Big, bad Bazza back

[BulldogBelle]

Fantastic to see Barry Hall back at the Dogs...

Big, bad Bazza back (http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/128944/default.aspx)
AFL Website | Ben Collins | Wed 15 Feb, 2012

FORMER Western Bulldogs spearhead Barry Hall has announced he will return to Whitten Oval in an official capacity.

When Hall announced his retirement last season, he shocked some followers by pledging his lifetime allegiance to the Bulldogs rather than the Swans (the club he led to the 2005 premiership).

Hall also started his career at St Kilda before moving to the Swans to become a powerhouse of the competition and a co-captain.

But he has backed up this pledge to the Dogs by accepting a multi-faceted role that will include being the face of BulldogsTV and an ambassador for the club's membership and junior programs.

The Bulldogs will also pay tribute to Hall before their opening round clash with the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium, where the two-season Bulldog will be given a lap of honour.

Hall, who turned 35 last week, will be officially welcomed back to the kennel this afternoon by former teammate Bob Murphy, who will present him with a new club jumper and Western Front membership card.

Link to Article (http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/128944/default.aspx)

[bornadog]

If only other champions of the club were given roles like this.

[Bulldog4life]

And yet another reason why I love Bazza.

[LostDoggy]

I love the big fella! Hally has had a massive impact on me in such a short time at the club.

[jazzadogs]

If only other champions of the club were given roles like this.
You would expect that we are offering this kind of role to similarly popular ex-players (eg Johnno).

Good on Baz for coming back to help out...not sure he needs a lap of honour though? I was happy with the send-off we gave him at the end of his last game. this seems a bit much.

[BulldogBelle]

I love the big fella! Hally has had a massive impact on me in such a short time at the club.

Same here, I was always a fan of his - great news! :)

[The Underdog]

If only other champions of the club were given roles like this.

Actual long term champions of the club you mean? I like Bazza and was rapt to have him at the club but realistically he was only here as a player for 2 years. Still the club obviously realise what a great marketing tool he is for us.
I have to say I'm pretty happy with the way the club have brought in Chris Grant on a board level but there is a limit to how many players you can give these sort of roles to.
Perhaps there's a player with a bit of presentation nous who could do the matchday on ground stuff and replace that James Sherry nonce.

[Mantis]

A lap of honour... Really??

[Maddog37]

PR exercise but if it gets the sponsors and clubs name in the paper then mission accomplished.

[LostDoggy]

Actual long term champions of the club you mean? I like Bazza and was rapt to have him at the club but realistically he was only here as a player for 2 years. Still the club obviously realise what a great marketing tool he is for us.
I have to say I'm pretty happy with the way the club have brought in Chris Grant on a board level but there is a limit to how many players you can give these sort of roles to.
Perhaps there's a player with a bit of presentation nous who could do the matchday on ground stuff and replace that James Sherry nonce.

Brad Johnson. Won't happen but would be just awesome…


PR exercise but if it gets the sponsors and clubs name in the paper then mission accomplished.

I like what you did there…

[chef]

A lap of honour... Really??

I agree, he played for like 2 seasons. Lets not get carried away.

[AndrewP6]

PR exercise but if it gets the sponsors and clubs name in the paper then mission accomplished.

This. It's a good marketing move, and no one can doubt Bazz was great in bringing attention to the club (and for the most part, positive attention). He was a clear people's favourite, smart move to cash in on that whilst people still have him fresh in their mind.

[AndrewP6]

Great to hear Baz is going to be around. If someone brings positivity to the club, do what you can to keep them on board, IMO. Sure he was only around Whitten Oval for 2 seasons, but he did more in that time than say, oh I don't know, Moneybags Ward did by running for a big pay check.

[Desipura]

Aker was a good marketing strategy initially, why don't we honour him as well?
Bazza was good for us, we did not win the ultimate when he was with us for 2 years. I think it's ridiculous that he is doing a lap of honor.
What next? Signed copies of the NAB cup grand final win?

[AndrewP6]

Aker was a good marketing strategy initially, why don't we honour him as well?
Bazza was good for us, we did not win the ultimate when he was with us for 2 years. I think it's ridiculous that he is doing a lap of honor.
What next? Signed copies of the NAB cup grand final win?

They already sold T-shirts and posters about that.

And as much of a fan of Aker as I was, I'm prepared to concede his departure was less than positive. The same can't be said of Baz.

[Hotdog60]

I agree some of this is a bit over the top and as dedicated members it seems a lap too much. But if it can gain a few hundred more members and guide some young minds for the future can it be all that bad.

[LostDoggy]

Aker was a good marketing strategy initially, why don't we honour him as well?
Bazza was good for us, we did not win the ultimate when he was with us for 2 years. I think it's ridiculous that he is doing a lap of honor.
What next? Signed copies of the NAB cup grand final win?

Because Aker went about shitting in his own backyard.


I agree some of this is a bit over the top and as dedicated members it seems a lap too much. But if it can gain a few hundred more members and guide some young minds for the future can it be all that bad.

exactly.

[Remi Moses]

Aker was a good marketing strategy initially, why don't we honour him as well?
Bazza was good for us, we did not win the ultimate when he was with us for 2 years. I think it's ridiculous that he is doing a lap of honor.
What next? Signed copies of the NAB cup grand final win?

I hope your tongue's firmly planted in your cheek
I'd have Aker do a lap around Kabul personally.

[Desipura]

I hope your tongue's firmly planted in your cheek
I'd have Aker do a lap around Kabul personally.

It was tongue in cheek, my point being when you have had as little success like we have, when tend idolize individuals as we have no reason to idolize the team. This is a little over the top IMHO.
Quiet frankly, I find it a little embarrassing.

[Maddog37]

It was tongue in cheek, my point being when you have had as little success like we have, when tend idolize individuals as we have no reason to idolize the team. This is a little over the top IMHO.
Quiet frankly, I find it a little embarrassing.

Desi I can see why you think it is embarrassing but it is a tough gig trying to increase members and improve a financially struggling team. These are the realities of the AFL.

If it was Collingwood doing the same thing with Presti or Krakour I bet they would not be embarresed in any way whatsoever.

Barry is a premiership captain of a team that took 72 years to win a flag so he is perfectly positioned to know what is needed to break the cycle and any help he can give us is worthwhile imho.

[Axe Man]

I hope Ed Barlow gets a seat next to Bazza for the lap of honour.:)

[LostDoggy]

Desi I can see why you think it is embarrassing but it is a tough gig trying to increase members and improve a financially struggling team. These are the realities of the AFL.

If it was Collingwood doing the same thing with Presti or Krakour I bet they would not be embarresed in any way whatsoever.

Barry is a premiership captain of a team that took 72 years to win a flag so he is perfectly positioned to know what is needed to break the cycle and any help he can give us is worthwhile imho.

I agree. If anything, he should do the lap of honour on June 3 against Sydney, so Swans fans can say goodbye as well.

[Maddog37]

I hope Ed Barlow gets a seat next to Bazza for the lap of honour.:)

Lets get Steve Tiller back and make it a parade.....:D

[bornadog]

It was tongue in cheek, my point being when you have had as little success like we have, when tend idolize individuals as we have no reason to idolize the team. This is a little over the top IMHO.
Quiet frankly, I find it a little embarrassing.

I agree Desi, Barry had a great farewell game and send off last year. He was carried off to cheering adoring fans. Its not like he just walked off the ground and then retired weeks later to no send off. I can't see the point of this.

[Cyberdoggie]

A lap of honour... Really??

Bit much for 2 years of service if you ask me.

Again we focus too much on honouring champion individuals of the past and present.

I'm not saying it's bad, just i think it's not a mentality that exhibits team success, and we have do it more than any other club (for obvious reasons). Time to change that i think.

[LostDoggy]

I think our automatic cringing at anything that harkens to our past lack of success is just as embarrassing. It's as simple as this: the club feels the majority of supporters want to see Barry do a lap, so they'll do it. Don't read too much into things. Sure, we'd all prefer it was an unveiling of the premiership flag, but it's not, so just enjoy it for what it is and move on.

[The Underdog]

Desi I can see why you think it is embarrassing but it is a tough gig trying to increase members and improve a financially struggling team. These are the realities of the AFL.

If it was Collingwood doing the same thing with Presti or Krakour I bet they would not be embarresed in any way whatsoever.

Barry is a premiership captain of a team that took 72 years to win a flag so he is perfectly positioned to know what is needed to break the cycle and any help he can give us is worthwhile imho.

They wouldn't be embarrassed doing it with Presti because he was a 15 year player at the club and played 230+ games for them. He also played in GF's and would have been a Premiership player if not for injury. It would be more than a marketing exercise.

As for the whole premiership captain of a team that broke a hoodoo blah de blah, it didn't change anything while Barry was a player here, I can't see how it's going to help us while he's hosting Bulldogs TV.

[Bulldog4life]

The majority of this thread has been knocking "the lap of honour" Bazza has been given.

Let's concentrate on the positive signs.

But he has backed up this pledge to the Dogs by accepting a multi-faceted role that will include being the face of BulldogsTV and an ambassador for the club's membership and junior programs.

This is great news. Barry barracked for the doggies as a youngster, played for the doggies for 2 years and gave fantastic service and now is going to work for the doggies.

When Barry retired there were those doubters who sniggered when Barry declared himself a bulldog for life. Well now he is backing it up.

[Greystache]

Good post Bulldog4life, I agree

[AndrewP6]

The majority of this thread has been knocking "the lap of honour" Bazza has been given.

Let's concentrate on the positive signs.

But he has backed up this pledge to the Dogs by accepting a multi-faceted role that will include being the face of BulldogsTV and an ambassador for the club's membership and junior programs.

This is great news. Barry barracked for the doggies as a youngster, played for the doggies for 2 years and gave fantastic service and now is going to work for the doggies.

When Barry retired there were those doubters who sniggered when Barry declared himself a bulldog for life. Well now he is backing it up.

Hear bloody hear! Well said B4L!

[AndrewP6]

They wouldn't be embarrassed doing it with Presti because he was a 15 year player at the club and played 230+ games for them. He also played in GF's and would have been a Premiership player if not for injury. It would be more than a marketing exercise.

As for the whole premiership captain of a team that broke a hoodoo blah de blah, it didn't change anything while Barry was a player here, I can't see how it's going to help us while he's hosting Bulldogs TV.

This is how...

PR exercise but if it gets the sponsors and clubs name in the paper then mission accomplished.

[LostDoggy]

Agree with Bulldog4Life. Bazz has been an undoubted success story for MOST of the Dogs fraternity other than some of us more pedantic (some might say cynical/jaded) ones.

Sure it's celebrating an individual, but it's not as if we're celebrating something bad -- the dude was one of the best players in his time, and his story with us, while it did not end in a premiership, was a positive one. It is what it is, and having Bazz take a lap of honour or whatever will not make a whit of difference to whether we win a flag or not.

And I write as someone who is normally a big agitator for culture change within the playing group and the club's mentality.. I just don't think this is a big deal one way or another. FFS, some people are kicking up more of a stink that Bazz is getting a lap of honour than they did about Harbrow leaving, which is a far greater kick in the guts to the culture of a team.

It's a feel-good story, no more no less. Maybe we need to lighten up a bit? This footy thing is supposed to be a little bit fun, isn't it?

[The Underdog]

This is how...

I was referring more to the implication that his experience as a premiership captain would help us onfield. I fully get the marketing implications of this, it's the sole reason for it from what I see.