WILL Langford had to wait longer than most for his opportunity at the top level, but he has certainly made every moment count once it came.
Born into Hawthorn royalty as the son of four-time Hawk premiership legend Chris, Langford was forced to bide his time.
The No.85 pick in the 2011 Rookie Draft (NSW scholarship selection) waited almost three full seasons before earning his senior debut in round 17, 2013.
Now with 20 games alongside his name, Will Langford is a premiership player in his own right at 22 years of age.
"There's a bit of a tradition at Hawthorn of players doing an apprenticeship. I knew full well that that is what I might have had to do," Langford told AFL.com.au.
"I was never restless. I knew I had to keep working hard and I knew that one day I'd get a shot at it."
By his own admission, Langford had a lot to learn about playing at the top level. The appetite for hard work was there, but, as teammate Sam Mitchell says, his game awareness took some time to catch up.
He honed his craft in the VFL with Box Hill in 2012 and 2013, having suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome in his first year at the Hawks in 2011, and he made his senior debut in round 17, 2013, against the Western Bulldogs.
Langford reaped the rewards of a solid pre-season when he broke into Hawthorn's round one team at the start of this season, having been promotion to the senior list at the end of 2013.
Despite playing 14 of the first 21 games - including nine of the first 11 - Langford was far from a senior certainty until his breakthrough performance against Geelong in round 22, when he ran with Cats skipper Joel Selwood and beat him.
As a result, his reputation among the Hawks faithful has risen immeasurably, exemplified by the raucous calls of 'Langers' whenever he got near the ball against the Sydney Swans at the MCG on Saturday.
Not only able to fill a negating role, Langford demonstrated his ability with 21 disposals, six tackles and six inside 50s to be a key instigator in Hawthorn's 63-point victory.
He also booted three goals and earned one vote in Norm Smith medal voting from Chris Johnson, who played in three premierships with the Brisbane Lions.
Langford's third-term major was the pick of the bunch, when he won a one-on-one contest against Josh Kennedy before bouncing through a snap from deep in the forward pocket.
A beaming Chris Langford could not have been more proud of his son as the Hawks' celebrations were in full swing in the rooms after the game.
"I'm just rapt the way he's worked to get here," Chris Langford told AFL.com.au.
"I think he's always had a great work ethic and it was about him taking a risk and having that confidence in himself.
"This year he's got that confidence and his teammates and the coaching staff have really backed him in."
