two quarters. All along as Croats were doing nothing, I was smoking nervously. I felt like a rullet player who put his wife and kids on 7 red. And let me tell you. It did not end well. Some 4 cigarettes later Croats were on the deep end and there was still a quarter to go. Mind you for every goal Bijač receives he loses points. And then I saw goals coming in off the blocks of other Croatian player. That got my blood boiling. Aussies played real team waterpolo. Very smart and very disciplined. Everything that this addict is not. I barely finished the match and dreaded the Fantasy Rankings which were due to come out that afternoon.

Deep down I somehow hoped for something, but realistically I knew that things will not look good, but when I saw that I dropped 4 places I was almost disheartened. I could not help myself but to say, and I mean it with all the respect, but bloody Aussies. They really ruined me. Fair dinkum to them. They deserved it. Well played Aussies. Hopefully on Day 3 my players will give us all much needed points. Because believe me if we end up winning the Fantasy Olympics Tournament it will be good for all of us and in more ways than one. MVP on three. One, two, three. MVP!!!!