Murray MiddletonFisticuffs
July 8th 2008 12:50
On Monday the Sydney Swans suspended Barry Hall indefinitely. The move followed an off-the-ball incident in last Saturday night’s frustrating loss to Collingwood. In only his third game back from suspension, Hall attempted to strike his opponent – Collingwood full back Shane Wakelin – in the face. The extent of the contact was questionable. But Hall’s intentions were not.
Such was the hysteria generated by Hall’s hit on West Coast’s Brent Staker earlier in the season that footage of the incident was even shown in America. As a result of the Staker incident, Hall will play out the rest of his career with a television camera firmly focussed on him. Hall was aware of this. The question has to be asked: if Hall was not deterred by the Staker incident, what is it going to take for him to put away the dukes?
The Swans should be applauded for their decision to suspend Hall indefinitely. The tribunal was characteristically timid when dealing with a Swans player. They offered Hall a two match suspension that could be reduced to one with an early guilty plea. On the surface the incident seems to be quite minor, but on further inspection it is testament to a man who simply cannot control himself. The Swans knew that if Hall continued to play, he could potentially pose a danger to opposition players.
Hall is reportedly suffering from ‘personal’ issues at the moment. This is a thinly-veiled reference to ongoing problems with his long time partner. However bleak the outlook of their relationship is, there are countless players in the league suffering from similar, if not worse, problems. Fortunately these players do not resort to fisticuffs when they step on to the football field. Putting aside the misguided perception that Hall had reformed prior to the Staker incident, he has always been prone to acts of thuggery. When he felled Chris Grant off the ball at the SCG he wasn’t suffering from personal problems.
In ‘The Age’ during the week Rohan Connolly questioned the Swans’ much-heralded code of conduct for the first time. Such questioning centres on the recent exploits of three players: Barry Hall, Adam Goodes and Nick Davis. All three are premiership players. All three are exceptionally talented. But in recent times all three have demonstrated their continued unwillingness to curb their errant ways. Although such an attitude has not affected the Swans’ on-field performances yet, it is costing the club the services of arguably their three most talented players.
The suspension of Hall is a move in the right direction. Sydney remains a great chance to make the top four. From there, as history has shown, anything is possible. Their success in recent times has been built on hard work and team cohesion. Less talented players such as Brett Kirk, Craig Bolton and Jude Bolton embody this mantra. Every premiership team possesses a balance of skill and dedication. Right now the Swans have every incentive to be dedicated. This should be the driving force behind Hall’s desire to play again in 2008.
It is time that someone stood up and labelled the Swans premiership what it really was: an absolute joke. In the 2005 preliminary final Barry Hall punched St.Kilda’s Matt MaGuire in the stomach behind the play. It was a thuggish act; one that the Swans star has never shown any remorse for. The tribunal allowed Hall to play the following week by upholding his appeal on a ridiculous technicality. Sydney would not have won the 2005 grand final if Hall hadn’t have played. If Hall had have missed that match, there is a far greater chance that he might have got the message.
Such was the hysteria generated by Hall’s hit on West Coast’s Brent Staker earlier in the season that footage of the incident was even shown in America. As a result of the Staker incident, Hall will play out the rest of his career with a television camera firmly focussed on him. Hall was aware of this. The question has to be asked: if Hall was not deterred by the Staker incident, what is it going to take for him to put away the dukes?
The Swans should be applauded for their decision to suspend Hall indefinitely. The tribunal was characteristically timid when dealing with a Swans player. They offered Hall a two match suspension that could be reduced to one with an early guilty plea. On the surface the incident seems to be quite minor, but on further inspection it is testament to a man who simply cannot control himself. The Swans knew that if Hall continued to play, he could potentially pose a danger to opposition players.
Hall is reportedly suffering from ‘personal’ issues at the moment. This is a thinly-veiled reference to ongoing problems with his long time partner. However bleak the outlook of their relationship is, there are countless players in the league suffering from similar, if not worse, problems. Fortunately these players do not resort to fisticuffs when they step on to the football field. Putting aside the misguided perception that Hall had reformed prior to the Staker incident, he has always been prone to acts of thuggery. When he felled Chris Grant off the ball at the SCG he wasn’t suffering from personal problems.
In ‘The Age’ during the week Rohan Connolly questioned the Swans’ much-heralded code of conduct for the first time. Such questioning centres on the recent exploits of three players: Barry Hall, Adam Goodes and Nick Davis. All three are premiership players. All three are exceptionally talented. But in recent times all three have demonstrated their continued unwillingness to curb their errant ways. Although such an attitude has not affected the Swans’ on-field performances yet, it is costing the club the services of arguably their three most talented players.
The suspension of Hall is a move in the right direction. Sydney remains a great chance to make the top four. From there, as history has shown, anything is possible. Their success in recent times has been built on hard work and team cohesion. Less talented players such as Brett Kirk, Craig Bolton and Jude Bolton embody this mantra. Every premiership team possesses a balance of skill and dedication. Right now the Swans have every incentive to be dedicated. This should be the driving force behind Hall’s desire to play again in 2008.
It is time that someone stood up and labelled the Swans premiership what it really was: an absolute joke. In the 2005 preliminary final Barry Hall punched St.Kilda’s Matt MaGuire in the stomach behind the play. It was a thuggish act; one that the Swans star has never shown any remorse for. The tribunal allowed Hall to play the following week by upholding his appeal on a ridiculous technicality. Sydney would not have won the 2005 grand final if Hall hadn’t have played. If Hall had have missed that match, there is a far greater chance that he might have got the message.
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