#4 Kyle Langford — not our worst in possibly our worst

Well, that and the caviar, foie gras and champagne you board members get treated to in the president’s corporate box.

Kidding!

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Wrong thread but I’m still unsure why Francis is “miles off”. He was regularly in the bests in the latter part of last year when settled in defence in the VFL. Watching him play, clearly the team was better with him and I can think of one game where he was the difference. It doesn’t scream miles off to me.
Also, there are these things called injuries…

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HOW DID YOU KNOW?! WHO TOLD YOU? I’ll have my staff rectify this… :joy:

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I thought I was reading about Langers but it’s about the red menace. Most people on this site think Langers is a Rolls Royce I think he is Pontiac ( spud )$

If he was fit enough i reckon he could easily take Hartley’s spot. Ambrose is the lockiest lock that ever locked- as you said Francis isn’t pushing him out.

Francis seems to excel in body contact with the ball coming in. Hartley doesn’t put any body on his opponent, so if the other guy gets a metre on him, Hartley is out of the contest.

I reckon Hartley’s spot is there for the taking if Francis can get his body and fitness right.

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I’m not convinced Francis is competing for Hartley spot. Hartley job is to shut down deep, leading forwards and Francis’s strength is intercepting.

Francis is more a Hurley and Gleeson player.

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Completely agree. I’d shudder at the thought of Francis on legitimate key forwards.

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They’re both best 22 as it stands, but they both also got dropped earlier in the year which suggests they’re not that lock. I think they’re gettable.
Realistically i think we only have about 12 or 15 actual locks, the rest are gettable.

I agree. Both fantastic for us, but Stewart is competing with alot of talent down forward with JD, Cale & Stringer who will demand the ball. Raz and Tippa go alright as well.

Hurley and Hartley both had some pretty ordinary moments this year.

Agree. I just don’t think Francis has the physical attributes to be a key defender. Ideally you’d have two of Hurley, Ambrose and Hartley taking the key forwards and Francis as the third tall

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He’s a second year, is it surprising?

Hartley was in the VFL on Collingwood’s rookie list at that age, Ambrose was playing park footy, Hooker was in the VFL, Stewart was miles off it, Daniher was super inconsistent.

Hurley types - key position talls ready to go out of the draft - are freaks.

Francis has the size, he’s got the body strength, he’s got explosiveness and agility. He reads it well overhead, has good skills, and he beats most talls once it hits the ground. He certainly isn’t fit enough, yet, but it sounds like he’s getting much closer. I don’t see why he can’t become a KP and a very good one at that.

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Temptation to rename the thread #420 The Langford is so strong.

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What about FFS The Langford?

Is that because he’s so laconic?

Match committee seem pretty convinced, that being the most important thing…

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Yeah Dangerfield divides the opinion of those who know about footy and those that have absolutely no idea!

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Yeah, I love the “turnover merchant” comments.

He’s absolutely elite at everything else but people always want to talk about his kicking.

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When I see the Langford explode out of a clearance and deliver the ball to a leading player then I will be happy. I would rather see this than 15 possessions around the ground.

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thats why i have my reservations of him as an inside mid, although i do like his clearance work (from what ive seen at training/ vfl) he doesnt have that explosiveness/ pace/ brute strength, and ill preface that with, yet.

He’s got a bid body and decent enough inside work, but im really struggling to see how he’s an improvement (in the midfield) than david myers… granted langford has more flexibility in that he can go forward and be a threat, but if hes being trained as a full time bona fide mid…