Harvey Langford’s rise to the coveted Larke Medal at Under 18 AFL National Championships

A free kick to Vic Metro.

A 50m penalty.

A kick after the siren.

A goal.

Victory for Vic Metro, by one point over Langford and his Vic Country teammates.

“It was a crazy day,’’ Langford said of the final at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

“Still can’t believe the way it finished. Like, it’s hard to understand. Just a sort of weird way to finish the grand final like that, I guess. Just crazy.’’

Many spectators lamented that a 50m penalty – apparently for abuse – had decided the title. But they trumpeted the standard of the match and the calibre of some of the players: Country lads Langford, Xavier Lindsay, Tobie Travaglia and Jack Whitlock, Metro prospects Harry Armstrong, Jagga Smith, Josh Smillie and Luke Trainor.

“Marvellous game, what a contest,’’ bubbled AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan on the Fox footy coverage.

Langford said it was the best match he had played in.

“I think so. Just the level and the intensity from both teams. And it felt like it meant the most as well,’’ he said.

It was a stinging defeat for Country but there was consolation for Dandenong co-captain and midfielder Langford: at the presentations he received the Larke Medal as the best player in the carnival, sharing it with Allies onballer Leonardo Lombard after both polled 21 votes. They joined players including Marc Murphy, Tom Hawkins, Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Christian Petracca and Sam Walsh as Larke winners.

Langford was also judged Country’s MVP. He averaged 25.5 disposals in his four matches at the championships, putting him high on AFL recruiters’ lists for the national draft.

“Pretty honoured to be given that,’’ he said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet what it means. Obviously it means over the last four, five weeks I’ve been the best or most consistent player in the whole tournament. That’s pretty special, and it came off the back of hard work.

“Going into it, I wasn’t looking for any Country MVPs or Larke Medals. It was just to show my strengths and a bit of X-factor and find some consistency over the four games. It wasn’t anything above standard but I knew I could push myself to find that level.’’

There is sure to be another accolade for him – All-Australian selection – when the team is announced on Thursday. As Dandenong Stingrays coach Nick Cox saw it, Langford gained confidence during the series and “just took off’’.

“It’s funny. He’s a very good player. When he picked up that bit more confidence, he became an even better player, and this was against the best players in the country,’’ he said.

“He was exceptional. There was clearly no better-performed player from a Country point of view.’’

Langford popped up on AFL 360 last week, prompting Cox to give him a new nickname. “I’m calling him Foxtel now,’’ he said.

The coach suspects viewers will be seeing a lot more of his charge.

The 190cm left-footer is the latest prospect to emerge from Mt Martha Junior Football Club. In the past decade or so, the Mounties have had Whitfield, Jacob Weitering, Hunter Clark, Nic Newman, the De Koning brothers, Shelley Heath and Cooper Simpson arise from their ranks.

Little wonder Cox calls Mt Martha a “little hot spot’’ for talent.

Langford had a great time of it with the club, playing in four premierships (including one under the coaching of his father, Dean) and winning six best and fairests. There were also two league medals, the second at Under 15 level.

“It’s a great club,’’ Langford said of Mt Martha. “I started there in the Under 9s. It was just a great community to be around. I had a few good coaches, including dad. I felt the community was just so special and the people around the club were good to me and the other boys.’’

Mt Martha – which this year has 19 teams (six girls and 13 boys) and about 480 players – names best and fairest medals after Whitfield and Heath.

Langford won the Whitfield Medal three years ago. Mounties president Scott Mackay presented it to him.

“I interviewed him and it was like trying to pull teeth out of a duck, mate – hard work,’’ Mackay said with a laugh.

“Lovely kid and he comes from great stock, a ripping family, and obviously a very talented player.’’

Langford’s sister Macy is playing with the Mounties U18 girls this year.

After running through the list of AFL and AFLW players to have emerged from the club, Mackay said: “We’re doing OK and we’re pretty bloody proud, to be honest.’’

After linking with Stingrays’ squads, Langford was pushed up to the Coates Talent League team for one game as a 16-year-old in 2022. Cox remembers that the youngster “looked more than the competent’’ on debut.

Last year, Langford played every match as a bottom-ager and finished second to Billy Wilson in the Stingrays’ best and fairest.

“Gotcha watch this kid,’’ Cox had told a reporter before a match last year, pointing out Langford.

He was among the best on the ground. He’s rarely been out of the best in two years.

Sheehan was taken with the performances of Langford, who is completing Year 12 at Mornington Secondary College.

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“He had a ripper set of games the whole way through, outstanding,’’ he said.

“He played out of his skin for four games and dominated at the highest level available to Under 18 kids in this state.

“He’s a hard worker, a brilliant user of the ball on his left-foot, he’s strong overhead and he’s got vision and poise, all the things that describe a very good player. It really sets him up for the draft later in the year.’’