At every single bounce I would expect every mid to be focused on getting 1st hands on the ball. Now absolutely we would have some set piece plays we hope will come off where we win a clear tap to a particular side & player X runs onto it, dishes sideways to player Y who kicks it forward etc. This of course doesn’t happen all that often even when we are dominating the ruck so the idea that any mid would be instructed to sit back just doesn’t seem logical. The best mids read the play, anticipate where the ball is going & react quickest. The fact that Langford isn’t doing this is why I don’t think he will make it as a mid. If he’s not being encouraged, trained & instructed to attack the ball at the contest then I have no idea what his instruction are, is he claytons tagging?
He’s definitely a forward and possibly a half decent wing but let’s just hope we don’t d!ck around with this centre square stuff for too long if it’s not working out.
Unless he was still stricken by Gastro, then playing 42% game time suggests he is still on the fringes of selection.
Before we critique that he didn’t get his hands on it in the middle I legit saw leuenberger have an uncontested centre bounce hit out and he tapped it about 3m to nobody. I turned to my dad and said why the fark would you even bother having a ruck". Legit not a single essendon player was within 5m.
The guy hacked it up badly. So I can’t be factual on this but I wonder out of 7 bounces how many times he had a legit chance of winning the footy…
The difference between Langford the unsuccessful mid and Langford the promising forward might just be that he doesn’t have the confidence to go and be first to the ball as a mid.
If you wait until it is your turn, or you worry about getting in someone else’s way, you will never get the ball at a stoppage. A:t best you just might get the occasional handball receive.
If you hang back and don’t hit the contest, getting your body n front of your opponent’s, it is good night. That looks like Langford the mid, to me. He lacks the self confidence to just throw himself in there and to hell with the consequences.
Jackson Merrett has always had the same problem IMO.
Langford the forward, on the other hand, gets the ball kicked towards him and makes position to receive it. Also, marking is something that he is good at, and so he presents on the lead as a forward.
Competing for a contested ground ball in a crowd - not his forte, and so he hangs back.
It is not courage, more confidence.
Would be the type of player if we traded would excel elsewhere, needs to slot in as 2nd tier and not be the saviour as people think.
I really hope he can just play and be accountable for in his position but that seems to be the big question where he plays, he probably thinks the same.
Luey’s name got a bit fat line through it when Draper smashed one down hepp’s throat in his first centre bounce stint
Langers will end a backman in another side
What posistion did Langford play in his jnr days?
Ted Richards Mark 2?
One thing for sure, Langford is not a midfielder
Back
Really? well maybe that’s where the club should play him could be Baguleys replacement.
I agree with you that we should be using Draper as No2 henceforth.
No.
And yes.
There’s many different types and styles of midfielder, not everyone’s Priddis or Gaff.
FFS Nino.
How are Langford and Baguley similar in any way ?
If he played back as a jnr then maybe that’s where his best spot is.
Anyway, here are some links to all the centre bounces (sorry about your bandwidth) so everyone can form their own bad opinions.
I was looking at the ones where he’s the guy a few steps out from the centre circle. On review, I’d say it’s more that he spends too much time blocking his man, and thus end up making a move too late (compare to Heppell’s straight line at the ball in the first stoppage), so maybe it’s just a timing issue.
So now you’re saying what I was saying about 2 hours ago?
What a useless string of posts.
I can just see Langford running around chasing Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett, Cyril Rioli, Toby Green.
There’s set plays at every bounce in 3rd & 4th division park footy - I doubt AFL would be less structured!
Where you live and die is how well the players know and execute, part of that is making the decisions: who does what. And that depends on where the ball falls, and where the numbers are.
And as i said aaaages ago, I don’t think Langers has it right. Yet. Ends up with him looking like a spectator too often.