Will Langford

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Slow Love

I'm a lover, not a fighter
Jul 8, 2018
362
546
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Surely this is one of the great mysteries of our times. He had the world in front of him in 2013/2014 but he faded faster than that embarrassing pic of my girlfriend on Guns'n'Roses tour last year when Axl Rose looked like Benny Hill

I did capture him shopping at H&M close to his peak. Was it this moment that did him in?
 

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Apr 17, 2006
27,237
16,555
???
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Miami Dolphins(NFL)
His heart wasn't in footy, remember meeting him at a pub one time and he said he only took it up because he didn't have a real plan, so it was something to do whilst he decided. It was surprisingly refreshing to see a footballer talk so candidly (albeit whilst a bit intoxocated)

His brother was similar.

It's annoying to have people so talented that don't put in the effort, because it's so many people's dream
 
I don’t know him personally at all but have met him a few times out and about, and I will say this. I never got the sense that he was that passionate about footy. Even following him on Instagram now, he has literally never posted anything these past few years about footy, and his interests seem far more aligned with mainly the arts and travel. That’s my take. He also has never seemed that close with the main group.

I think once he came of age in his mid 20s he maybe lost the passion to really push himself that extra x% that he probably needed to.
 
His heart wasn't in footy, remember meeting him at a pub one time and he said he only took it up because he didn't have a real plan, so it was something to do whilst he decided. It was surprisingly refreshing to see a footballer talk so candidly (albeit whilst a bit intoxocated)

His brother was similar.

It's annoying to have people so talented that don't put in the effort, because it's so many people's dream
Ha you beat me to it. Also had identical conversations with him in a pub.
 

Slow Love

I'm a lover, not a fighter
Jul 8, 2018
362
546
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
I don’t know him personally at all but have met him a few times out and about, and I will say this. I never got the sense that he was that passionate about footy. Even following him on Instagram now, he has literally never posted anything these past few years about footy, and his interests seem far more aligned with mainly the arts and travel. That’s my take. He also has never seemed that close with the main group.

I think once he came of age in his mid 20s he maybe lost the passion to really push himself that extra x% that he probably needed to.
It's interesting because I felt that with the passing of time, his effort was up there but his skills fell away and eventually it was his butchery of the ball that destroyed him, after working so hard to get it

It's hard to follow up in the footsteps of a father so famous and high-achieving, I can empathise
 
Sep 13, 2020
6,167
16,645
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Classic case of an athlete hitting their peak and having a purple patch of red hot form , that realistically was never going to be repeated .

Even in the GF , one goal was an absolute mung floater that could have gone anywhere on another day and one was a fluke ( loved it though ).

Always had a crack, seems a really good intelligent guy.
Lacked skill to be a constant AFL player long term .
 

kazzooka

Premiership Player
May 20, 2010
3,043
6,085
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Can't remember which year it was maybe 2017 he was playing forward a lot but kept missing repeatedly. Had he been able to kick for goal (wasn't a real problem in 2014) that year he would have kicked around 30 goals for the year.

Instead he was a liability.

Kicking and getting not getting it enough held him back. We was capable though.
 

William Wonka

Jesus died for somebodies sins but not mine
May 28, 2016
17,523
26,982
AFL Club
Hawthorn
why?
His limitations became obvious to the coaches and they became a liability to the game plan.

He won a premiership and played some excellent football that season.
Sometimes you've got to be grateful for what you've achieved and move on.
His limitations were outweighed by his advantages.
Would walk into our current side
Can't remember which year it was maybe 2017 he was playing forward a lot but kept missing repeatedly. Had he been able to kick for goal (wasn't a real problem in 2014) that year he would have kicked around 30 goals for the year.

Instead he was a liability.

Kicking and getting not getting it enough held him back. We was capable though.
This ended up being his downfall.
Kicked 7 goals 15 with about another 15 out on the full.

It wasn't even his kicking that was to blame, his confidence for set shots became non existent.
 
Aug 11, 2013
2,008
2,507
Brisbane QLD
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Arsenal, Barcelona
Surely this is one of the great mysteries of our times. He had the world in front of him in 2013/2014 but he faded faster than that embarrassing pic of my girlfriend on Guns'n'Roses tour last year when Axl Rose looked like Benny Hill

I did capture him shopping at H&M close to his peak. Was it this moment that did him in?

Don't quite understand what you are inferring to with this 'moment' that you captured that you feel led to his disinterest in AFL after 2014. Care to explain?
 

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Roddy

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 10, 2006
11,380
14,092
M-Town
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Aussie Cricket team.
I feel like we’re almost destined to come up short or be jibbed with father-sons...Langford, Scott, Tuck, Kennedy. Who knows if Finn’s going to make it?
 
Paul Hudson (264 goals in 134 games as an auxiliary forward, including 62 in a premiership year) wasn't a complete fail. That was 25-30 years ago.
 

Flamin Joe

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 22, 2007
6,092
7,650
Brisbane
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Glenelg, Norwood
Yep, so very sad that we have to look back 4 decades to find a father-son success story...

Exactly and to rub salt into the wound his son could of potentially been a 3 time Premiership player had we not traded him to the Swans.

Considering the calibre of players we've had during the 80's-90's it's depressing we haven't seen that come through in potential father sons. Personally would of loved to have seen another Platten but for all the promise Jake showed as a teen he never pursued an AFL career and has settled for just playing district footy.
 

William Wonka

Jesus died for somebodies sins but not mine
May 28, 2016
17,523
26,982
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Exactly and to rub salt into the wound his son could of potentially been a 3 time Premiership player had we not traded him to the Swans.

Considering the calibre of players we've had during the 80's-90's it's depressing we haven't seen that come through in potential father sons. Personally would of loved to have seen another Platten but for all the promise Jake showed as a teen he never pursued an AFL career and has settled for just playing district footy.
* 4 time Premiership player
 
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