It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

[LostDoggy]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I have heard reports that some members have been ringing the club to inform them of their displeasure at signing Barry and letting them know that they will no longer be members if we recruit Hall.

I think it's a little petty... If I can take 10 years of Eagleton and still sign up every year they can take a couple of years of Hall.

I am tierd of members holding the club ransome for thier membership. The club is trying to win a flag and doing thing to get us there. It is not as if the board says at its meetings "Let's do this cause it will really tick off member 22341 and it will be really funny"

Mantis how do you feel when Eagle does something good during a game? Being his biggest fan and all is it kind of a hollow feeling?

[Missing Dog]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

Mantis how do you feel when Eagle does something good during a game? Being his biggest fan and all is it kind of a hollow feeling?

Mantis missed IT when he was getting a beer out of the fridge in the Corporate Box.

[Sedat]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I think it's a little petty... If I can take 10 years of Eagleton and still sign up every year they can take a couple of years of Hall.

Ready to saddle up for your 11th? Woof will run out of bandwidth just keeping up with 'The Bald Eagle' thread next year

[Desipura]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I have a another marketing idea for FDOTM............
Fake tattoo's of Big Bad Bustling Barry Bulldog.

[neodog]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I would love to hear the counter agurments to these members who complained about the recruitment of Big Bad Barry.

[LostDoggy]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I have a another marketing idea for FDOTM............
Fake tattoo's of Big Bad Bustling Barry Bulldog.

Id love to see a BBBBB tshirt

[LostDoggy]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

It would be a knock out thats for sure.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I would love to hear the counter agurments to these members who complained about the recruitment of Big Bad Barry.

At this stage...no thanks. He would need to display substantially more ticker and common sense before I would consider it.

No for mine
TCD I see your 10 and raise you to 20

1) He said he can't trust himself, not sure then how we are supposed to
2) He said he can't see himself playing at another club lining up against Sydney
3) He has priors at the tribunal that will guarantee long suspensions for any indiscretions
4) He is getting old in AFL terms thus not as athletic as in earlier years
5) His age means he is more susceptable to injury
6) Missing the last 8 games this season he may be injured coming back ala Cousins
7) He will probably replace Welsh
8) He will only be around for a year or two
9) In his limited time he may not be very effective, still adjusting to his environment and game plan ala Aker
10) He would take game time away from our developing forwards
11) An alternate player from the pick we use to get him will be lost
11) He could damage our clean reputation with continued indiscretions
12) Opposition players know he can be easily aggrevated and will be able to put him off his game and get him to give away frees & 50s and get suspended
13) He would take the media attention away from positives at the club
14) We don't need the speculation on getting him to distract us this year
15) We don't need the speculation on his behaviour to distract us next year
16) We don't want to send a message to the group that we need to take such a risk to be successful
17) He would receive even more media attention in Melbourne and would be distracted
18) Our forward line is currently working well as it is, we should not disrupt this for a single season
19) Eade's focus would be taken away from team success to managing Hall
20) He would be doing it to redeem himself and not for a premiership ala Pavlich

I voted no, for three reasons:

too old



Too Old


TOO OLD

The people arguing that we should sign him up are thinking with their hearts, not heads. Too much romanticism about him being a Dogs fan as a kid, coupled with this mythical notion that a flag can't be won without him, or someone like him. Never understimate just what being out of footy for a prolonged period can do to someone's body. He'll be 33 going on 34 next season, and will not play any serious football from last week to March 2010. That factor might be OK for someone like Cousins or someone physically in their prime, Hall is far from that. He will be slower, and it will take several weeks for him to adjust. And people want to introduce this element to a club that's already finding avenues to goal without a player like him, albeit with cameo's from Minson as a power-forward.

He also has one eye on football, one eye on an extremely lucrative boxing career. How can we place so much faith on a person whose not even 100% focussed on football? A player that has already achieved what our entire list is currently dreaming of achieving?

And all this doesn't take into account his volatility, and his propensity for lunacy. As has been shown in recent years when he is pushed mentally and when people get under his skin - he only knows how to react with thuggery. This would bring disharmony to an otherwise harmonious club.

An obvious 'No' vote from me.

I voted no, then read all the posts ... I still say no

I think we have done a lot of work over the last couple of years to construct a game that does not need a power lead-up forward. To take Hall now would undo all this effort and change our structure completely.

I voted no because I don't think we need him ... not this year or next

I picked no.

Basically because i'm not convinced he's the type of player that will compliment our side.
Sure he could be a good forward option, and we all want that romantic ideal of a tall forward in the side, however i just think it would be at the expense of the rest of the side.

To me it would change the way we move the ball forward, we might develop blinkers for BH when going forward, and when it doesn't work you can't hide him or move him into a different role. I don't think he'd like going to bench for a spell either.

mmmmm - I think no at this stage. We don't really need him. Plus if he himself says he can't guarantee another 'brain fade' then why would you even entertain the thought?
I'd hate for the Barry Hall 'ego' to drag us down, I really believe that the Western Bulldogs are a team of pretty good boys. I mean really, how often do you hear of a Doggies player getting into strife - footy related or not. (a-la Hall, Fevola etc....)
Apart from Wills little brain fade last year, for which he immediatley apologised for - that's really last thing I can think of that made any kind of news in the media.
If Barry joined it'd just pull the boys focus away from where they are supposed to be.

I fear that a big charismatic and demanding key forward may actually destroy our "mojo".
When the ball comes in from the midfield at the moment no one knows where it's going.
Higgins? Aker? Gia? Johnno? Murph? Will? Mich? etc etc.
Panic sets in because, as a defender, you don't know who to cover.
Our forward line is slippery, flexible and POTENT.

Will our mid fielders start ignoring all the other leads because big bad Barry Hall is screaming for the ball?
Will all our small forwards stop leading and start trying to crumb off him?
Will we be easier to stop?

Why do we want him?
To kick goals.
Everything else is bluff and romance.

BUT WE KICK ENOUGH GOALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can talk about having a "presence" in the forward line or a "tall target as an option".
But that might just make the midfielders lazy.
"bomb it long to Hall" mentality may sink in.
Plenty of teams with talented big key forwards have languished in mediocrity for years. Look at Richo and Fev.

I'll say another thing about Hall. He's never been a strong contested mark. Despite his reputation he's never been a Richo or a Carey outmarking mobs of defenders.
He's pretty much a lead up and kick straight type.
And he's not a finals performer. His last grand final was disgraceful. Almost unforgiveable and I reckon it was the start of his slide into frustration and rage. His hands were like concrete, perhaps a glimpse of his future use of them.
No Hall.

These were from half the thread about BBBBB with the poll on it.

[neodog]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

WOW thanks TCD!

My counters:

1) Attitude:

Nothing wrong with this,so what if he get ticked off faster than other players. He has forged a decent career already. Looking at this practically, Hall has forged a relatively long and successful AFL career as professional sportsman, this proves he has the necessary discipline, committment to the cause and importantly the right attitude to succeed.

The stigma of Hall being uncontrollable, Badass and a general bully on the field has always stuck with him throughout his career. I think Hall will bring exactly the right attitude/mindset and culture change that a club like us need. We need to get over being everyone 2nd favorite team, being the back to the wall type of club, being the underdog and then failing at the last hurdle under the weight of expectation when the limelight shine on us and we are expected to dance on the big stage. Barry is a bully no doubt and his attitude will rub off on the playing group and will give the Bulldog back its BITE.

(Murphy's quote: Having Barry in the team will make others around him walk taller)



2) Body:

I accept that he will not be in his peak conditions, but you take what is best available for you at any given moment. Barry is not your typical aging footballer in that the body wear down, he was still playing quite well this year and kicked a bag on our Brian lake, he also starred in many other game. For christ sake the mid season forced retirements has kept him primed and ready for a full pre-season also heal any ongoing soft tissue injuries. Barry Hall has the toughnut genes and does not have a history of chronic injuries, for goodness sake he is training partime/fulltime as a BOXER !!!!

[Remi Moses]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

The clubs taking an obvious risk. But to take no risk and have the midget forwards failing in finals again is a BIGGER RISK.Yes we score heavy in home and away games but in big crunch finals[Geelong] [Stkilda] it doesn't work!Every pass that isn't pinpoint our forwards get outmarked.

[Desipura]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

Hey Bornadog, has Hall gotten younger? Why the change of heart? You have gone from one extreme to another. hehe

[Ozza]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I think it became abundantly clear during the Preliminery final that our lack of a big forward was holding us back from getting to a Grand Final. We were outmarked far too often - and a player like Hall has the ability to both take marks - and to bring the ball down when out of position.

I'm extremely positive about us (potentially) getting him. I'm not saying he is still an 80 goal a season forward - but he doesn't have to be. He is simply a better option close to goal than Minson, Welsh, Hill, Hahn etc that we have had deep on many occasions this year. We even had a fwd set up of Addison, Stack and Aker one day! Hall will give us a better structure, he will compete hard and he is in relative terms - costing us stuff all.

Hopefully our supporters can see past the hysteria about him being a mindless thug - which is not the case. He has stuffed up a couple of times - but he has been a popular person around the clubs he has played at and has fitted in well.

I think the players will be happy he is joining the squad.

Go Bazza.

[neodog]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

My counters:

3) Suspension: I will accept suspension, I have no doubt that this will be tied into his playing contracts as an incentive to control Barry and will save the club a bit of coins. Its the risk of having Hall, but aslong as he is primed and is available at the pointy end of the seasons then a few games here and there during the H&A will be acceptable. Hall has never been suspended in a finals series!!! Its not that big of a risk if he does get suspended as we can resort to our Plan B - the high scoring midget forward line to get the job done or Plan C - develop promising tall forwards.


4) Take game time from our developing forwards:
This has to be the most riduclous arguments against getting Hall. By having Hall around the club, it will teach these developing kids of what kind of attitude is required to play this game. They can look up to him or have him mentoring a developing tall, imagine Grant/Everitt/Williams competing with Hall for body positioning in a contest. Hall will gobble them up if they bring their pissy princess attitude, or he can quickly show them up as inferior in strength direct them to spend more time in the gym...etc. At the moment no one can really teach/mentor these devoloping talls as good as Hall will because we dont have any.

[LostDoggy]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

I think everyone should forget about Hall and goal kicking. He's 32 and a little temperamental, and I doubt he'll be kicking "bags" of goals each game.
However you should be looking at what he can 'free up' in the Dogs forward line, and the quality defensive opposition he'll take out of the game. The leagues key defenders will match up on him, which means the smaller forwards and people like big Will (if he sharpens his hands) should have a blinding season next year.
But this all depends on if Hall can holster the guns???

[Desipura]

Re: It's OFFICIAL - Barry Hall - Bulldogs Website Announcement

Kirky was on SEN not long ago and said he was one of the best trainers at the club, really prepared himself well. It was just those unfortunate moments on the ground where he would do something silly that had cost him.