36 minutes ago, speed demon said:

There's a lot of assumption Langford will move into the midfield but should he?

Playing him on the wing this season was an excellent move; allowed him to use his strengths (decision making & ball use) and mitigate his weaknesses (speed, left-sidedness).

To me, his marking game was inconsistent but showed potential. Will almost certainly improve.

A wingman with composure and class who can take contested marks and kick goals is highly valuable.

I'm more interested in seeing someone developed in the midfield like Windsor - who attacks the ball at pace - especially if he can re-find his kicking skills we saw in 2024.

Agree. Maybe not what we expected but at this stage I see Windsor as having the potential to be that inside to outside mid and should get exposure in the centre square especially when Kozzie starts forward. Windsor showed he has pretty good awareness in tight and has the pace to get out of trouble. Wing seems to suit Langford’s strengths for the moment where he can use his aerial strength and goal sense drifting forward.

46 minutes ago, Gator said:

You've almost nailed my concerns.

Viney is a hack with his skills, but even he occasionally kicks on his right. And many, including Bontempelli are proficient. I've never seen Langford even attempt to use it.

He needs to improve his gound balls.

You got the contested marking right.

Plus, he's not as hard at the footy as I expected. Lindsay is far harder at the ball than Langford.

Cue the nuffies on here.

Yep, fair calls.

On being hard at it, i hadn't really noticed that but i see your point. Perhaps more time as pure mid might help, though if it's not instinctive he'll never be a bull like Viney.

Agree on Lindsay - i watched a few hours of junior vision after we drafted him and his intensity and preparedness to go hard is 100% instinctive. Fearless. And played a bit as a pure in and under mid it seems (which would be ironic if he becomes an inside mid and Langford outside runner)

Linsday barely had a preseason - once he has a couple more preseasons under his belt he will be one tough bugger.

Edited August 27Aug 27 by binman

The hardness thing with Bison is in the air and going back with the flight of it. I presume that's what @Gator is talking about.

While the hardness of Lindsay being described is in his tackling ability. I was surprised with the excellence of his tackling and his ability as a first year player off half a pre season to lockdown on mature bodies in tackles.

That's how I saw them this year.

16 minutes ago, KozzyCan said:

His 20m sprints from his draft combine were about the same as Cripps and Bont back in the day. It's a non-issue afaic.

I can understand the suggestion he doesn't have world shattering burst speed. Hell.. delist him !!

He is generally quick enough. More importantly he has footy brains, footy skills and who'd da thunk plays really good footy.

He carries himself as far more accomplished and confident than his mere years ought to allow.

As he gets better ( now let that sink in.... he will still evolve) and he becomes wisercand more experienced his craft really knows no limit.

Every now and again kids come along and make you sit up and get you watching the game with elan.

Here is such a lad.

Yep, he'll stuff up from time to time but the upside is massive.

He just looks purposeful and capable.

Can we find a few more pls.

21 hours ago, RedLegs23 said:

Lego Langford rated the 25’ champion data rising star winner via SEN ahead of Reid & Curtin.

Rated #65 in the comp. Best rating by a first year player.

Love Champion Data when they say Langford should be the rising star, but reckon they're full of [censored] when they say Xerri should be the AA ruckman.

6 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Bizarre from @Gator , but each to their own.

Langford will be an A grader very quickly IMV.

Sure, he picks and chooses when to go sometimes, like most players these days, as to the question marks around his marking, the last month or so we started to see his aerial work.

No player at 18 or 19 should be the finished product.

He is already an A grader. He is ranked 63rd in the league of 800 players. That’s top 10%

I thought the ball get in the last quarter where the “miss” kick landed between 3 pies. He calmly walked through weaved kicked the ball forward No pressure from the pies. So calm. So much time !

Will be very. Very. Very good !

‘I have critiques of a teenager that has been amazing in a down year, but I will protect myself by calling anyone pushing back on me - nuffies. Ok now I feel better’

23 hours ago, beelzebub said:

I can understand the suggestion he doesn't have world shattering burst speed. Hell.. delist him !!

He is generally quick enough. More importantly he has footy brains, footy skills and who'd da thunk plays really good footy.

He carries himself as far more accomplished and confident than his mere years ought to allow.

As he gets better ( now let that sink in.... he will still evolve) and he becomes wisercand more experienced his craft really knows no limit.

Every now and again kids come along and make you sit up and get you watching the game with elan.

Here is such a lad.

Yep, he'll stuff up from time to time but the upside is massive.

He just looks purposeful and capable.

Can we find a few more pls.

Agree Beelzebub Harvey has a high top speed and stamina for repeat sprints. He has shown us all a lot in his first year and really looking forward to next season, not just for him but all our youngsters.

On 27/08/2025 at 09:12, KozzyCan said:

Pace is overrated. You get speed through fast ball movement which comes from running patterns and ball use.

Too many athletes

Too few footballers

They just said on On The Couch that Harvey recorded the highest rating ever for a new player, higher than Nick Daicos.

That is some year.

Jonathon Brown, who sat behind me on a flight today and who is a really friendly guy, looked at Bucks and said whoever coaches the Dees next year is getting a great young player to Coach.

Any chance you were able to convince Brown to line up at CHF for us @Redleg ?

On 27/08/2025 at 09:35, Gator said:

He needs to improve his gound balls.

On 27/08/2025 at 10:47, 0livers Army said:

At times some of his ground ball gets are Oliver-esque. He’s not fumbly and that more than compensates for any slight lack of pace.

He 2 touches too much, he's certainly no where near Oliver-esque (prime Oliver)...

8 hours ago, Demon Disciple said:

Any chance you were able to convince Brown to line up at CHF for us @Redleg ?

He looks like he could still play.

Very slim and fit looking.

Couldn’t believe how friendly he was. Happy to talk footy and engage. It was actually me who stopped the conversation, as I didn’t want to intrude.

Said he wasn’t sure if Bucks would coach us, but said it while grinning. Said he would ask him on the show.

15 hours ago, Demon Disciple said:

Any chance you were able to convince Brown to line up at CHF for us @Redleg ?

Is that you Paul McNamara?? Still trying to get him in

Another positive sign was he only started warming up late in the season, alot of 18yo show signs of fatigue late in the year, the good ones get better

28 minutes ago, zoe1617 said:

Another positive sign was he only started warming up late in the season, alot of 18yo show signs of fatigue late in the year, the good ones get better

love hearing that

2 hours ago, zoe1617 said:

Another positive sign was he only started warming up late in the season, alot of 18yo show signs of fatigue late in the year, the good ones get better

Partly due to his age.

Langford played the entire year as a 19 year old. For example, Bontempelli played his entire first year as an 18 year old.

51 minutes ago, Gator said:

Partly due to his age.

Langford played the entire year as a 19 year old. For example, Bontempelli played his entire first year as an 18 year old.

That’s a really shallow read on Langford. To chalk up his strong finish to “being 19, not 18” dismisses both his development and the reality of the modern AFL.

First, age doesn’t determine performance. We’ve seen 18-year-olds excel from day one — Sam Walsh averaged 25 disposals in his debut season, Nick Daicos was All-Australian by his second, and Harry Sheezel won a best and fairest in year one. On the flip side, plenty of 19- and even 20-year-olds take years to find their feet. The difference is opportunity, role, and adaptabilit. Langford earned his impact by adjusting to the speed and physicality across the season.

Second, comparing him to Marcus Bontempelli’s debut is misleading. Bont wasn’t a “normal” 18-year-old — he averaged 16 disposals and a goal a game in 2014, and by 2016 (at 20) he was already All-Australian. He’s a generational outlier, not the benchmark. And let’s not forget: when Bont was a first-year player, the game was slower and less physically taxing. In 2014, average game speed was significantly lower, rotations per team were 131 on average, and congestion hadn’t peaked. Now? Interchange caps have dropped to 75, ball-in-play time has increased, and GPS data shows players covering more ground at higher intensity than ever before. Simply put, it’s a much tougher environment for first- and second-year players to “run out” a season.

So to say Langford finished strongly “because he was 19” ignores the bigger picture: he adapted, built resilience, and performed in a competition that’s never been more physically and mentally demanding. That’s not a calendar advantage — that’s development and talent.

THE BONT

1. Drafted: Pick 4, 2013 draft.

2. Debut season (2014, aged 18):

   • Played 16 games.

   • Averaged 15.7 disposals, 3.7 marks, 3.1 tackles, and 1.0 goals per game.

   • Won the AFL Rising Star nomination in Round 13 and finished runner-up overall.

3. Second season (2015, aged 19–20):

   • Played 20 games.

   • Averaged 21 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, and 0.7 goals.

4. Third season (2016, aged 20–21):

   • Played 22 games.

   • Averaged 23.7 disposals, 6.5 tackles.

   • Named All-Australian at just 20 years old.

Edited Tuesday at 08:212 days by Engorged Onion

I said ''partly''. Nothing narrow about it. Fact.

24 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

intensity

15 minutes ago, Gator said:

I said ''partly''. Nothing narrow about it. Fact.

You just got destroyed

34 minutes ago, Gator said:

I said ''partly''. Nothing narrow about it. Fact.

I admire your certainty — you drop “partly” like it’s etched in stone. But calling it “Fact” doesn’t make the conclusion factual. Sure, it’s true Langford was 19. What’s not a fact is that this caused his strong finish. If birthdays worked like that, every player would level up like a video game — hit 19 and instantly unlock +10 stamina.

The reality is the modern AFL is faster, more congested, and played with fewer rotations than when Bont debuted. Langford’s growth was about adapting to that, not just a calendar tick-over.

In my opinion, an alternative viewpoint is being simplistic and dismissive.

Go Dees.

Edited Tuesday at 09:072 days by Engorged Onion

If we manage to find another mark neeld style coach it’ll be fun to watch him sack max as captain and appoint Windsor and Langford as co captains

32 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

I admire your certainty — you drop “partly” like it’s etched in stone. But calling it “Fact” doesn’t make the conclusion factual. Sure, it’s true Langford was 19. What’s not a fact is that this caused his strong finish. If birthdays worked like that, every player would level up like a video game — hit 19 and instantly unlock +10 stamina.

The reality is the modern AFL is faster, more congested, and played with fewer rotations than when Bont debuted. Langford’s growth was about adapting to that, not just a calendar tick-over.

In my opinion, an alternative viewpoint is being simplistic and dismissive.

Go Dees.

If you think there's no advantage playing all year as a 19 year old compared to an 18 year old it tells me all I need to know.

I like objectivity. I appreciate it's not common on this site.

11 minutes ago, Gator said:

If you think there's no advantage playing all year as a 19 year old compared to an 18 year old it tells me all I need to know.

I like objectivity. I appreciate it's not common on this site.

You're talking about an 8 month age difference really. It's not much.

Edited Tuesday at 09:551 day by KozzyCan