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Allan "Alfie" Langer AM (born 30 July 1966 in Ipswich, Queensland)[1] is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos. He was one of the pre-eminent half-backs of his era, representing Australia on several occasions and taking the record for most State of Origin appearances of any player. Langer played most of his career as captain of the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1992 Clive Churchill Medal and Rothmans Medal, as well as four premierships and the club's player of the year award a record five times. The Allan Langer Medal, which is the Ipswich Jets' player of the year award was named in his honour.[2]
Youth
The youngest of Queensland Rail worker, Harry Langer's four sons, Allan Langer was born and raised in Ipswich, Queensland. He grew up playing football at Ipswich's Northern Suburbs Tigers alongside brothers and future Brisbane Broncos (as well as Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos) team mates Kevin and Kerrod Walters. This combination of players would become known famously as "The Ipswich Connection". He was selected as an Australian schoolboy representative in 1982. At 15 Langer's first job out of school was a truckie's offsider, delivering whitegoods. He then worked for the council making roads, but continued playing football.
1980s
Coached by former champion Australian half-back Tommy Raudonikis at the Ipswich Jets club, Langer became a key player for them when he was only 17 and was playing first grade in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership by 1986. The following year Langer's selection from left field to represent Queensland in the State of Origin was questioned by several key figures in the Maroons camp.[3] It was Raudonikis who stood up for him, backing Langer's selection and he made his State of Origin debut in the 1987 series while still playing for the Jets. His superb performance, including a man-of-the-match award in the decider, saw him signed on with the newly-established Brisbane Broncos of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1988.
Captained under Wally Lewis, Langer developed further skill with the ball and learnt much from his mentor, and in 1988 his two tries in the State of Origin opener saw him named man-of-the-match again. He scored tries in the other two Origin fixtures as well and also made his debut for the Australian test side against Papua New Guinea due to a shoulder injury to Peter Sterling.[4] This made him the first Bronco to earn international representative honours. At the end of the NSWRL season Langer was named the Broncos' player of the year then went on to score two tries in Australia's win in the 1988 World Cup final over New Zealand.
1990s
Suffering a broken leg in 1989, Langer missed a lot of football that season. He recovered to go on the 1990 Kangaroo tour.
Following the axing of Lewis from the Broncos and later the retirement of Gene Miles, the diminutive Langer became captain of the Broncos in 1992. Alfie then played in all three matches of 1992's State of Origin series (scoring one try and kicking the match-winning field goal in Game II), won the Rothmans Medal for best and fairest player in the Winfield Cup competition that season and, along with Steve Renouf, was the year's top try scorer for the Broncos. He also steered his team to their maiden Premiership, winning the Clive Churchill Medal for best and fairest player on the field in the grand final. Later in the year he also played in Australia's 1992 Rugby League World Cup final victory, and captained the Broncos to victory in the 1992 World Club Challenge, the first time Australian premiers had won the title on British soil.
By this time Allan Langer's fame was such that he starred with his mother in the advertising campaign for Australia's top-selling bread and also had his own doll on toy store shelves.[5]
The following season saw the Little General again lead the Broncos to a Premiership, the first time a team which had finished 5th in the regular season had gone on to win the competition.
The years 1994-1996 were characterised by successive failures by the Broncos to win the Australian Rugby League Premiership. Langer lost his position in the test squad to Ricky Stuart after an opening loss to England in the Ashes series in the 1994 Kangaroo tour. In 1995, Alfie, along with many other high-profile players, lost their representative positions because they had signed contracts to play for the newly-formed Super League. However Langer won the Broncos' player of the year award every year from 1993 to 1996. He was also made captain of the Queensland State of Origin team in 1996 and was named by Rugby League Week as that season's player of the year.
Langer again captained the Broncos to victory in the 1997 World Club Challenge and the Super League premiership. In the first game of the 1998 State of Origin series Langer was named man-of-the-match. Also that year, for the second time, Langer captained the Broncos to a second consecutive premiership. In 1998, Langer was also appointed Australian national team captain. That year he and his mentor, Broncos, Queensland and Australian coach, Wayne Bennett, became the first captain-coach combination to win the NRL Premiership, State of Origin and Test series in the same year.
After a lacklustre start to the 1999 season, Langer announced his retirement from rugby league mid-year, leaving many, including teammates, bewildered as to why.[6] His departure prompted the Queensland Premier and even the Australian Prime Minister to eulogise his contribution to the sport.[7] However, Alfie soon came out of retirement to play in the English Super League competition for the Warrington Wolves.
2000s
Langer captained the Warrington Wolves and took them to within one match of the Challenge Cup Final in 2000.[8][9]
Also in 2000, Langer was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to Rugby League football as a player at national and international levels, and as a supporter of charities, particularly those raising funds for cancer research". Later that year he was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal.
In 2001, as coach of the Maroons, Wayne Bennett made a surprise selection of Langer - then still playing in England - for the Queensland side in the third and deciding State of Origin match of that year. His comeback was arranged by Bennett under a shroud of secrecy.[10] There were doubts as to whether Langer, in the twilight of his playing career, would be able to withstand the physical rigours of State of Origin football. Some Sydney journalists, such as Phil Gould, questioned the state of Queensland's football talent, given that they had needed to "bring back 35-year-olds to win." However on the night Langer set up two tries and scored one himself, leading Queensland to victory only a year after they had suffered their worst ever State of Origin defeat.
Langer was subsequently lured back to the Broncos for one final season in 2002. He was named man-of-the-match in the third and deciding game of that year's State of Origin series and became the oldest player to play in State of Origin football. However despite his good form, Brisbane were unable to win the Premiership.
At the time of his retirement, Langer had made the most appearances as captain for the Brisbane Broncos and he is one of only four players to have been named man-of-the-match in a State of Origin game more than three times (the others being Wally Lewis, Peter Sterling and Andrew Johns).
Post-playing
After playing Langer spent time as a restauranteur on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.[11] During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included Langer.[12]
In February 2008, Langer was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.[13] In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century at halfback.[14] A few months later the Brisbane Broncos appointed Allan Langer, along with Shane Webcke as full-time assistant coaches to work alongside new head coach Ivan Henjak from the 2009 season. He has also been named as a Queensland Maroons' assistant coach under Mal Meninga for the 2009 State of Origin series. In 2009 Langer could frequently be seen running water out to Broncos players during NRL matches, and even for Australia at the end of season Four Nations tournament.
- ^ "The Allan Langer file". Illawarra Mercury (Fairfax digital): pp. 54. 2001-07-02. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&docID=ILL01070232JIH25RPEA. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ "Sweeney wins Allan Langer Medal" article at qrl.com.au (22 September 2008)
- ^ Fitzsimons, Peter (1994-03-22). "The making of Allan Langer". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Digital): pp. 25. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news940322_0006_4356. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ Sterling, Peter (1998-04-23). "Out of this world". Newcastle Herald (Fairfax Digital): pp. 3. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&docID=news980428_0078_6553. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (1992-10-09). "Alfie finds what life is all about". The Independent (independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-alfie-finds-what-life-is-all-about-dave-hadfield-on-the-brilliant-australian-scrumhalf-who-has-passed-into-folklore-1556409.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
- ^ Harms, John (2005). The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. pp. 198. ISBN 0702235369, 9780702235368. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OFE2EZ7JyEkC&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
- ^ Barbara Alysen, Gail Sedorkin, Mandy Oakham, Roger Patching (2003). Reporting in a multimedia world. Allen & Unwin. pp. 92. ISBN 1865089109, 9781865089102. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qLtoTmMZ2v4C&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (2000-03-06). "Questionnaire: ALLAN LANGER - Australian Test scrum-half and captain of Warrington". The Independent (London, England). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5061710.html. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ Burke, David A (2000-03-25). "This time we must tame raging Bulls". The Mirror (London, England: MGN LTD). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60819727.html. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ Crawley, Steve (2001-06-25). "Alf's back". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Digital): pp. 21. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&docID=SMH010625V058J1JRSFA. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/02/24/alfie-langer-makes-icon-list/
- ^ Dekroo, Karl (2007-05-09). "Still the king". The Courier-Mail (Australia: Queensland Newspapers). http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21701434-10389,00.html. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "Centenary of Rugby League - The Players". NRL & ARL. 2008-02-23. http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Ricketts, Steve (2008-06-10). "Locky named No.1 but Wal's still King". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 2009-05-20. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Fcouriermail%2Fstory%2F0%2C23739%2C23843448-10389%2C00.html&date=2009-05-20. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
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