Jay Clark From: Sunday Herald Sun May 09, 2010
WESTERN Bulldogs hope to rediscover the forward-line synergy that made them such a huge threat in the pre-season when Barry Hall takes on his old side, Sydney, on Saturday.
The former Swans spearhead is out of form, having kicked one goal in his past two outings, leading into the blockbuster first meeting against the club from which he departed last year.
Teammate Daniel Cross was adamant Hall's recently limited goal output was not his fault, admitting the NAB Cup champions had become "confused" about their forward set-up.
Cross said the Dogs were the best attacking side in the AFL last season, but were struggling to find the right balance between kicking to Hall and the other mid-sized forward options this year.
"Certainly at times we are confused as to when to go long (to Hall) and when to hit the lead-up player," Cross said on SEN.
"Over the last few years, we've done that extremely well, not having the stay-at-home big forward there.
"But we are training as hard as we ever have on that area of our game to get those decisions right and eventually it will click.
"It certainly happened well during the NAB Cup, but we just haven't got it right at the moment."
If anything, Cross said the team was guilty of kicking to Hall too much.
"We are maybe falling into the trap as a last resort to kick it to 'Hally' and let him do the rest," he said.
"But that's not the way we want to play. It's just a matter of getting the balance right."
Hall was on fire, kicking 17 goals in three games in the NAB Cup, but the 33-year-old was well-beaten in the one-on-one contest in the wet against Melbourne's Matthew Warnock on Friday night.
Hall was held goal-less and took one mark.
A much-improved Sydney has thrived with Daniel Bradshaw in Hall's place, having lost only one of its first six games.
The first bout since Hall's falling out with the Swans over his continued on-field indiscipline will provide a considerable test of the goalkicker's focus coming off a lean patch.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/af...-1225864001045