AFL Player # 4: Kyle Langford - AA squad, Leading Goalkicker, McKracken Medal, 2nd in Crichton 🥈

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent 2026
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 8, boncer34

 

[Call Me Cake]

I can see him playing a Bayley Fritsch

31

Bayley Fritsch

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

10.4

4star

HB

5.2

4star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.0

4star

G

0.9

4star

D

9.5

2star

K

7.7

3star

HB

1.8

1star

M

5.0

5star

T

1.0

2star

G

1.3

5star

D

11.8

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.4

4star

G

1.4

5star

type role for us if coached well, with his ceiling being higher.

 

[owen87]

I can see him playing a Bayley Fritsch type role for us if coached well, with his ceiling being higher.

Don't think he's got the speed Fritsch does to get as many marks.

Fritsch is more like a Gary Rohan type, who's not s**t.

 

[eth-dog]

He can be our Kyle Langford

4

Kyle Langford

Age

27

Ht

192cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.7

4star

K

8.3

3star

HB

7.3

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.3

5star

G

0.7

4star

D

17.4

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

3star

G

0.7

4star

D

8.2

2star

K

3.2

2star

HB

5.0

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

2.6

4star

G

0.6

3star

on a wing. Just putting it out there.

 

[owen87]

He can be our Kyle Langford on a wing. Just putting it out there.

Would he be a similar-ish kind of player to the Adelaide Tom Lynch?

That HFF / Wing link type player?

 

[eth-dog]

Would he be a similar-ish kind of player to the Adelaide Tom Lynch?

That HFF / Wing link type player?

More Andrew Embley for me

 

[Vindicater]

I can see him playing a Bayley Fritsch type role for us if coached well, with his ceiling being higher.

Bayley Fritch is bloody fast.

Lqngford is nothing kike him.

 

[owen87]

More Andrew Embley for me

I prefer to use comparisons that aren't players that retired a decade ago.

 

[Old Campaigner]

I prefer to use comparisons that aren't players that retired a decade ago.

He’s more in the Dermott Brereton mold I think.

 

[eth-dog]

I prefer to use comparisons that aren't players that retired a decade ago.

I prefer comparisons that are more relevant to playing style.

 

[owen87]

I prefer comparisons that are more relevant to playing style.

Comparisons should be helpful and relevant.

Describing a ruckman as playing like Polly Farmer might be the most accurate comparison, but not the most helpful or relevant.

Embley is very much not a player that a lot of people could immediately go "oh yep, I know how that guy played".

Even Essendon players from a decade ago would be pushing it, how many people could immediately identify how Hille, Lovett-Murray, McVeigh or Andrew Welsh played who also all retired around a decade ago, in a team that posters on this forum actually watched all the time?

 

[yodellinhank]

I can see him playing a Bayley Fritsch type role for us if coached well, with his ceiling being higher.

Higher than 6 goals in a winning grand final?

 

[andleanback]

I can see him playing a Bayley Fritsch type role for us if coached well, with his ceiling being higher.

I don’t see how he’s got a higher ceiling than fritsch who is 3 years younger and just kicked 6 in a grand final.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

I don’t see how he’s got a higher ceiling than fritsch who is 3 years younger and just kicked 6 in a grand final.

Fritta and Langers were born in December 1996.

 

[andleanback]

Fritta and Langers were born in December 1996.

Thats surprising, only knew he got drafted in 2017 and langford was 2014.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Thats surprising, only knew he got drafted in 2017 and langford was 2014.

Fritta was also talked about in the draft issue of Inside Football in 2015 as an overager.

This was between his time at Coldstream and Casey/Springvale.

Langers had already made his league debut by then.

 

[Ambrosia]

More Andrew Embley for me

Stronger 1 on 1 than Embley and less willing take the game on with run and carry.

 

[eth-dog]

Comparisons should be helpful and relevant.

Describing a ruckman as playing like Polly Farmer might be the most accurate comparison, but not the most helpful or relevant.

Embley is very much not a player that a lot of people could immediately go "oh yep, I know how that guy played".

Even Essendon players from a decade ago would be pushing it, how many people could immediately identify how Hille, Lovett-Murray, McVeigh or Andrew Welsh played who also all retired around a decade ago, in a team that posters on this forum actually watched all the time?

I don't see a player more recent than Embley that fits the description.

 

[Vindicater]

Forward please.

 

[Ambrosia]

Hoping he can continue his improvement. People are sleeping on how good he is becoming. Very hard to beat 1 on 1, excellent user of the ball by foot, is willing to play sacrificial roles for the team and is capable of playing inside and out.

 

[brain taylor]

Hoping he can continue his improvement. People are sleeping on how good he is becoming. Very hard to beat 1 on 1, excellent user of the ball by foot, is willing to play sacrificial roles for the team and is capable of playing inside and out.

i think it's helped a lot that they've stopped trying to turn him into jobe and have started playing to his strengths more.
he's still a little suspect in heavy traffic and sometimes a bit slow to make decisions but get him on the outside/forward of centre and the guy can do some serious damage.

 

[Ambrosia]

i think it's helped a lot that they've stopped trying to turn him into jobe and have started playing to his strengths more.
he's still a little suspect in heavy traffic and sometimes a bit slow to make decisions but get him on the outside/forward of centre and the guy can do some serious damage.

Don’t think he’s too bad in traffic just he doesn’t hit ground balls hard enough to be a go to mid like Jobe. He’s contested work is actually very good as seen when he tags gun inside players he more often then not limits their effectiveness around the ball.

 

[blitzer]

Langford is a quality versatile player that is capable in quite a few areas but I love him up forward. He just leads to smart spots, takes marks he should take and kicks straight from set shots. I don't see a reason he couldn't be our Bailey Fritsch.

In 2021 we had no choice but to gradually shift him into the midfield more and more as we had a disproportionate number of injuries to our midfield brigade but it will be interesting to see how we use him next year.

 

[The Donners]

Langford is a quality versatile player that is capable in quite a few areas but I love him up forward. He just leads to smart spots, takes marks he should take and kicks straight from set shots. I don't see a reason he couldn't be our Bailey Fritsch.

In 2021 we had no choice but to gradually shift him into the midfield more and more as we had a disproportionate number of injuries to our midfield brigade but it will be interesting to see how we use him next year.

Bayley Fritsch is speedy and dynamic. Langford is neither. Langford definitely own his spot in the side but he’s no Fritsch. In fact, I thought pre-hamstring Langford was in career best form. I’d never been a fan and warmed to him.

 

[blitzer]

Bayley Fritsch is speedy and dynamic. Langford is neither. Langford definitely own his spot in the side but he’s no Fritsch. In fact, I thought pre-hamstring Langford was in career best form. I’d never been a fan and warmed to him.

Fair enough style wise he's not like Fritsch. Fritsch was just the first medium sized forward that came to mind.
My point was more that Langford can play as a medium sized marking forward with his own strengths and perform the role really well. He's been good the last 2 years pretty consistently and that's been reflected in some good showings in the B&F. That's whilst being thrown all over the ground in that time too.

Its a genuine shame he had the hamstring injuries at the end of this season. Even in the game he did his last hamstring he was killing it up until that point in time.

 

[ant555]

Although he is not a physical machine for a bloke his size the fact is we missed him in the final as he is not easily pushed around in a contest despite physical not being his one wood.