Home
Hey posters, the mods have been talking and we're going to run some poster interviews for you to get to know some of the guys around here. We're kicked off with the bovine himself.
Honeysett: Welcome to the first player profile, we're kicking things off with the forum MVP of 2016. Let's get going.. Milchcow, how'd you come up with the user name?
Milchcow: Its a very old nickname. Was given to me by my Geography teacher way back when I was in year 7. He couldn't pronounce my surname it got morphed into milchcow, the name stuck and I've been using it ever since.
It's handy because as a username milchcow is rarely taken by anyone else so I can claim it as my own on most sites I visit.
H: Well that's a handy handle then, you're a die-hard fantasy fanatic. What got you started?
M: The very first fantasy rugby league game I played was way back in the mid 90s. It was run by the Sydney Morning Herald. Pre-internet days so it was play-by-mail.
The scoring was simply a rating out of 10 for each player, like the Rugby League Week player ratings. I remember Tyran Smith was the must have cheap player. He was min price salary and started the season on fire.
After that it was a gap of a decade or so before I noticed people on the old rleague forums talking about this strange game called VNRL. This would have been 2003. You had a bidding war for players and I was immediately addicted. I remember after I first got a team together I printed out the squad lists from my match up that week and took the print out with me to a live game to mark off the try scorers
Pretty much it just grew from there
H: Jeez mate, deep seeded roots to the games. When did the spreadsheets come into it? You're the David Middleton of our group.
M: After 2004 VNRL died, and there was no immediate replacement for a salary capped style private league. So in 2005 the private comp I was in ran our fantasy league manually via spreadsheet. That's where I started picking up the excel skills. I seem to have lost my copy of the sheet we used that year which is a shame, although the stuff I come up with now is much more advanced anyway.
But I still have stats going back to 2006 saved away.
H: Fucking hell, nice. It's much appreciated as I'm sure you know. Let's get to know you a little better. Let's start to get to know the man behind the cow, what's your three favourite things to do with your free time
M: Well fantasy Rugby League is obviously number 1.
After that I enjoy playing Lego with my kids (or without my kids if need be)
I enjoy playing soccer and oztag - have only just got back into it after a long layoff due to a ruptured achilles tendon so I need the practise right now.
I also enjoy pub trivia. Giving that up was the biggest sacrifice to my social life after having kids. You can play fantasy league from the comfort of your own home, but its hard to ditch the kids for a few hours on a Tuesday night to go to the pub. Can't wait until they get old enough to fend for themselves
H: How old are the calves mate?
M: Little girl just turned 6 last week, and a 3 year old boy. They are great, although neither of them are very interested in football
H: And they're still not old enough to fend for themselves? Fucking hell. The football love will come with time mate.
Being that your eldest is 6, I'm assuming she was the result of your first night of passion. How'd you lose the V Plates mate?
M: It is not a very interesting story. I was not exactly a charmer with the ladies when i was younger, and I lost my virginity to my now-wife whilst we were both at uni.
Who would suspect that from an IT nerd that collectes Lego
H: Kind of sweet in a way.
We've all done some embarrasing shit in our time, what's the one memory that always makes you cringe at what a dickhead you were
M: Well, whilst we are on the topic of my skills with the ladies. Back in high school one of my friends asked me if I had a crush on one of the girls in our year, whilst said girl was standing there as part of the conversation.
Summoning all my best social skills, I panicked and jumped into the nearest classroom through the window.
This was not quite the acrobatic feat that makes it sound like, but needless to say, I did not end up successful in my quest for love with said girl.
H: HAHAHA! fuck mate that's brilliant.
We'll get off the lady topic. The Tigers, why oh why?
M: I grew up in Gladesville, where the options were basically Parramatta or Balmain. I guess technically either could have happened. When we were young, my Dad used to take me and my brother to any old random football game on the weekend if he was trying to get us out of the house. So I did go to a few Parramatta and North Sydney home games as well, and compared to those 2, I think I made the right decision.
H: It's like asking do you want a punch in the left or right testicle. Regardless, what's your favourite footy memory?
M: Pretty much the entire 2005 season.
Tigers had some great wins in that time - and I managed to get to heaps of the games live. Beating the Dogs 37-36, smashing Cronulla down at Shark Park, and every game in the finals series were just excellent for a Tigers fan.
Beating the Dragons in the preliminary final was the pinnacle though. Have never been to a league game with a better atmosphere and the game just delivered big time.
I'll single this out as perhaps my favourite ever try
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQCpFefGQ98
Was at that game and they scored in the corner I was sitting in. It was that game that made me believe the Tigers could achieve something that year
H: Man that's a bloody good try. I can imagine 2005 would have been pretty special for all involved.
From highs to lows mate, worst memory of the NRL
M: I like to think of myself as a fairly positive guy, and I don't think I really have a worst memory. Being old enough to remember the Super League war was a bit shit. I've seen my team cop 60 points often enough.
But I think the worst thing about being a Tigers fan is how they give you this faint sniff of hope, only to mercilessly grind you into the dirt.
Getting thumped by the Raiders in the final round last year was pretty bad. But in 2007, with 10 minutes left in the last game of the year. The Tigers were beating wooden spooners Newcastle by 12 points with 10 minutes to go. Victory would see them in the finals but they conceded 2 tries and a penalty goal at the end of the game to miss the finals (and get Newcastle into 2nd last)
H: Cooper Vuna scored that in the dying minutes for memory and we nailed in the kick on the bell. Beautiful stuff!
Let's move onto the forum, Sportal was a fucking shambles so you must be stoked to have a place here that's so consistent. In the same time here what's been your biggest laugh out loud moment
M: I just love the general banter on the forum. Everyone willing to give a bit of stick without it ever really getting nasty. I have a terrible memory so I can't think of any specific examples, but the guys do make me chuckle an awful lot. Not for laughter, but the standout memory for me is when SI admitted he was Stew. Honestly would never have suspected him.
H: Hahaha yeah he did hide that very well. Fuck that got a lot of people upset. Mainly B/L.
Hilarious.
Who's your favourite poster here?
M: Well that's a bit rude. I like pretty much everyone and don't want to single people out for fear of neglecting anyone.
But in the interests of giving an answer, I've never met him but I suspect I'd get on OK with filthridden in real life (and we do in fact have a few real life friends in common)
H: Some place somewhere Welshy is crying into his English tea.
M: Hah, that is why I didn't want to give an answer. I do love Welshy, he can console himself with the fact that I'm English* and he'd probably get annoyed at that
*Born in Australia to 2 English parents
I'll also give a shout out to badbetter, who is the first person from these forums I met in real life, and I thus feel a kind of kindred spirit with him
H: Ah nice answer there mate covering all bases.
What lads have you met in person ?
M: I met badbetter couple years ago. Then when SI made the trip to Sydney last year caught up with him, Krump, No Worries and Bullbender. Think that's about it
And fuck me, I should have mentioned Chewie in the previous question. Its not a page 51 party without him, and i always respect people that spell wookiee correctly
H: Bit of a lads trip hey? Any antics? Who couldn't handle their piss?
M: We only met up for a few hours to watch the footy. There wasn't anything exciting in that regard
H: Ah right no worries mate. I thought it might be Krump, glad you confirmed it.
We'll wrap it up mate with one last question. Gun to your head if you had to support Manly or the Broncos, what song would you want at your funeral?
M: There are not many teams I would cheer the Broncos on to beat. And Manly aren't one of them.
Go Manly!
H: Haha brilliant, thanks for you time Milchcow!
M: Cheers Honeysett, thanks for the chat
H: Always a pleasure
