thats fine, but there are so many players who start out like jobe and end up delisted after a few seasons
Also true.
Which is to say - we were right to keep Jobe around even though he was a lazy fat slow bugger who’d shown almost nothing at AFL level, other than nice skills with his hands
Blitz and bigfooty did not agree.
Sometimes you back guys because they’re doing the right things
Sometimes because of what they could/should become
And big inside mids who can kick don’t come around often. Not even with pick 1. Add some real creativity resting forward, decent ability overhead, reasonable skills when he gets just a fraction of time - there’s a really tantalising prospect in there if/when he gets up to speed.
we put pick 6 and about 7 years for Myers to give us 2 solid years as a big tough inside mid.
Jobe took 4 years to become a guy who could win clearances and handball it, and another 2-3 to stop being a liability by foot.
Hocking another who took 3-4 years.
Even Heppell - arguably the best performed 18yo in the land - didn’t play midfield until his 2nd year.
Like most Ive always loved the idea of Langford. He’s a fraction behind where we’d want him to be, but he’s still showing some signs here and there.
I’m with @ivan , he will have a couple of big midfield games this year.
4 Likes
My point was that there is no current inside mid who has the lack of thirst that Langford does right now. Given there was a comment on how Langford plays in comparison to Kennedy now…
Jobe had a thirst for the contest in his first 3 to 4 years. Langford has a tendency to stay on the outskirts of a contest.
I would very much disagree with this.
1 Like
Its not the midfield running but more of the stuff Parish did within 5 minutes, just taking a hit and feeding out a handball. Simple glimpses of inside midfieldermanship.
Parish has shown a reticence to take the hit too at times.
It’s the everything, physically - being tackled and bumped, the running, knowing when you have to just dump the ball and when you have a moment.
The point was there are very very very few big midfielders who come ready to go. Parish isn’t really in that conversation.
And correctly so.
If Langford is “laconic” then Jobe was catatonic. should have been checked and the end of each quarter for signs of life.
4 Likes
Josh Kennedy’s stats are pretty uninspiring until his 5th year onwards. His 4th he was starting to fire up a bit but was still very inconsistent.
We need to be patient.
1 Like
Langford kicks a goal or two what a difference that makes. Did have an influence in the 2nd half. Has grown in the VFL, and will grow in the AFL. played LESS than 3/4 of a game on friday.
I might have some concerns over our seasoned midfielders who played more time and possibly less impact. Do agree needs to be harder earlier in the contest , but Langford does find space in good positions.
Yep. Don’t rate him.
He’ll continue to get games, which doesn’t bother me. But I don’t expect much from him tbh. Still lumbers around like he is coming off a bender.
2 Likes
He is a forward, Laverde is a mid.
Coaches seem to think otherwise.
1 Like
Kennedy in 2009 (same age as Langford) averaged 19.4 disposals per game. I don’t know if he had injuries early that year but he played the last 9 games & twice had 26 disposals. That’s a clear upward trending for a 20/21 year old mid & exactly what we’d love to be seeing some hint of.
Watson is probably your best hope if your looking for an example of a player who took longer to establish himself but I think its also fair to remember Watson was unfit & the club tried to turn him into a CHF in spite of not showing any ability in that position (the club are not always right). Langford doesn’t appear to have puppy fat or be unable to run out games so other than bulk which will only slow him down, I’m not sure its only physical development that’s needed. I’m way more concerned about slow hands, lateral movement & decision making than expecting him to have a seasoned body. I know he will get stronger, that’s a time thing, I just want to see signs he will get better as an inside mid. I’ve seen enough to convince me he can become a good half forward, that’s doesn’t mean I expect him to be as good as Lynch right now, but the signs are clear. I’ve not seen that in the midfield & I want more than anything to see us improve in the midfield.
I wouldn’t just use Kennedy and Watson as comparisons, have a look at the stats of most inside mids. Most of the following had only shown glimpses before establishing themselves at 22 or older when they consistently got 25 or more possessions. Priddis, Mundy, Sloane, Zeibell, Seb Ross. Inside mids that impact from day 1 like Selwood, Oliver, Lewis or Cripps are freaks and usually high picks.
I don’t think Langford will ever be that good, but he doesn’t need to be a brownlow medalist, id happily take a solid citizen career like Mundy.
Go watch the the first half of the last quarter. 3 times it is him making a quick hard lead across to the wing or up at the ball to create movement as the midfield linking option. One link up turned into the Fanta goal from the brilliant McKenna run. Another ended up with smack getting the in the back free.
On the outer wing he had an excellent clearance, followed the play, got another good releasing handball to Howlett, followed again, won his 3rd hard ball in the chain stepped a man and got smothered but Zaha crumbed, pumped it in and Colyer crumbed a goal.
6 touches, a clearance 3 marks 3 contested ball wins 3 goal scoring involvements including one with 3 involvements in one passage of play. This was 12 minutes of game clock. He is quicker than any of our big mids and able to create separation on the lead.
He may look emotionless out there but I’m not worried about his attack on the ball at all, he tries to keep his feet and is far from soft.
19 Likes
Coaches are dumb, don’t know why we have them.
1 Like
I think there are very very very few big midfielders who come ready to go because there are very very few big midfielders who ever turn out to be good on any time scale. There’d be what, maybe half a dozen in the league at the moment?
2 Likes
Exactly.
“Oh but if he did this or did that… Then he would have had a good game and no one would be complaining about his performance!!!”
Yeah. But the point is he didn’t do those things and he didn’t have a good game as a result.
Can’t stand that justification from a lot of people on here. It’s such a pointless thing to point out.
Ivan’s gone through and detailed things he actually did do?
I guess we are lucky they never get it wrong.