WHEN Barry Hall retired from the Sydney Swans in July 2009, he was brought to tears during a lap of honour around the SCG sitting in the back of a ute.

Hall had led the Swans to some of their best times during his eight years in Sydney, but left the club on disappointing terms due to repeated indiscretions.

Now a Western Bulldog, Hall will again farewell the SCG after playing against the Swans on Saturday and his former club hopes he is just as disappointed the second time around.

Hall orchestrated his retirement announcement this week to coincide with the Bulldogs' clash with his former side, saying he felt he "owed the fans a goodbye".

Swans coach John Longmire hopes Hall gets a good reception, but he also hopes 'Big, Bad, Barry' leaves the ground a grumpy man.

"He did a lap of honour here after he retired and got a really good reception then," Longmire said in Sydney on Thursday.

"I'm hoping he's a bit disappointed after the game obviously, but he still gets a good reception from all our fans.

"He's played such a big part in our recent history, so that's what he deserves."

Hall has dominated the lead-up to a game that is vital to both team's September hopes.

He will front a press conference in Sydney on Friday before contesting his farewell game at a ground he dominated the following day.

But sentiment will be put aside when the ball is bounced, with Heath Grundy or Ted Richards likely to get the job on the in-form forward.

"I am worried about what he can do. He can kick goals, that's what I'm worried about," Longmire said.

"He's a superstar of the game, he knows the ground well, he looks in really good condition, but I'm hoping he comes up here and goes easy on us."

The weather has been atrocious in Sydney all week, with the Swans conducting their key training session on Thursday in driving rain.

Longmire hopes it will suit his side, with the Bulldogs accustomed to playing under the roof at Etihad Stadium.

The Swans, who have a disappointing 2-4 win-loss record at the SCG this season, are doing all they can to master the conditions.

"There's been a big emphasis on what boots we're wearing," Swans
midfielder Josh Kennedy said.

"I think the message today was the first person to slip over during training will be off the track.

"Everyone's got the long stops on and we'll just attack it as best we can."

There were smiles all round when a fire alarm test interrupted Longmire's press conference on Thursday.

But he knows alarm bells will be ringing loud and clear if the eighth-placed Swans lose for the fifth time from their past six games when they take on the 12th-placed Bulldogs.

"We've only played quarters here and there at the SCG and that's why we haven't got the results we've wanted here," Longmire said.

"We're aware of it, we're desperate to do something about it, but the reality is we've got to do something about it this week.

"There's no ifs, buts and maybes, we need to make sure the intensity we showed in the last quarter last week (against Fremantle) flows onto the first bounce this week."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs.