Langford

[TyHawk]

Not really a fan of Langford. Keeps butchering it and should make way for Hodge in a couple of weeks time.
Gunston out on the lead in the third and Langford gets outside ball to spot gunno from 30 meters so what does he do!?? Grubbs the kick along the ground and gunno didn't even bother turn and chase the steaming pile of a shit kick!!
Call him the 'Washing Machine', turns it over ad nausem.

 

[A Cut Above]

lets face it he's hard at it and tries hard but his kicking and handball skills are suburban standard at best,I'm over his turnovers and clusterfarks every week.

Who do we have to replace him who's as good at winning the football and a better kick?

 

[Mitchell54]

Cut the kid some slack. Similar reason to why keyboard critics complain Dangerfield was a sh*t kick ... cos he's spent from constant bullocking and tackling. If you want to talk about poor kicking perhaps lay into Jamar instead..

or Kelly. 2 turnovers in the space of 10 seconds. First kicks it out on the full then poppy misses it. immediately kicks it to Stewart

 

[Delisted]

So Hill doesn't go in hard enough. Drop him.
Langford goes in hard. Drop him. Gotta love bigfooty.

 

[flinchfree]

So Hill doesn't go in hard enough. Drop him.
Langford goes in hard. Drop him. Gotta love bigfooty.

Don't think you're reading posters assessments.
Going in hard. Everyone thinks so.
Butchers the ball. You and a few others don't seem to care as long as he takes care of point No.1.

At least be fair with your casual and loose assessment of our assessments.

 

[Flukey!]

I recall him streaming out of the centre square, receiving a handball from Hodge and goaling from 50.......

I can't imagine that happening again.

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

When he was running through the centre square no pressure on him whatsoever gunston on a lead with a gap on his opponent he steadied and missed him by 10m is the massive weakness in his game. Thats a really basical skill execution at any level of football. It must be a kicking technique thing and maybe it's too late to change.

We already have Shiels who is a below average kick and used to have Sewell in the past but once Shiels improved Sewell made way. You cant afford more than one potential turnover merchant in the same midfield. Scores from turnover are a massive part of the modern game and especially against good sides like north next week.

Its a tough one because we need langfords contested game but his negative disposal cancels out any positives in ball winning ability. Wonder how far off lovell is, seems to be performing well at box hill and his kicking has to be better.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

lets face it he's hard at it and tries hard but his kicking and handball skills are suburban standard at best,I'm over his turnovers and clusterfarks every week.

Couldn't agree more. Love the way he goes about it but quite simply his skills are not AFL standard let alone Hawthorn standard

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

Cut the kid some slack. Similar reason to why keyboard critics complain Dangerfield was a sh*t kick ... cos he's spent from constant bullocking and tackling. If you want to talk about poor kicking perhaps lay into Jamar instead..

Dangerfield and Fyfe have always been below average kicks but because they are such gun players and everything else in their game is elite people don't focus on it.

They have what I would call high risk kicking techniques where the margin for error is very small and results in regular shanks.

 

[Cleavy]

 

[gianytee]

Shiels is in no way a below average kick, i will say he isnt great at kicking for goal but generally as a field kick he is good. Langfords issue is in some ways a strength his is great at bursting through the square he is exactly the same as Dangerfield they burst through the square 100 miles an hour and shank the kick, if he could play similar to sewell and be a grunt player only who can tag it would seem better.

Someone recently said he is player than really needs like 5 games in a row to find his kicking touch and if thats the case he needs to get a move on. Duryea, Mitchell, Hodge, Schoenmakers all set to come back. Sicily is now player as a defender meaning one of Sicily/Brand/Spangher/ Litherland will play. The others will come in at the expense of most likely Stewart/Hartung/Howe/Langford i think those 4 are competing for 1 spot right now id say Langford is the most essential yet the easiest to drop as his skills are the worst yet he is the one we are most in need of from those 4. In saying that i feel so bad for Clarko if he has to drop Howe, Hartung or Stewart all 3 are playing so well and improving rapdily yet someone needs to make way.

 

[Delisted]

Don't think you're reading posters assessments.
Going in hard. Everyone thinks so.
Butchers the ball. You and a few others don't seem to care as long as he takes care of point No.1.

At least be fair with your casual and loose assessment of our assessments.

No I do get it. It just seems posters either flay from one extreme to another. So he has butchered the ball for a few weeks? Where were these calls 2014/15???? Give him a go....

 

[savagebradley]

I noticed that Langers was making space a lot last night, and was often in the forward line.
It seemed that he wasn't used exclusively in the middle.

Just allowing him a bit more freedom?

 

[Arc1]

Seems to me "Langford's kicking sucks" goes in the same box as "Suckling isn't a great inside mid".

 

[DEECEE]

Disposal can be worked on and improved, confidence plays a big part. His attack on the ball CAN NOT be taught.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

 

[flinchfree]

Seems to me "Langford's kicking sucks" goes in the same box as "Suckling isn't a great inside mid".

I assume you mean it's rhetorical? Fortunately for Suckers, he didn't have to be an inside mid but could use his skill set elsewhere.

Where can Langford play where his inability to kick the footy will be less palpably appalling?

Disposal can be worked on and improved, confidence plays a big part. His attack on the ball CAN NOT be taught.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

He's 24 in a month's time. He's been in a very professional environment at the HFC for how long....?
Where we work and drill and stress the utmost importance of kicking skills...
And why exactly will he get better now after so very bloody long practicing the damn art of foot to ball?
The will to attack the football can be found in many players. I'd like one who can also kick it and handball it, perhaps be a decent mark for their size too....

Edited to add:
From the Hawks official website, Langers Bio.

"The star of the 2014 finals series couldn’t quite back it up in 2015 and, as a result, looked on as Hawthorn claimed the three-peat. He played 13 games last year, but injuries and inconsistent form robbed him of any continuity in the side. The Hawks love his aggression, pace and tackling ability and his 2015 average of 11.7 contested possessions was No. 1 at the club, but a goal for this season would be to improve his 61.4 per cent disposal efficiency, the lowest of any Hawk. Will be at the club until the end of 2019 after signing a four-year contract extension."

 

[Boo71]

If his surname wasn't Langford would he be cut the same slack? I don't think we can carry Shiels and Langford in the same team long term.

Agree, Shiels disposal is not much better, but he is above reproach on here.

Perception is an interesting beast.. I'd hate to think where our future trajectory would lie if not for the combined gut run / relentless pressure / tackling prowess / hardcore energy that Sheila & Langers provide. Clangers can be killers too, but who else is providing the level of grunt required to be fearsome long term?

Get the engine into Stewart and you have a replacement right there.

I know which one I'd keep if that's the case and he doesn't have the famous surname.

Even if the one without the famous surname can land us a big fish as we have nobody else of trade value who can be replaced

Shiels has been a turnover merchant all year, today was his best game by far against Abers..

Enough said.

 

[Hawkboy62]

lets face it he's hard at it and tries hard but his kicking and handball skills are suburban standard at best,I'm over his turnovers and clusterfarks every week.

Yes, on last nights performance would take Jelwood, Ablett , Ward or Hanneberry over him any day! But seriously who do we have to do the grunt work? We need his big, hard body and endeavor for the middle. He plays his part.

 

[threesixpio]

I'm not giving up on him but yeah -clearly needs to improve disposal. Part of the conversation is how our mids will go without Sammy. Last night was great for that purpose albeit against a useless side.

I miss his clutch goal moments. He had that as a second string - goal sense. Shiels and Sammy are pretty crap in front of goal and Langers in 14 was ahead of them in that part of the ground.

The "confidence player" element might be relevant here.

The thing is that our development coaches are amazing. I don't mind threads that suggest how a player can improve but I find that some posters are too trigger happy with the "he's never going to make it" posts

 

[Hong Kong Hawk]

Reading some of the opinions in here, it seems he should be flogged mercilessly until the skills of Darren Jarman leap from his flailed body.

His job is to get it in and under and extract it - he's the one guy doing this at present, Brad Sewell style. I'd rather see people assessing the disposal of the outside runners who benefit from Langford's extractions.

 

[eldorado]

I recall him streaming out of the centre square, receiving a handball from Hodge and goaling from 50.......

I can't imagine that happening again.

TBH, even that kick was a mongrel...

 

[Arc1]

I assume you mean it's rhetorical? Fortunately for Suckers, he didn't have to be an inside mid but could use his skill set elsewhere.

Where can Langford play where his inability to kick the footy will be less palpably appalling?



He's 24 in a month's time. He's been in a very professional environment at the HFC for how long....?
Where we work and drill and stress the utmost importance of kicking skills...
And why exactly will he get better now after so very bloody long practicing the damn art of foot to ball?
The will to attack the football can be found in many players. I'd like one who can also kick it and handball it, perhaps be a decent mark for their size too....

Edited to add:
From the Hawks official website, Langers Bio.

"The star of the 2014 finals series couldn’t quite back it up in 2015 and, as a result, looked on as Hawthorn claimed the three-peat. He played 13 games last year, but injuries and inconsistent form robbed him of any continuity in the side. The Hawks love his aggression, pace and tackling ability and his 2015 average of 11.7 contested possessions was No. 1 at the club, but a goal for this season would be to improve his 61.4 per cent disposal efficiency, the lowest of any Hawk. Will be at the club until the end of 2019 after signing a four-year contract extension."

What I meant was that Langford shouldn't be playing anywhere at all except at the bottom of every pack, just like Suckling was only ever good as a precision kicker who we could afford to carry.

That bold bit you've cited is exactly what I'd expect. Of course if he can improve his disposal it would be great too.

I'm surprised his % efficiency would be worse than eg. Shiels. I get very frustrated with Shiels at times but then always remember to look at his obscene tackle rate - which is doubly amazing, given he's also covering a lot of ground in the process. Yes it would be great if Shiels would kick straight when he gets a shot on goal, but we've got others for that role.

Overall I'm not trying to defend Langford's shanks and dud handballs any more than I was happy with Buddy routinely kicking scores like 4.5 with a couple OOF. But I think our single biggest problem this year is getting whacked in the contested ball, and I think an in-form Langford is our best option there to help Mitchell.

I'm a Langford fan though so maybe a bit biased. I just really like players who go hard.

 

[Brant]

If his surname wasn't Langford would he be cut the same slack? I don't think we can carry Shiels and Langford in the same team long term.

18 months into a 4-yr deal isn't Langers?

It'd be a very defensive move - almost conceding a position - but I reckon Langers would be reasonable in locking down on Heath Shaw or maybe a Suckling-type, maybe even Hurn from WCE. Not sure that is required though, with Cyril & Popeye already there.

 

[MercurialHawk26]

A player with the potential to turn into a midfield bull...plenty of go, not terrible pace, his main knock is his disposal...

I wonder if adelaide had these discussions about dangerfield years ago...he is heralded as one of the best players in the league yet his disposal is seriously dubious at times...

Im not saying he will turn into a dangerfield, but not all players will have the distribution skills of mitchell, that is why mitchell is a superstar...

I doubt anyone thinks langford is an elite player. Nor is he paid the dollars an elite playet is paid. He is a grunt player. Like sewell before him...
He will never carry our midfield on his own but each team needs a player like him

 

[Brant]

A player with the potential to turn into a midfield bull...plenty of go, not terrible pace, his main knock is his disposal...

I wonder if adelaide had these discussions about dangerfield years ago...he is heralded as one of the best players in the league yet his disposal is seriously dubious at times...

Im not saying he will turn into a dangerfield, but not all players will have the distribution skills of mitchell, that is why mitchell is a superstar...

I doubt anyone thinks langford is an elite player. Nor is he paid the dollars an elite playet is paid. He is a grunt player. Like sewell before him...
He will never carry our midfield on his own but each team needs a player like him

Would be pretty handy if he could get another 10m-15m penetration on his kicks then.

Danger has disposal issues at times but when he needs to he can kick it well over 50m. Langers' disposal issues may be less obvious if he could burst & get the ball deep inside F50m - right now he has the burst but kicks high or short.