RELATED – WEEKEND FOOTBALL TEAMS
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YOU only need to take a look back at its 2009 preliminary final team to realise just how loyal Nick Lang has been to Kangaroo Flat.
The 2009 preliminary against South Bendigo is the last final Kangaroo Flat has played in the BFNL and is now just a distant memory.
The Roos fell one hurdle short of playing in the 2009 grand final when they were beaten by 32 points by the Bloods. Of the team that took to the field for Kangaroo Flat that night, nine years on Lang is the only player still playing at Dower Park and on Saturday will line up for his 200th club game for the Roos against Eaglehawk.
“A lot of what has kept me at the club so long is my best mates that I played junior footy with were there and we had a good connection with the club,” Lang said this week.
“The longer you’re there obviously the connection with the club gets stronger and you can’t imagine playing anywhere else.
“Now I’m at the point in my footy career where if I was to go somewhere else and have a bit of success it wouldn’t feel the same.
“I’ve stuck it out for this long and I really want to see the club back in the finals and contending before I finish up.”
Now 28, Lang made his senior debut as a 17-year-old ruckman against Golden Square in round four of the 2007 season – the year in which the Roos were coached by John Rombotis.
Given the calibre of ruckmen in the competition at the time, it was a steep learning curve for Lang in his formative years of senior football.
“Back then you’d come up against the likes of Jason Duff-Tytler, Hamish Dahl, Brett Cook, Johnny Hardinge, Brett Strange, Nick Heath was playing for Eaglehawk, so there was a lot of big ruckmen and I was only a lanky 17-year-old,” Lang said.
“It was certainly a good introduction to senior football.”
Lang is a co-captain of the Roos, has won best and fairests with the club and represented the BFNL at inter-league level, but it’s team success he so desperately craves.
The lack of wins throughout his career hasn’t deterred from Lang’s desire to play for the Roos given of the 170-odd senior games he has played, there have been just three finals – all in 2009 under Darryl Wilson.
“Going down to Warragul with the inter-league team a couple of years ago and having a win was something I really cherish and one of my fondest memories, but it’s team success that I’m really craving… I’d obviously love to win a premiership with the club,” Lang said.
“We’ve got a lot of good kids coming through in the under-18s and the young players we’ve blooded in the seniors this year haven’t looked out of place, so hopefully, that’s some good signs for the future.”
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