Barry Hall

Big Bad Bazza - Barry Hall - has gone through the wringer and emerged as a new man, ironing out all those kinks. Who would have thought that Bazza could reverse his fortunes after one too many brainsnaps at the Sydney Swans?

Bazza - we were waiting for you to trip up again as a ferocious Bulldog. We were waiting for another almighty brainsnap.But it didn’t happen. Instead, Bazza treated us to high-flying marking and a string of match-winning goals. Bazza’s seven-goal haul in the NAB Cup grand final on Saturday night was legendary, elevating him to cult status.

Bulldogs’ fans – celebrate hard. It’s been 40 years since you charged your glasses to toast the Doggies as night premiers.

Continue reading "Someone let the Dogs out" »

As a long-time member of the Sydney Swans Football Club I have been seated in the outer at the SCG or whatever Stadium Australia is called this year for pretty much every game Barry Hall has played in the Harbour City.  He was a popular replacement for the retiring Tony Lockett and his move north seemed quite appropriate, considering that he had followed a very similar path as Plugger - a talented forward who had his troubles with discipline.  They even played at the same club prior to moving to Sydney. 

Hall quickly became popular with the fans.  Those of us who went to supporters days always found him kind, generous with his time and happy to chat to us. 

I take my son to the kids clinic every season and Hall was always out on the field with the other players coaching the kids.  When it came to autograph time, he was the one they all flocked to.  He patiently signed every one and never appeared to be anything other than genuine in his desire to be there.

Continue reading "A fan’s take on a fallen hero" »

It might sound a bit odd given that he was reported 15 times - and spent more than a full year of his playing life out of the game - but Barry Hall has probably done more than any other individual over the past 10 years to help expand the national code.

If you take your kids along to Auskick in Sydney, or talk to any Swans fans, the one constant which drives their love of the game, the person they associate most readily and passionately with the club, is not Brett Kirk or Leo Barry or Adam Goodes or Paul Roos, but the phenomenal, flawed, big, bad, bustling Barry Hall.
Now that he has quit Aussie Rules, the greatest hits packages will tonight run for several minutes as his contribution to the game is seen first and, sadly, foremost, through his many high-impact brain snaps, such as this textbook left-hook on West Coast’s Brent Staker which cost him seven weeks.

Continue reading "Barry Hall was a marketing knock-out for Aussie Rules" »

With Swans coach Paul Roos all but saying he’d like forward Barry Hall to retire after landing another stray punch, the question is now being asked: how many chances should Hall get before he’s just sacked?

I’d ask another question. Is Barry Hall really as big and bad as he is being made out to be, or is the controversy just an indication of how soft football and sporting culture generally has become in Australia?

In short – and at risk of sounding like Carrie Bradshaw - are Bazza and the likes of Andrew Symonds really too hard or have we just become too soft?

Continue reading "The hard men that soft modern sport has left behind" »

We live in troubled times. The economy is scrambled eggs. The atmosphere is as full of hot air as the Rudd government. Chk Chk boom chick Clare Weberloff’s 15 minutes of fame is extending disturbingly beyond the 15 day mark.

What a relief, then, to wake after this weekend and discover that a familiar order has returned to the sporting universe.
Tiger Woods won his 67th golf tourney. Federer won his 14th Major. England lost the unlosable cricket game. And Barry Hall lost the plot.

Continue reading "Give Barry a break or his career will be cactus" »