RARELY has a move been as good for both player and club as the trade that sent Barry Hall from St Kilda to the Sydney Swans in 2001.

In 88 games with the Saints, Hall proved himself a powerful tall forward but his inability to cope as an AFL player in Melbourne’s fierce public spotlight hampered his output.

Further north, the Swans desperately needed a new forward target to fill the void left by the retirement of champion goalkicker Tony Lockett in 1999.

It appeared a match made in football heaven – and so it proved in the ensuing years.

Hall has led the club goalkicking in each of his seven seasons at the Swans, winning the Bob Skilton Medal in 2004 and captaining the side in the 2005 grand final as it broke a 72-year premiership drought.

Three All-Australian jumpers (2004-06) are testament to his rise to the upper echelons of the competition in that time.

Speaking on the eve of his 250th game, Hall told sydneyswans.com.au he had no doubt the move to Sydney was the best decision he’d made in his career.

"It all sort of fitted – Sydney needed a key forward and I needed to get out of Melbourne," he said.

"I wasn’t handling Melbourne or the media pressure all that well so looking back on it, if I’d stayed in Melbourne, I probably wouldn’t be playing now to be quite honest."

Despite all his individual accolades, Hall said standing atop the dais at the MCG with the 2005 premiership cup in hand was his proudest moment in football.

"I always used to practise it out in the back paddock but even when I stood up there, I was dumbfounded," he said.

"I used to watch Wayne Carey and all those guys hold the cup up and think, 'Geez, that would be great' but to actually do it … it sort of didn’t sink in until a few months down the track that it actually did happen.

"I played in [a grand final] in 1997 when I was a young guy and I sort of took it for granted a little bit, that this might happen every year, but they’re few and far between.

"To be in one was great but to actually win one – you never forget it and it’s always on your resume."

In contrast, the one-point loss to West Coast in 2006 was "devastating", he said.

"You put that much work into it throughout the year and we were in red-hot form going into it. To get pipped at the post by a quality side that we had a good rivalry with was shattering," Hall said.

"But we’re not the only ones that have lost a grand final. West Coast did it the year before and it’s a bitter taste but I guess you appreciate it when you do win one."

While Hall stepped down from the co-captaincy after the 2007 season, he said he had relished the chance to lead his teammates.

"In terms of leadership, I’ve never sort of seen myself as a leader but everyone’s got leadership qualities in some way, shape or form," he said.

"Realising what leadership I bring to the footy club was a great learning experience for me and it taught me a lot."