Fans feel so cheated they respond in the only way they know how: a tirade of abuse towards the departed and attempts to create a startlingly hostile environment, the next time the ex-player visits their old haunt.
One of my favourite examples of this was when NBA luminary LeBron James decided to turn his back on his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to join the glitz and glamour of the Miami Heat. The backlash was insane.
Cav fans made t-shirts to insult their former hero, and accused the six-foot eight-inch scoring machine of leaving for more money and turning his back on his origins.
Some supporters even created anti-LBJ websites, including one amusing page called ihatelebronjames.com, with a recent post bagging his choice of Nike runners, among other unsavoury comments.
I have some advice for fans that decide to go down this path with champions: don’t poke the bear.
In his first game against the Cavs, James put his former side to the sword, finishing with 38 points in Miami’s easy win.
Stars love to stick it to fans that question their ability or loyalty, which is why I think Brendon Goddard will have a huge first match against his former club St Kilda this Saturday at Etihad Stadium, where the reception from Saints fans will be frosty at best.
Goddard is already a very good AFL Fantasy scorer, but he’ll be keen to play one of his better games on Saturday.
He’s certainly not a guy who likes to hide his emotions, yet I bet he’ll try and keep them in check when facing off against former teammates.
He's already in good form this year, scoring 121 and 103 points in the last fortnight and looks odds-on to make it a hat-trick of 100-plus scores.
The other notable star to face his old side this week is Carlton’s Chris Judd, who will take on the Eagles in one of the games of the round.
Judd bucks the trends of AFL Fantasy high scores from players coming up against an ex-club, notching just 76 and 61 in his last two attempts against West Coast.
In six matches against the club he once captained to a premiership, Judd has averaged 88, which is below his yearly fantasy average over the past five seasons.
Perhaps the lack of animosity from Eagles fans has meant that Judd hasn’t been as hell-bent on crushing his former colleagues.
Mr Fantasy’s Trade Recommendations
Ins: Sam Mayes (Brisbane), Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast)
Mayes was in my original side at the start of the season before being one I had to drop due to salary cap issues. As the dust settled, Mayes has been brought back in after a super 95 on debut last week. O’Meara has a break even score of -52 this week so I’d jump on board if you haven’t already.
Outs: Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), Kane Mitchell (Port Adelaide)
Bombers defender Jake Carlisle did a super job on Pavlich last week, but the champ was clearly hampered, and will miss about six weeks with an Achilles injury. He is still worth some coin so you can get a quality replacement. Mitchell seems to get the green vest so I would look for a youngster to pick.
