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Matty7478 · 04-30-2020, 08:54 PM

What Matthew Forrester Can Bring to Your SHL Team
*Alt: How to Steal Great Ideas From Others*
**Alt to the Alt: Looking Back at Forrester's Recent Play**

So, you likely read the subject title and had a bout of déjà vu wash over you. That makes a lot of sense, seeing how this idea has, of course, been done before. It's hard to be original, especially when you are so new to the league, ok? Don't judge me. Anyway, I'm glad that even after that wave of déjà vu you have still decided to join me for a while to see what I have to say for myself. It may have been a tough choice to make - hey, you probably don't even know me yet, so probably no loyalties there, I get it - so I hope it proves to be a good choice in the end. Let's start with some introductions, and the reason why I chose to write this article now, during my Berserkers' run at the playoffs.

For those of you that don't know me and have never seen me anywhere before; Hi! My name is Matty. It's great to meet you. I would shake your hand but uh... that's not really how the internet works. So I'll just stick with the great to meet you part, even if it makes about as little sense! I am a relative newcomer to sim leagues in general - my first foray being in the NSFL all of 2 months ago. If you are over in that league, you may have already seen me around as the up-and-coming San Jose Sabercats Kicker/Punter Matthew McDairmid - or as the guy who shouts maniacal things about punting stats every so often. What can I say? I love punting. I have loved my short time in the NSFL a lot; so much so, that I made the decision to try out another league not so long after I entered the NSFL sphere. That would be... PBE. Yes, if you are over there you would know me as the current closer for the Kansas City Hepcats Matthew Paul. Again, I have loved my time over there. And again, this led to the decision to join another league. And that league would be here; the SHL.

Here in the SHL I am the Playmaking Centre that goes by the name of Matthew Forrester. Hailing from Kirkcaldy in Scotland, Forrester came to the SHL world with little fanfare and acclaim. I'm not shocked by that whatsoever - a new create with little to no great success in the wider sim league world has no reason to get any level of success. But with the atmosphere and management of the Newfoundland Berserkers, I feel as if my play down the stretch has been impressive and as such, has warranted a bit of hype coming into this postseason and draft season. So, this takes us to the ultimate question: why did I choose to write this - my first article - now?

Well firstly, a person that has to be thanked for the idea and for the push to just do it is Mats Marner, aka @leafsftw1967. He entered the LR today and gave me the fantastic idea of doing something very similar to what he did. Not a word of a lie, I swear. If for some reason, you haven't read the original by Mats, I would definitely recommending making some time for it. It truly is the good stuff. Marner's push makes up part of my reason for doing this now. The second of three main reasons for doing it comes from a different article released today; a fantastic article from an SMJHL GM detailing "The S54 SHL Forward Draft Class". In this article, in the Centres category, I was ranked at a low 11th place. Now, I'm not arguing that it is an incorrect ranking... because it isn't really. As I said earlier, I am a new create with little to no viable record in the sim league world. And my bank account is so red Gordon Ramsay would lament on how fucking raw it is. But it was the thing that finally helped to push me to write something. I, like a lot of people in leagues like the SHL, am a competitive guy. I want to be the best - in my position, in my draft class. So, to be so low - and fairly see myself as being that low - kinda stung me a bit. And the third reason... is because I am poor. I would love to preface this another way, but it is very true. Sure, looking back over the year will be fun and all, but I don't want to beat around the bush. This is a money making endeavour. Please forgive me media gods! Now, let us get to the real meat and potatoes of the article; what does Matthew Forrester bring to your SHL roster/youth system?

1) Activity: Stop laughing. Yes, I am completely serious. It may seem like this is pretty counter-intuitive to the fact that I have absolutely nothing left to spare in my bank account, but I do not really feel that I have been... inactive this season. By the letter of the law, of course I haven't been inactive - or else I would be anywhere near competitive TPE-wise, would I? But in terms of keeping up with PTs and earning for my player, it may be a surprising concession to make for those who have not been watching. I have not missed a single PT that I have been able to partake in. I also hit my Post Game Show cap before the playoff updates got in. Now this is not supposed to be great on its own, as it is literally the minimum effort a person could put in. "God, Matty, stop making excuses for your lack of money!" you may be thinking, and I wouldn't blame you. But here's my attempt at valid reasoning for my lack of money-making content: Yesterday, I submit to my University the most important piece of work in my life in my dissertation. By doing so, my undergraduate career is all but complete and my time at University is in the past. What does that mean? Well, it means that all my important distractions are now kind of out of the window. I am now essentially a University graduate stuck inside all day to quarantine, with nothing else to occupy my time but sim leagues and sports games. GMs may have read the points above about being active in other leagues and started sweating profusely, because it is tough to be active everywhere you go. But there is no better time than now to make that commitment. And, if there is something I have picked up over my life, it is an unwavering commitment to things that I enjoy being a part of. Sim leagues - albeit a very recent development - have quickly become one of the most enjoyable things that I do on a daily basis, and because of that, I do not see my commitment levels dropping below a certain threshold any time soon. Speaking of enjoyment, let's go onto the next thing I want to discuss here...

2) Locker Room Energy: The Newfoundland Berserkers locker room is special. Anyone who is in there will tell you a similar story. It is a young group of players who just enjoy talking and staying active and because of that it is a great place to be. I have not been the most active person in there as most of them will tell you, but every time I pop in to check out what is happening it's just a real fun time. The GMs of the team are partly to thank for that, but the players deserve just as much credit for this too. I won't list them all out here (because that's a long list, and even I - the NSFL punting guy - would get too bored over listing all those names out), but if they're reading this they know who they are. Thanks for making my first season in the league way too fun! Most of all, what makes a locker room like that especially great is that it keeps you invested in the league through thick and thin. And, to tell you the truth, the guys in there continually showing out for updates and coming out in force at sim time have kept me updating even during my tough times with my Dissertation. If the locker room I find myself in at the next level is even half as good as the one in Newfoundland, then I will feel as though I am one of the luckiest rookies around. And on the other side of the coin, I will look to bring a similar energy to whatever team may take me in the future - in hopes of fostering such a great mentality as that of the Newfoundland team that have surprised nearly everyone outside the organisation this year. With that sappy stuff out of the way, let's talk about some hard stats. How did my first season really go in the SMJHL, and what perspectives can we draw from this?

3) Hey, the sim doesn't hate me that much!: With a plethora of rookie talent at the Centre position this season, there was a lot of competition for that position in the first line all season. Even with that competition however, I have held that spot in the order since I was signed off waivers by the Berserkers. If I were to consider why, I feel that it is likely because of my playmaking ability; the wingers in that line alongside me, for the most part, have been Steve Harrington and SLATT Potts. With out line mainly put together to get our leading forward, Potts, the puck, the playmaking ability of our centre becomes much more important. As a centre built for this type of play, I was suited to the role well, and so found myself shoved into the most ice time among our young centres early. At first, it didn't really translate into the best stats overall: that is likely due to the low level of my player compared to those around him, both on his team and on the opposition. Once upgrades for Forrester began to pour in however, his true ability in that position showed up. As was noted in the SMJHL Week 4 Rookie Roundup, through the final 16 games of the regular season he notched up 15 points (5 goals and 10 assists). What this proves is that the sim doesn't hate him as much as it may have appeared when first entering the SMJHL - and, in fact, Forrester may become a very solid player in the future should this vein of form continue on into the next season and beyond. Already in the playoffs, Forrester has earned 2 points in 2 games, continuing this vein of form largely coming out of nowhere towards the end of this season. Of course, these stats are thanks to the GMs of the Berserkers, who have entrusted me with being the rookie that leads the first line for the most surprising team in the SMJHL this year. I hope to continue having such a great opportunity in the future with the Berserkers, and I can be a part of the young core here that is sure to create some noise in the upcoming years.

So, to cap it all off here: what does an SHL team get when they draft a player like Matthew Forrester? Well, they get a dedicated player, who is a pretty decent TPE earner considering situation. Who - although not the most active in the locker room up until now - wants to harness similar energy to that of what he has experienced already to become even more active. And who will only grow stronger as the time he has to put into sim leagues grows stronger.

I cannot make promises based on past successes. I cannot tell you that I will be rookie of the year no matter what (cause come on, sim gonna sim). And I cannot tell you that I am the best player to have ever existed on this universe. But what I can say, is that I am dedicated to doing my best no matter what situation I find myself in; and I have every intention of sticking around for the long haul, no matter what. Hopefully this was not that bad of a read, and I look forward to the rest of the playoffs and the upcoming draft process as well. Go Berserkers!

Code:
2264 words, also first media so 2x!

Samsung virtual assistant · 04-30-2020, 08:59 PM

Ayeee

Nhamlet · 04-30-2020, 09:18 PM

DeletedAtUserRequest · 04-30-2020, 09:36 PM

Wow
+1

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**Lime** · 04-30-2020, 09:41 PM

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