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Hall of shame

By Mr Dandalooa

There is a prime opportunity next year for WA’s footy teams, along with their eastern states counterparts, to exploit a weakness in the Western Bulldogs team.

No it’s not taking out that blonde-dyed ego-maniac Akermanis, although many in the West wouldn’t complain.

But it’s revving up boxer-cum-football player-cum-fighter-cum-apologist-cum-football player-cum-boxer-cum-quitter-cum Bulldog Barry Hall.

News on Fairfax media this week said that Hall faces instant dismissal from the Western Bulldogs should he lose control of his temper on the footy field and face another serious striking charge, was music to many an ear.

The Bulldogs successfully lobbied the AFL to allow it to insert a special clause into Hall’s two-year contract that would end his playing career once and for all should he repeat the infamous Brent Staker or Ben Rutten blows.

Hall, who at 32 is already at the end of his career, has taken a pay cut to play at the Western Bulldogs next year after he left the Sydney Swans citing anger management issues.

In an interview with The Age newspaper, Hall said that he wanted to resurrect his AFL career and help his new club work towards its first premiership in more than half a century.

But as history shows, Hall is nothing but ball-handling bully who’s temper and anger often gets the better of him. Sure he’s one of the best players to grace the field, but you don’t have to be a genius to see that people like him never change.

It takes a split second to lose your cool and in the game’s fast pace with the stakes getting higher and higher, I predict that it won’t be long before Hall finds himself on the receiving end of a tribunal lashing.

But then the question will be whether his new club will be willing to risk losing a premiership tilt to discipline one of the most undisciplined players in the league.

If I were a player out there, a little bit of trash talking and a rev-up here and there could pay massive dividends to see Hall out for the rest of the new season, and his career.

I just wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of his fist, el a Staker.