BY ALISON ZELL
Chris Langford is a champion of Hawthorn Football Club. A 303-game player over 14 years in the brown and gold, he captained the club, won four Premierships and was named on the bench in Hawthorn’s Team of the Century.
His son Will grew up with AFL in the blood, but in a different world - where footy doesn’t mean AFL and no-one had heard of his famous father.
In the latter stages of his footballing career, Langford senior moved to Sydney to work as an accountant and commuted to Melbourne to train and play with the club.
And it was in the Harbour City that his son was born and raised.
“It was different,” Will said.
“Where I grew up it was very much Rugby Union in winter and cricket in summer part of town.
“I played Rugby growing up for my school because they didn’t have AFL so I played Rugby first and foremost and then if I could squeeze an AFL game in, I would.”
AFL was still what Will loved best, but he made no assumptions about following in his father’s footsteps.
“Footy was always my sport of choice, my number 1 sport so obviously Dad had a fair bit to do with that, playing footy, that was the influence on me,” he said.
“But having said that, in Year 11 I gave up footy and played First XV Rugby for my school so it was my priority but I by no means grew up assuming that one day I would play AFL, I thought I was a long way from it.”
Will played locally for East Sydney juniors in between his compulsory school sport and focusing on his school work before trialling for the state squad as a 15 year-old.
“When I first went to the trials I didn’t expect to make the first cut, I really didn’t, so to survive the chopping block and hang around for a little bit longer was nice,” he said.
“I thought that was pretty much it so it was surprising as a 15 year-old when I was selected to play in the Under-16s side in the National Carnival up in Queensland.
“I was very green and had never really played much rep footy, never pursued that as a younger footballer but having that opportunity was nice and I went up to Queensland and did fairly well which was surprising, to me more than anyone else.
“And then after that carnival I kind of decided I was ok at footy and could possibly pursue it further if I dedicated myself to it and wanted to become a better player.
“From them on - that was at the age of 15 – I kind of thought playing AFL is something I could do and wanted to do so that was the goal from then on out.”
His father’s long career with the club meant Will was eligible to be drafted to the club under the father-son rule, but it was the introduction of the NSW Scholarship scheme that saw Will in Hawks colours earlier that most.
The Scholarship scheme ran from 2006-2010 and allowed clubs to sign and develop young talented NSW and ACT players before having the option of placing them on the club list once they reached draft age.
“The opportunity arose , I think I was 16, and I jumped at that opportunity to really continue my footballing development but a couple of years earlier,” he said.
“I spent a couple of summers as a 16 and 17 year-old, spent a couple of weeks at the club over pre-season and that sort of gave me a taste of what being an AFL footballer was like.
“It only fed my desire to become an AFL footballer and fed my motivation to become a better footballer.”
While he may be the son of one of the greatest Hawks players of all time, Will was a motivated teenager and had no concerns if his football career didn’t work out.
“I was always wanted to be a footballer but by no means had all my eggs in that basket,” he said.
“I was still very much a student first and foremost and schooling came first and football second.
“It was something I wanted to do but I was always aware that even if one plays AFL, you’re a long time in retirement and there’s a lot more to life than chasing a red football around on a Saturday.
“I did the footballing thing, that was good, but I went and lived in Paris, I went to school over there, and gave up footy in Year 11 to play First XV Rugby to get the most out of my schooling experience that I could so it was important but it wasn’t the be all and end all.
“But once the opportunity was presented to me, to move down to Melbourne and do all that properly, I thought if I’m going to do it I’ll do it properly.”
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the now 21-year-old, who was officially placed on Hawthorn’s list at the 2011 Rookie Draft.
“Unfortunately I had a few injuries in my first couple of years that limited the amount of football I played but I still threw myself into it and have enjoyed it the whole time,” he said.
“I’m just lucky and a bit fortunate I suppose that my body’s been right this year and I had the opportunity to play on the weekend.”
Will was upgraded off the rookie list for injured defender Matt Suckling earlier this season and strong form for Box Hill in the VFL saw him given the opportunity to play his first game against the Western Bulldogs in Launceston last weekend.
Will was presented with his first playing guernsey by his father as the Hawks withstood a fierce contest from the Bulldogs to run out 19-point winners.
“Being presented with your first playing jumper is nice when it’s presented by anyone but to have it done by Dad was pretty special and certainly all the more poignant I think,” he said.
“Having him there, and Mum was there as well, so that was pretty nice and a very special moment.
“It was good to just be out there. I was speaking to a few of the coaches and said I learnt more out of that game of football than I’ve learnt in any other game.
“I learnt about myself as a person but also myself as a footballer so I think that’s the most important thing and the most valuable thing is the learning experience it provides.
"I’ve had the opportunity to play and took it and enjoyed it, I’m sure I’ve got a lot more playing to do in the VFL and will just continue to try and improve as a footballer.
“Hopefully one day I’ll get out there as a regular and maybe win a Premiership with the Hawthorn footy club which would be good.”
Last Modified on 25/07/2013 09:40
