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Hope for Hall
Christian Nicolussi | July 04, 2009 12:00am
THE Western Bulldogs have again emerged as a possible saviour for Barry Hall, with the club leaving the door ajar next season for the Sydney bad boy. In the same week 11 rival clubs said they would not bother to pursue 32-year-old Hall - on the nose at Sydney after he belted Adelaide's Ben Rutten and earned another two-match ban - the Dogs refused to rule out the idea of Hall being at Whitten Oval in 2010.
Hall himself used his Sydney newspaper column yesterday to make explosive claims that he could immediately quit Sydney and play on elsewhere next year.
"Could now be the right time for me to finish up at the Swans?" Hall wrote.
"It could give me a break that I might benefit from, and freshen me up for a crack with a new club next season."
The Bulldogs' flirtation with Hall goes back to last year's trading period and they are still in need of a key forward to complement their attack.
Related LinksVote: Would you want Barry at your club?
Tough love: Kirk's conversation with Hall
Round 14: All the team selections
Football manager James Fantasia this week repeated the Dogs' interest in the controversial figure.
"You can never say never, especially a player of his quality," Fantasia said.
"With ageing players, they'd need a strong medical and make sure all the boxes are ticked.
"He played pretty well the other day (against Adelaide) and most opposition sides still have a healthy respect for him. We wouldn't rule it out, but that also doesn't mean we'll be overly aggressive (in signing Hall) either."
Sydney coach Paul Roos said yesterday he wasn't surprised Hall was considering walking out on the Swans.
"I genuinely stand here and I don't know what's going to happen, and I think that's what Barry is saying in his article," Roos said.
"It's just a natural thing for him to think about, all those sorts of things that were mentioned in the paper."
Roos said the club would make a decision on Hall's future before the Round 16 game against Carlton, when Hall returned from his latest suspension.
He described the hard man as a "revered figure" at the Swans.
"Whatever happens, we'll certainly take into consideration Barry Hall as well as the footy club," Roos said.
"I want a positive outcome for the footy club and for Barry Hall.
"If he plays again next year and it doesn't happen to be at this football club, I'll be the first one to ring him and wish him all the best."
Hall revealed in his weekly newspaper column that he seriously considered retiring after the Rutten incident.
But, after talking to teammate Leo Barry and his family, the veteran forward changed his mind.
"The easy thing to do would be to walk away and take up boxing. But what would I be? Barry Hall the boxer, but also Barry Hall the disgraced ex-footballer," he wrote.
"The perception of me might not change drastically between now and when I do finish up, but I want to go out with some good games under my belt and prove my worth as a footy player."
I'm starting to warm to the idea.
Christian Nicolussi | July 04, 2009 12:00am
THE Western Bulldogs have again emerged as a possible saviour for Barry Hall, with the club leaving the door ajar next season for the Sydney bad boy. In the same week 11 rival clubs said they would not bother to pursue 32-year-old Hall - on the nose at Sydney after he belted Adelaide's Ben Rutten and earned another two-match ban - the Dogs refused to rule out the idea of Hall being at Whitten Oval in 2010.
Hall himself used his Sydney newspaper column yesterday to make explosive claims that he could immediately quit Sydney and play on elsewhere next year.
"Could now be the right time for me to finish up at the Swans?" Hall wrote.
"It could give me a break that I might benefit from, and freshen me up for a crack with a new club next season."
The Bulldogs' flirtation with Hall goes back to last year's trading period and they are still in need of a key forward to complement their attack.
Related LinksVote: Would you want Barry at your club?
Tough love: Kirk's conversation with Hall
Round 14: All the team selections
Football manager James Fantasia this week repeated the Dogs' interest in the controversial figure.
"You can never say never, especially a player of his quality," Fantasia said.
"With ageing players, they'd need a strong medical and make sure all the boxes are ticked.
"He played pretty well the other day (against Adelaide) and most opposition sides still have a healthy respect for him. We wouldn't rule it out, but that also doesn't mean we'll be overly aggressive (in signing Hall) either."
Sydney coach Paul Roos said yesterday he wasn't surprised Hall was considering walking out on the Swans.
"I genuinely stand here and I don't know what's going to happen, and I think that's what Barry is saying in his article," Roos said.
"It's just a natural thing for him to think about, all those sorts of things that were mentioned in the paper."
Roos said the club would make a decision on Hall's future before the Round 16 game against Carlton, when Hall returned from his latest suspension.
He described the hard man as a "revered figure" at the Swans.
"Whatever happens, we'll certainly take into consideration Barry Hall as well as the footy club," Roos said.
"I want a positive outcome for the footy club and for Barry Hall.
"If he plays again next year and it doesn't happen to be at this football club, I'll be the first one to ring him and wish him all the best."
Hall revealed in his weekly newspaper column that he seriously considered retiring after the Rutten incident.
But, after talking to teammate Leo Barry and his family, the veteran forward changed his mind.
"The easy thing to do would be to walk away and take up boxing. But what would I be? Barry Hall the boxer, but also Barry Hall the disgraced ex-footballer," he wrote.
"The perception of me might not change drastically between now and when I do finish up, but I want to go out with some good games under my belt and prove my worth as a footy player."
I'm starting to warm to the idea.
That is just wrong on so many levels.
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