Delisted free agents - sifting through the neighbor's bins

[toomanysquibs]

We have to stop thinking of him as a world beater, he's a solid player that we've asked to play outside his skillset too often.

The problem is that we saw the best of him in his first year, and it looked like he was going to evolve into something sublimely unbelievable.

It's been so puzzling watching his decline, there must have been injuries as well as loss of confidence at play with the guy. He undeniably has talent, amazing pace and ball winning ability (both things we so desperately need). Yet it looked like his decision making, confidence and skills went off a cliff somehow instead of getting better.

 

[flinchfree]

I think that Langers is much maligned and a scape goat by many...he busted Shitneys arse in 2014, all of them and a lot of the peanuts in here consistently bag him...another whipping boy much like Shoey.

Paul Abbott kicked 5 or 6 in Granny once didn't he.....must have been a gun.

 

[The Kipster]

Paul Abbott kicked 5 or 6 in Granny once didn't he.....must have been a gun.

Wow, fk you too ****-smack!

I will stick up for the Hawks players regardless

BTW - Abbott again was a Premiership player, not maligned, however he also went on to win other flags elsewhere, particularly in the WAFL which was an extremely strong competition at the time.

 

[flinchfree]

......... He undeniably has talent, amazing pace and ball winning ability (both things we so desperately need). Yet it looked like his decision making, confidence and skills went off a cliff somehow instead of getting better.

He doesn't have amazing pace, he has good pace. But how often do you see him burn off players or use his speed to give himself time to gather it or dispose of it?
He doesn't have amazing ball winning ability, he has scuffing ball winning ability. He needs to be led to it, or see it bobbling on the floor amongst a group of players to try and get there first.
He doesn't read it off the pack, he doesn't read it from the tap, he doesn't read the play and position himself to intercept or get some easy ones.
He had what many athletes know as a sublime moment in the sun, where it seemed everywhere he turned the ball was close enough to grasp, his reactions and choices all seemed to work, he banged it forward to a stunning forward line who could make 60's era VFL footballer punts seem inspired delivery, and kicked some goals he will never replicate.

He's a son of legend, he wants it as much or more than the next guy, but his best chance is to be given free reign not to mark anyone and just chase every drop of the footy and develop his handball to give more talented teammates the opportunity to hurt the opposition. He could be a bruiser because he's reckless as hell and bleeds for the jumper.
He wasn't a rising star before the 2014 finals, or developed into one since.
I think we have more obviously talented replacements on the list who can hurt other teams a helluva lot more.

 

[The Kipster]

He hasn't had a good game since that day - which is probably why he gets the criticism.

I would not say since, if you watch his kamakazi 'in and under' work then his footy is defined by this and is a good tagger. Yes, his disposal is lacking but give me his heart over some of the others any day.

 

[William Wonka]

Paul Abbott kicked 5 or 6 in Granny once didn't he.....must have been a gun.

Kicked 6.
Two time premiership player.
Hard to shine against the radiance of some of the other players in that era but he was a good talented player (but he managed it, and in a GF to boot).
Would be very handy to have another tall marking utility like him now.

 

[flinchfree]

Wow, fk you too ****-smack!

I will stick up for the Hawks players regardless

BTW - Abbott again was a Premiership player, not maligned, however he also went on to win other flags elsewhere, particularly in the WAFL which was an extremely strong competition at the time.

You can be infantile as you want. Swear away as I'm not sure you have much to say anyway.
Not every Hawk player is a gun, and not every one of them gets to make it in the big time just because you want it.
Grow up mate.

 

[flinchfree]

Kicked 6.
Two time premiership player.
Hard to shine against the radiance of some of the other players in that era but he was a good talented player (but he managed it, and in a GF to boot).
Would be very handy to have another tall marking utility like him now.

You're kidding right?
You saw him play?
He was very very ordinary, 80 ish games in 8 years and no utility to him at all.
If he didn't mark it he wasn't exactly a cat on the ground to find it again.
There's a reason why Hawk supporters yelled 'Yaaaaabbbot' and turned their heads at the same time unsure of what would become of his efforts at the ball.

Oh yeh, and he kicked a grand total of 30 goals in those 8 years and 80 games, and I don't think he played very many out of the 50 meter forward line.

 

[William Wonka]

You're kidding right?
You saw him play?
He was very very ordinary, 80 ish games in 7 years and no utility to him at all.
If he didn't mark it he wasn't exactly a cat on the ground to find it again.
There's a reason why Hawk supporters yelled 'Yaaaaabbbot' and turned their heads at the same time unsure of what would become of his efforts at the ball.

I saw him play.
Good mark, long kick and serviceable as a relief ruck.
We were spoiled rotten with talent and he was depth.
Would still love him on the list now as tall marking ruck/fowards are rare as hens teeth and cost 500k to bring in from other clubs.

 

[Gralin]

Will's biggest issue this year for me was his hands weren't clean, he constantly fumbled which put him under the pump, clean up his hands and things will improve. If he can't clean up his hands he will struggle in the role he appears best suited for.

hard to say how much of it was confidence, the fear of fumbling as it were

 

[Manila_Hawk]

Agreed, when we needed on-ball grunt this year he didn't get a sniff....push the ball forward at all costs, the Doggies were great, one gets in and does his job, the next, the next and so on.

Kipster, this post makes a lot of sense to me.

Langers may have struggled in our latest incarnation of:
- Wait back off the ball
- Let the other team win the contested possession
- Then pressure them into turning it over
- The open them up with precise kicking

But in the new world of relentless attack and just move the ball forward at all costs (Hawthorn circa mid-80's), he should go very well.

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

Everyone's talking about langfords disposal but I haven't seen anyone mention shiels 57% disposal efficiency....

Sheila was pretty ordinary this year. Hope to see him play a different role next year. He will still get the run with roles but I reckon this year he was positioning himself behind his opponent so he could pressure the disposal. This defensive tactic needs tweaking.

 

[play2win]

and henderson is now a hawk

edit: or very close to apparently

 

[toomanysquibs]

Couldn't disagree more with this - he was a rising star, he had a game against the Bulldogs in 2014 in which he elevated himself to another level, and didn't look back until the cup was hoisted by Hodge at the end of the year.

Blind Freddy could see it happening at that time. Mitchell even stated this was the case during an interview a few weeks later.

Langford wins the ball in tight, and if you want to see a moment where he uses breakaway pace, take a look at his running goal in the GF. He has breakaway toe, in a midfield that has been sadly bereft of it.

I agree, he's rougher than hessian undies with disposal, and in a lot of other aspects. But put him near the ball, and watch him get it - I can't see how you can deny he does this. Sure he flings it all over the place, couldn't hit the side of a barn door post 2014, but he has athleticism, pace and a manic attack on the man and ball. We don't have that level of intensity anywhere else on our list.

In our designated midfield brigade, he was comfortably the quickest player, and was also a decent height. Whatever happened to him after the GF is kind of baffling, it was an upward trajectory across the season and finals series in 2014. Then he just went off a cliff in almost every aspect of the game.

He doesn't have amazing pace, he has good pace. But how often do you see him burn off players or use his speed to give himself time to gather it or dispose of it?
He doesn't have amazing ball winning ability, he has scuffing ball winning ability. He needs to be led to it, or see it bobbling on the floor amongst a group of players to try and get there first.
He doesn't read it off the pack, he doesn't read it from the tap, he doesn't read the play and position himself to intercept or get some easy ones.
He had what many athletes know as a sublime moment in the sun, where it seemed everywhere he turned the ball was close enough to grasp, his reactions and choices all seemed to work, he banged it forward to a stunning forward line who could make 60's era VFL footballer punts seem inspired delivery, and kicked some goals he will never replicate.

He's a son of legend, he wants it as much or more than the next guy, but his best chance is to be given free reign not to mark anyone and just chase every drop of the footy and develop his handball to give more talented teammates the opportunity to hurt the opposition. He could be a bruiser because he's reckless as hell and bleeds for the jumper.
He wasn't a rising star before the 2014 finals, or developed into one since.
I think we have more obviously talented replacements on the list who can hurt other teams a helluva lot more.

 

[flinchfree]

Couldn't disagree more with this - he was a rising star, he had a game against the Bulldogs in 2014 in which he elevated himself to another level, and didn't look back until the cup was hoisted by Hodge at the end of the year.

Blind Freddy could see it happening at that time. Mitchell even stated this was the case during an interview a few weeks later.

Langford wins the ball in tight, and if you want to see a moment where he uses breakaway pace, take a look at his running goal in the GF. He has breakaway toe, in a midfield that has been sadly bereft of it.

I agree, he's rougher than hessian undies with disposal, and in a lot of other aspects. But put him near the ball, and watch him get it - I can't see how you can deny he does this. Sure he flings it all over the place, couldn't hit the side of a barn door post 2014, but he has athleticism, pace and a manic attack on the man and ball. We don't have that level of intensity anywhere else on our list.

In our midfield, he was comfortably the quickest player, and was also a decent height. I don't mean our rotting forward midfielders either, I mean our designated midfielders.

Hey, it's awesome you've got his back that much!
Nothing would make me happier than for Langers to go out and make me look like a right mug and become the player you believe so mightily in!
Go Hawkers in 17'.

 

[sven_inc]

Langford's struggled with injury and illness since 2014. Form has certainly suffered, but like JOR give them a full PS and a full season in the 1s before writing him off.

He showed great promise after 1 full year back in 2014 and Id like to see him do it again.

 

[dermott]

Pity Langford is not a DFA from another club as that would bring this thread back on topic.

 

[toomanysquibs]

Hey, it's awesome you've got his back that much!
Nothing would make me happier than for Langers to go out and make me look like a right mug and become the player you believe so mightily in!
Go Hawkers in 17'.

Ha ha, well we agree on that last point for sure

 

[Dewnior]

Henderson is no good. Routinely exposed each time he has played against us.

90% of opposition players are exposed each time they play against us.

 

[HolyRioli]

he has athleticism, pace and a manic attack on the man and ball. We don't have that level of intensity anywhere else on our list.

Cyril and Pupolo would like a word ...

But in the midfield, you are correct.

 

[eldorado]

After looking up Josh Watts, and hearing about Jake Barrett, I would still prefer us to look at them before Henderson, purely from an age perspective.

But I have spent 5 minutes looking at other players instead of years as a football department, and I don't know what our current priorities, or desired list make-up is, so, as usual, I'll back the club

 

[Ned Ryerson]

After looking up Josh Watts, and hearing about Jake Barrett, I would still prefer us to look at them before Henderson, purely from an age perspective.

But I have spent 5 minutes looking at other players instead of years as a football department, and I don't know what our current priorities, or desired list make-up is, so, as usual, I'll back the club

You're really bad at this armchair critic stuff. Where are the swears. The petulant and nonsensical rants. You can do better.

 

[eldorado]

You're really bad at this armchair critic stuff. Where are the swears. The petulant and nonsensical rants. You can do better.

When you become a mod, you get taken away and lobotomised to rid you of dangerously strong and subversive emotions...

Now I see the world through beige coloured glasses.

 

[PenAndPaper]

He hasn't had a good game since that day - which is probably why he gets the criticism.

I thought he had a few good games for us this year and then was inexplicably dropped when nobody else gave a yelp out on the field...was really strange seeing him dropped so often despite being one of our best in those games

 

[butlers hawks]

and henderson is now a hawk

edit: or very close to apparently

Was this a massive premature post or is there truth to this somewhere?