Barry Hall

[meher baba]

This issue arose in another post. I'll repeat what I said there, and see if I can start a heated discussion.

Looks BBBB Hall is a loose cannon and a thug, and one part of me feels strongly that I would never want to see him back in the R, W and B.

But I've come to realise that he'd be sensational at full forward for us next year: he could even be the missing piece in the jigsaw that would take us to a flag.

If we had Hall, suddenly the issue about our being too Riewoldt-focused would be totally gone. In fact, with Hall playing furthest forward, Nick could play mainly in the area from 40-70 metres out from goal and become even more dangerous than he is now. Notice how dangerous O'Keeffe was in 2005-06 and how much less dangerous he has been in the last couple of years when Hall firstly lost form through injury and then spent a lot of time suspended.

Unless he's seriously injured in some way we don't know about (andf I don't mean in his head), I'd consider going so far as to trade our first round draft pick to get him and, say, a lower draft pick.

So come on Ross and Archie and Greg, don't let the Doggies get him. Let's get him back!![/u]

[Ralphy]

Id love bazza in the saints colours next year.!!!!

[Saints94]

No thanks we can't build our club around him!

[Geezer]

michael jackson has a better chance of opening a string of childcare centres in the states than barry hall has of playing with st.kilda ever again.

let's be just a little realistic.

[st.byron]

Absolutlely not. 32 y.o at the start of Feb. Past his best. We might get one or two years out of him and then what? Any younger player that might have been developing instead of playing Barry hasn't developed.
Wouldn't touch him with a big fat stick.

[JeffDunne]

He'd be huge risk for any club - especially us.

Having said that though, Ross would have a pretty good handle on whether he thought he could work with him.

If he was confident and we could get him cheap, I'd be tempted to say "why not?"

[Art Vandelay]

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.....makes about as much sense as this thread.

[saintsRrising]

I would imagine that the Dogs would be desperate to have him.

Add Hall into that Dogs team up forward and it would make a huge difference to their team.


While Hall would makea difference to us as well...our major area of lack compared to the Cats and Hawks is our midfield. That is where we lost both recent games to them....and that is where we need to improve the most if we want to get into a GF.

[meher baba]

michael jackson has a better chance of opening a string of childcare centres in the states than barry hall has of playing with st.kilda ever again.

let's be just a little realistic.

Why is it unrealistic to think about recruiting Hall? It's pretty clear that Sydney has had enough of him and the Doggies are supposedly talking to him.

I'm not saying it's going to happen, but why is it so unlikely?

[st.byron]

agree with sRr. We need to be adding depth and run to our mid-field before we start topping up with lumbering dudes who only have a couple of years left in them.
MIght be a handy pick-up for the Doggies, but no to coming to STK.

[boneless23]

Its amazing how a couple of Newspaper articles can make people change their tune a little bit. When I posted this on Monday I was shot down from all angles.

I am with you MB. If the price is right then why not? If someone else says something about Goose not being happy, then Goose will just have to get over it for the benefit of the team. A fit and firing Barry Hall (like he was in the last two games of the season) would give us ALOT in 2009 and 2010.

[Geezer]

michael jackson has a better chance of opening a string of childcare centres in the states than barry hall has of playing with st.kilda ever again.

let's be just a little realistic.

Why is it unrealistic to think about recruiting Hall? It's pretty clear that Sydney has had enough of him and the Doggies are supposedly talking to him.

I'm not saying it's going to happen, but why is it so unlikely?

he should not be what we are looking for.

we need mids with pace and two way players that can go and get the ball.
not players who are past their prime and just playing out the days for a paycheck.

lets not become the "official retirement home for AFL players"

[meher baba]

Its amazing how a couple of Newspaper articles can make people change their tune a little bit. When I posted this on Monday I was shot down from all angles.

I am with you MB. If the price is right then why not? If someone else says something about Goose not being happy, then Goose will just have to get over it for the benefit of the team. A fit and firing Barry Hall (like he was in the last two games of the season) would give us ALOT in 2009 and 2010.

I would imagine that Goose would be prepared to forgive and forget. I'm not so sure about Staker though!!

[Geezer]

at almost 500,000 a season and probably for the next 2 years as well which is what hall wants - we would never entertain that kind of money for a player at his stage of his career.

this is hall's management trying to pump up the volume and get sydney to commit to him for 2 more years . where as sydney knows it can wait and see with hall next year and see where they are at.

[meher baba]

Just because Geelong and perhaps the Hawks have somewhat better midfields than us doesn't mean that the solution to our problems will be to go out and recruit more midfielders.

Cousins and Kerr are perhaps worth chasing, but both would be risks because of proven proneness to injury and off-field issues. If we have to have one, I'd go for Cousins because we wouldn't have to give as much away to get him.

Apart from a jackpot medium to low draft pick, there aren't any other midfielders on the market who would be guaranteed to help us match it with Bartel, Ling, Corey, Mitchell and co before these guys start to reach retirement age.

We have a reasonable midfield if they are all fit. A bit of supplementation would help, as would - as I have posted previously (but have been howled down) - ensuring that it is staffed adequately each game rather than placing too much of a weight-bearing load on the shoulders of Lenny in particular.

But we need not only to develop our weak areas but also our stronger areas into winning advantages. Our backline is already looking like an area of strength. If we can find an adequate Gehrig replacement to support Riewoldt and Milne and perhaps Schneider (although I have my doubts about him) and Kosi coming forward, then our forward line would probably be the best in the league (although, if Williams's massive return to form on Saturday night is the prelude for a sustained effort, then Hawthorn would have an argument that theirs is better).

Hall, if fit and able to play say two more years, would be an excellent replacement for Gehrig. I don't think Kosi will ever be a proper FF and I can't see Allen or McEvoy or a manufactured FF like Gwilt or perhaps Goose would be ready for another season or two.

So, I would say that we should definitely go for BBBB. But it's just my view: to each their own.

[Geezer]

we dont have 500,000 to spend on a player of hall's age and self destructability.

we may as well take half a mil and try our luck with power ball this thursday

[JeffDunne]

$500K for Hall?

lol, why would anyone pay that?

While I agree with others that we need to add depth to our midfield, I reckon fixing the forward setup is as equal or an even greater need.

Hall for mine would only be an option if the circumstances were right but we're kidding ourselves if we think the midfield is our only problem.

[Geezer]

$500K for Hall?

lol, why would anyone pay that?

While I agree with others that we need to add depth to our midfield, I reckon fixing the forward setup is as equal or an even greater need.

Hall for mine would only be an option if the circumstances were right but we're kidding ourselves if we think the midfield is our only problem.

Hall's contract is estimated at 450-550k a year for season 2009 and he wants a similar deal for 2 ADDITIONAL years after that.

Sydney will keep him - they just dont think they should give him a 2yr extension after his indescretions this year . They aint stupid.
Wait and see approach for sydney with how Hall goes in 09 - then talk contract.

for Bulldogs to get him - they are gonna have to give up picks and/or players.
take a look at what west coast wants for kerr - downgrade it a bit and that's what sydney will want for BH.

[JeffDunne]

Cheers Geezer, I hadn't been keeping up with it TBH (or much AFL outside Saintsational since the weekend).

I'm starting to see why Sydney want him out.

However, it's not always that clear cut with a trade. If Sydney want him out and nobody's prepared to pick up that contract AND the picks/players to trade for him, Sydney might have to take less in a trade or be prepared to top up his salary. And being Sydney players rather than picks would probably be acceptable in a trade.

Either way I agree the trade value &/or salary could be better spent elsewhere by us (ignoring any other problems there might be).

[maverick]

$500K for Hall?

lol, why would anyone pay that?

While I agree with others that we need to add depth to our midfield, I reckon fixing the forward setup is as equal or an even greater need.

Hall for mine would only be an option if the circumstances were right but we're kidding ourselves if we think the midfield is our only problem.

I agree with this, except I think we need another tall back as well...
therefore:
a gut running A grade mid (Cousins)
another two 2nd tier outside mids, preferably one at least with a long kick (Lovett and draft pick?)
another inside mid (Steven / Armo)
Another tall/medium forward (Allen, ???)
Another tall back (draft pick)
Also need a small back or two to step up (maybe this is where X and Raph step up)

Sounds like a lot, but I reckon 4-5 players are needed, and we might have two of them already.

[Hurricane]

In a word..........no f****** way

BANG BANG

[SainterX]

Yeah while we are at it lets recruit Scott West, Brodie Holland, Scott Burns, Heath Black, Peter Everitt and bring back Fraser and Harvs too. Then we can change our nickname to the Old Boys

[Duggie1]

Why even consider a traitor who listened to one Anthony Lockett?
In other words why go backwards

[sunsaint]

Cousins and Kerr are perhaps worth chasing, but both would be risks because of proven proneness to injury and off-field issues. If we have to have one, I'd go for Cousins because we wouldn't have to give as much away to get him.

<snip>

So, I would say that we should definitely go for BBBB. But it's just my view: to each their own.

wasnt the "excuse" for him snapping stacker due to "off-field" issues.
Hall has been pretty injury prone the last few seasons.
and why would you knowingly recruit someone how is not going to play 25% of the season due to suspension?
and you dont want to go for Kerr because of cost, but you think Hall would come cheaply?
In a word, no...

[Sainternist]

His playing ability is tremendous, but his heart is simply not with St.Kilda Football Club.

He turned his back, stabbed us in the side and then pissed on us in public.

"I don't think so, Tim"