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Bully Hall needs to go: Head case settled

On July 7 2009 Barry Hall called an emotionally charged press conference.

It seemed Big Bad Bully Barry feared his somewhat volatile temper might send him over the edge and in all certain terms would retire from the Sydney Swans, effective immediately.

An aura of relief billowed from footy stadiums everywhere.

At 32, Hall was uncertain about the impact his demons were having on his sporting future with the key forward signalling he might return to boxing.

Phew!! Had the AFL really gottem rid of this baffoon?

There was the slim prospect of Hall continuing his AFL career at another club.

Oh, no we thought, why does he think his temper would subside at another club?

At the time, Hall, who served a two-game suspension for striking Adelaide opponent Ben Rutten in round 13 of last season and had a brain snap when he deliberately struck West Coast opponent Brent staker, agreed there could be no more brain lapses.

“I’m worried about my actions sometimes, they’re natural, they’re instinctive and as soon as I do it I think, `why did I do that?’,” he said at the time.

“It was a real risk to keep playing and it’s something I have to sort out even after this, it’s not as if I’m going to let the issue go away because I’m not playing football.

“God help it if it (affects) me in society, it could happen in a night club or road rage, it could happen, but I’m going to sort it out and try and fix the problem.”
But just six months after relief echoed through locker rooms, Hall gave AFL full-backs a jolt when claiming he was fitter, hungrier and stronger, oh yeah and he would be playing for the Western Bulldogs.
Despite Hall admitting he wasn’t mentally capable of promisng to keep his temper under control despite wanting a second chance to continue his AFL career with the Western Bulldogs, he got that chance.

Considering the Bulldogs picked up another drongo in Akermanis, it wasn’t all that surprising.

And yet here he is, after everything, psycho Barry has escaped AFL suspension for putting opponent Scott Thompson in a headlock on Saturday.

Instead, the match review panel fined him a poultry $4,000, which can be reduced to $3000 with an early guilty plea.

Even though Hall was charged with misconduct after the second-quarter stoush at Docklands stadium for applying a headlock on Thompson, which was in retaliation for being knocked over s he was tying his bootlaces, Hall continues to be able to play.

But Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade accused Kangaroos of making “cheap shots” and said poor old Bully Hall needs to be protected by the umpires, claiming Hall was more than entitled to defend himself when he was knocked over by Thompson.

Rightly so, North coach Brad Scott rejected Eade’s claims.

In September last year Hall, who was given a second chance did say he was “pretty confident “ he can control his temper, but “I’m not going to sit here and promise it won’t happen again”.
“If this does go belly-up, I get reported and go off my head, it’ll end worse than what it started,” Bully Hall said.
“I’m very aware of that and I wouldn’t put myself in that position.
“If things go wrong here, it could end terribly. A new environment, the way they (the Bulldogs) play footy, all that stuff’s going to help.”
With Sydney as a club and teammates tired of his anger management issues, Hall got his
But i think there is no room in the AFL for some psycho to continue his rampage.

I’m all for bringing back the biff, but when it’s warranted and based on a case by case merit.

For someone who is obviously a danger to himself and a danger to other players, I say get rid of this toad.