“Big, Bad, Bustling” Barry Hall certainly lived up to the nickname he despised.
And although it’s impossible to whitewash the transgressions that at times marred his turbulent career, even Hall’s harshest critics must acknowledge his star quality as a power forward.
Often the best endorsements in sport are those that come from adversaries, and Hall’s greatest rival, West Coast defender Darren Glass, holds Sydney’s 2005 premiership captain in the highest regard.
“He was an outstanding player who was quick, strong and a great kick for goal,” Glass told the Swans’ website in 2014 when Hall was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.
“His work rate was incredible.
“He was a true champion and obviously a great leader and a huge part of that famous and highly-respected Swans team.”
The Swans’ leading goalkicker an equal club record seven times, Hall is third on the club’s all-time list with 467 (162 games), behind only the legendary Bob Pratt’s 681 (158 games) and fellow premiership great Michael O’Loughlin’s 521 (303 games).
Swans fans argue vehemently that Hall would’ve kicked many more goals had he received all the free kicks he deserved.
O’Loughlin had fond memories of their dangerous forward combination.
“Big Baz was one of the great players I played with, and we had a great little one-two punch going there for a while,” O’Loughlin told AFL Media in 2015.
Such consistency and focus was a far cry from the boy from Broadford’s early days at St Kilda, where his match-winning potential was overshadowed by bouts of frustration.
A few efforts with St Kilda stand out – the then 20-year-old’s purple patch of three goals in five minutes in the second quarter of the 1997 Grand Final loss to Adelaide; a career-best eight-goal haul in a team tally of 12 in a loss to the Bulldogs; and an after-the-siren goal to defeat Hawthorn in his last game for the Saints.
After six seasons with St Kilda, Hall felt he needed a change.
“I was doing the Saints a favour by leaving because I did a lot of bad stuff and didn’t help the culture,” he told Fox Footy last year.
Sydney appealed because the Harbour City offered relative anonymity.
Hall would feel blessed to join the Swans because it enabled him to become part of the renowned ‘Bloods’ culture, which helped him develop and mature as both a person and a footballer.
The challenges kept coming.
Hall was an intimidating customer who made his teammates walk taller, but his aggression could be a double-edged sword, as he explained on SBS’s Insight program in April: “When I could channel that (the) right way, I could benefit from it, but it hindered me in a lot of ways as well.”
The boy from Broadford achieved some redemption during a final two-year stint with the Bulldogs, where he added a fourth All-Australian selection and became the only player to kick 100 goals for three different clubs.
After his induction to the Swans’ Hall of Fame in 2014, he added: “There’s a lot of stuff I did that I regret at this football club, but there’s also a lot of stuff that I’m proud of. I hope this confirms … that the good stuff that I did outweighs the bad.”
Barry Hall's career by the numbers
Games: 289 (162 for Sydney 2000-09, 88 for St Kilda 1996-2001, 39 for Western Bulldogs 2010-11)
Goals: 746 (467 for Sydney, 144 for St Kilda, 135 for Western Bulldogs)
Premiership: 2005
Club Champion: 2004
Leading goal-kicker: 1999, 2001 (St Kilda), 2002-08 (Sydney), 2010-11 (Western Bulldogs)
Sydney Swans captain: 2005-07
All Australian: 2004-06 (Sydney), 2010 (Western Bulldogs)
International Series: 4
