SYDNEY Swans co-captain Brett Kirk says the decision about Barry Hall’s future at the club is the hardest that he has been involved with.

Hall accepted a two-match suspension on Tuesday morning for striking Adelaide defender Ben Rutten in last weekend’s clash at AAMI Stadium.

Swans coach Paul Roos said on Monday that in striking Rutten, Hall had behaved like a player “who doesn’t want to play AFL football”.

Kirk said the Swans’ leadership group would meet later in the week to discuss Hall’s actions. Roos, football manager Andrew Ireland and chairman Richard Colless will also be involved.

“I think as a club as a whole, we care about Barry, we support him but we’re saying it’s unacceptable,” he said before training on Wednesday.

“What’s happened is unacceptable and he needs to take personal responsibility for the behaviour. It’s something that we’ve got to work through with him.

“It’s not something we’re going to make a rash decision about, because we don’t want to make an emotional decision.

“Especially for me, he’s a friend and I care about him but I’m the captain of the footy club. I have a responsibility to the Swans football club, the playing list and everyone who supports the club.”

Kirk said it would be sad if Hall’s career was to end on such a sour note considering the contribution he has made to the club he captained to a premiership.

“We’ve gone through a lot together and I feel like I connect with him. I guess as a captain, you want to see it through their eyes but as I said before, it’s got to be tough love,” he said.

“I don’t know if he was put in the same situation that he wouldn’t do it again.

Kirk said the Swans’ chances of reaching a seventh successive finals series would have no bearing on their discussions about Hall.

Instead, the preservation of the club’s renowned culture will be paramount.

“I’ve got a duty as a captain and a responsibility to the younger players coming through to stand for something, to have a culture coming through that everyone looks at from the outside and thinks this club has a really great reputation,” he said.

“We’re all only passing through here – we’re all guardians of this footy club and no one’s here forever. We want to leave the club a better place.

“It’s something that we’ll need to sit down and talk to the young guys about and keep talking about what we stand for as a footy club.”