sainter
16 Dec 2001, 19:03
Hall rapt at Lockett comeback
By DANNY WEIDLER
Tony Lockett phoned "the new Plugger", Barry Hall, when his comeback plans were nearing certainty and asked him if he minded.
Hall, who will wear the Swans' No.1 jersey in his first year at the club, couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not that Lockett was coming back, but that he'd bother to call.
"He wanted to make sure I was OK with it, and that he wasn't stepping on my toes," Hall said yesterday.
"I couldn't believe it. It just shows the character of the bloke. I just said to him: 'You're f****** kidding aren't you? I'd f****** love to play with you.'
"I'd be stupid and pretty selfish to have the ****s about it. I can learn so much off and on the field from a bloke like him. I've admired him since I was a kid. He's a bit of legend and it will be a buzz to play alongside him.
"I've averaged 40 to 50 goals and I think that I have under-achieved a bit. I'm hoping he's going to take me under his wing and help me reach the 80 to 100 mark."
More than that, the pair may provide the Swans with a much-needed hook into Sydney's western suburbs as they try to switch their target audience from chardonnay sippers in the north and east to the audience that will attend games at Stadium Australia.
"AFL has died down here a bit since he (Lockett) retired," said Hall. "When I came up here, I was quite surprised. I didn't realise how much rugby was dominating. With the AFL struggling, the Swans need him because people will look at him and then hopefully see the young blokes coming through and develop a following for them as well."
In Lockett and Hall, you couldn't meet two blokes who are more down-to-earth. Hall is living in Paddington, among the yuppie set who support the Swans. His unit is 200 metres from the hustle of Oxford Street.
"I've never been there," he said. "They say it's a good street with shops and things, but I'm not the kind of bloke who is going to hang out in a cafe.
"I'm a pretty basic bloke,
:eek: :eek: :eek: Now that's understatement of the year!
meat and potatoes, three-bedroom brick veneer ... you know what I mean. I'm not a trendy bloke. You won't see me in nightclubs. I'm a pub man."
Of course not! And Metro is???
Lockett, before his comeback announcement, invited Hall to spend a couple of weekends with him at his farm in the southern highlands. "We rode bikes and chopped down trees. We got on well," Hall said.
Says it all really!
"He talked about Sydney and what it was like."
Hall said his bad-boy reputation was unjustified. "It's not as if I go around belting blokes every week," he said. "You do something once and then it sort of sticks."
By DANNY WEIDLER
Tony Lockett phoned "the new Plugger", Barry Hall, when his comeback plans were nearing certainty and asked him if he minded.
Hall, who will wear the Swans' No.1 jersey in his first year at the club, couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not that Lockett was coming back, but that he'd bother to call.
"He wanted to make sure I was OK with it, and that he wasn't stepping on my toes," Hall said yesterday.
"I couldn't believe it. It just shows the character of the bloke. I just said to him: 'You're f****** kidding aren't you? I'd f****** love to play with you.'
"I'd be stupid and pretty selfish to have the ****s about it. I can learn so much off and on the field from a bloke like him. I've admired him since I was a kid. He's a bit of legend and it will be a buzz to play alongside him.
"I've averaged 40 to 50 goals and I think that I have under-achieved a bit. I'm hoping he's going to take me under his wing and help me reach the 80 to 100 mark."
More than that, the pair may provide the Swans with a much-needed hook into Sydney's western suburbs as they try to switch their target audience from chardonnay sippers in the north and east to the audience that will attend games at Stadium Australia.
"AFL has died down here a bit since he (Lockett) retired," said Hall. "When I came up here, I was quite surprised. I didn't realise how much rugby was dominating. With the AFL struggling, the Swans need him because people will look at him and then hopefully see the young blokes coming through and develop a following for them as well."
In Lockett and Hall, you couldn't meet two blokes who are more down-to-earth. Hall is living in Paddington, among the yuppie set who support the Swans. His unit is 200 metres from the hustle of Oxford Street.
"I've never been there," he said. "They say it's a good street with shops and things, but I'm not the kind of bloke who is going to hang out in a cafe.
"I'm a pretty basic bloke,
:eek: :eek: :eek: Now that's understatement of the year!
meat and potatoes, three-bedroom brick veneer ... you know what I mean. I'm not a trendy bloke. You won't see me in nightclubs. I'm a pub man."
Of course not! And Metro is???
Lockett, before his comeback announcement, invited Hall to spend a couple of weekends with him at his farm in the southern highlands. "We rode bikes and chopped down trees. We got on well," Hall said.
Says it all really!
"He talked about Sydney and what it was like."
Hall said his bad-boy reputation was unjustified. "It's not as if I go around belting blokes every week," he said. "You do something once and then it sort of sticks."