Jason Akermanis:Sydney Swan Barry Hall's big trust issues

Aker's article this week....

Sydney Swan Barry Hall's big trust issues
The Herald Sun
Jason Akermanis | July 30, 2009

IS Barry Hall gone? The question is being debated loudly this week, and maybe, just maybe, the answer now is "yes". When you are in your 30s and are trying to make the most of what little time you have left in professional sport the last thing you can afford to have happen is the loss of trust of teammates.

It doesn't matter if you're married and are settled off the field, or even if you are best of best mates with one or two of your teammates, if you lose the trust of a few blokes, you're in trouble.

In a footy club, the most important ingredient is trust.

I should know because during the 14 1/2 years of my career, I have had trust in spades and I have also had periods without it. No trust from them feels like crap.

Barry Hall has shown on many occasions that even his football talents, as well honed as they are through years and years of hard work, can so quickly and thoroughly be eroded by a lack of discipline.

We all know what an impact he can have as a key forward and in fact has had in the last few weeks. As the saying goes you dont lose your talent you just slow down. He isnt slowing down that much.

When you are young in this business you will be given time to prove you can be trusted and ample chance to prove your worth. But when you get past 22, maybe 23, the patience of your teammates and coaches, as well as club officials, starts to run out.

By the time you're in the late 20s or let alone 30s, there is no patience left.

Barry is 32. From what we've seen coming out of Sydney the past two years, I get the distinct feeling he has by now totally lost what was left of the trust of his club.

I can remember a younger Jonathan Brown going through a similar situation. While Browny's renowned toughness is universally respected, his actions early in his career brought the same lack of patience for trust from his teammates.

The opposition knew if they could rile the big fella, fire him up, that he could let himself and his team down by giving you one.

Our coach at the time, Leigh Matthews, took a simple view. He said: "Browny, you cant be intimidating in the stands."

Browny, to his full credit, has managed to stay aggressive and intimidating without breaking the game's, and maybe even more importantly, the team's rules.

Sure, Browny can go. I've seen him spar enough and he hits hard. But it has no place on the footy field. He knows that, and eventually the penny dropped and his ability to play hard footy minus the suspensions is proof of his preparedness to do everything he possibly can to gain and keep the trust of his teammates.

To me Browny actually showed more courage to his teammates by just walking away from those on-field skirmishes.

Unlike Browny, Hally hasn't been able to contain his emotions and fists when things get hot on the ground.

Hang on. Maybe I have got it all wrong. Maybe Hally is a lot smarter than all of us. Maybe if he retired now or was sacked at the end of the year, he'd be able to sell out any boxing venue in the country.

Maybe this is the best marketing strategy of all. Well, it may just be the perfect starting point to the next phase of his career.

I can't write this week without reference to Sunday's mouth-watering, top-of-the-ladder match between Geelong and St Kilda.

Who would have thought in this day and age in one of the most even competitions in the world two teams would be playing each other in round 14, both undefeated?

Wow! Who will win? The only issue that I can identify that may assist in making a decision is this: Have the Saints learnt from last years qualifying final loss?

They are playing a different style of game now, the Saints. Is it a style good enough to beat the Cats this Sunday? Geelong for mine. Just.

there go any chances of us getting Barry from the bargain basement bin.

Aker knows what's best for us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Desipura

there go any chances of us getting Barry from the bargain basement bin.

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Good

all issues aside, he is still capable of playing at this level, kicked 6 against us some 5 weeks ago. If Welsh retired, I would look at it.
Lets see how we go in September (assuming we get there).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Desipura

all issues aside, he is still capable of playing at this level, kicked 6 against us some 5 weeks ago. If Welsh retired, I would look at it.
Lets see how we go in September (assuming we get there).

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no thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Desipura

all issues aside, he is still capable of playing at this level, kicked 6 against us some 5 weeks ago. If Welsh retired, I would look at it.
Lets see how we go in September (assuming we get there).

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True he can still mix it with the best on his day but those days are becoming to and far between. He also comes with a lot extra baggage. I Dont think he is the right option for us.

BUMP.

I read the article in the OP and thought some WOOFers might just see the irony...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BulldogBelle

Hang on. Maybe I have got it all wrong. Maybe Hally is a lot smarter than all of us. Maybe if he retired now or was sacked at the end of the year, he'd be able to sell out any boxing venue in the country.

Maybe this is the best marketing strategy of all. Well, it may just be the perfect starting point to the next phase of his career.

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This bits interesting, replace boxing with release a book/become a media slut. Maybe this is all in the grand plan for Aker after all.

Great call Andrew to bump this up again. They should re- publish it again. Aker says one thing then does another.

Gee lucky i read the last bit about the Saints and Geelong , I thought it was this weeks article, made it quite funny thinking that and giving Barry a lot of knives, then he had to play with him??
No wonder the trust wasnt there with Aker.

Great bump - now Aker is a w_nker in my eyes, but when he talks about trust, he's referring to performance/on field trust; like off-field trust doesn't matter. That's one thing that's at least consistent from him - not right - but consistent

Saw the date but didn't look at the year - I read the first few paragraphs and thought 'this is a new low, even for Aker...'

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bulldog4EVER

True he can still mix it with the best on his day but those days are becoming to and far between. He also comes with a lot extra baggage. I Dont think he is the right option for us.

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I found this post interesting.....No doubt Bulldog4EVER has been won over.;)