Hall Overrated!!

[kaysee]

The Barry Hall is overrated... he may kick the odd bag against lower defenders but against the better defenders he really struggles. He got his butt kicked by Wakelin on the weekend being lead to the ball most of the time.

He will definitely go for gouging on the weekend.

Is he worth the money being paid to him??? one wonders what the new coach will have in store for him come seasons end.

The 'Big Bad Bustling' tag really doesn't apply to him more media hype really as the Sydney market thrives to latch on anything to fill the void left by Plugger and Ron Barassi. The only tag that will apply to him after this season will be 'Big Bald Busking' as he trys to make ends meet working the streets.

SKC

[Desredandwhite]

Hall is definitely class. The problem at the moment is twofold.

a) The delivery to him is not the best at present. The Swans' midfield tendency is to just bomb it long and high in an annoyingly blind fashion. Which brings me to point

b) Barry is not the greatest contested mark you have ever seen. He is a great player on a lead, but struggles in a pack situation. Not particularly strong overhead (especially for a full-forward) - so when the midfield keeps sending him high floaters instead of pinpoint chestmarks, he will struggle to take marks.

However, he is a decent kick and is creative after the ball hits the deck. What is worrying is his ocassional tendency to just give up after the contest. Also getting frustrated at his own lack of success as well as the team's.

Despite all these problems, he is well in the hunt for a coleman medal. Gotta be doing something right to be in that position.

[Porthos]

Barry is not helped by a near complete lack of corridor play.

This plagued Tredrea in previous seasons, among other forwards, and contributed to his lousy goalkicking, as he would mostly mark 50m out on rotten angles.

He's a decent player when he can keep his temper under control (he usually loses it against Port).

[Desredandwhite]

Porthos, you're spot on with that. Barry has a tendency to lead out into the pockets too. Doesn't help.

[Bloodstained Angel]

Yeah agree with Pothos, he's hit the nail on the head really ...

Hall is a lead / chestmark type FF and although you can run hard for the those fat pockets on the SCG, the ball still really has to come down the corridor in the first place.

yet typically the Swans will go around the flanks, or even worse zig zag from back pocket to opposite forward pocket, which is indirect and takes time, leaving Hall stranded on a lead that was too soon or in the wrong direction, or back in the square where as Des says, he is beaten by average Fullbacks in an overhead contest.

So Hall is not the main problem,

- its the way the Swans lack punch and penetration out of Centre Bounces
- Its the way the Swans run the ball out of defence, and the routes they choose and they players they choose to do the linking work that is the problem.

We avoid the centre corridor because we don't have the class in our midfield list to carry the ball decisively through it. Our older midfielders are still carrying the load (Thank GOD Cresswell is having a good season) and the youngsters are honest triers but certainly not the champions that we were led to believe they were going to be when they were first recruited.

The SCG is short, really short and if you can't control the tiny (but fat) centre corridor for at least large slabs of the game, then you're done for :(

Personally I think Hall is a very good (and potentially great) player who has already kicked 40 plus goals in a losing team - thats a quite outstanding effort in my opinion. He tires to make up for his lack of overhead ability by working hard and creatively when the ball hits the deck - BUT - you do have to ask yourself - How good is a FF who rarely takes the big grab ?

hmmmmmm :( :(

Agree with some of the other posters about all that media-driven rubbish about "BBBH" and some elements of the sports media trying to imbibe the guy with some kind of"Son of Plugger" type mythology - its pretty stupid stuff and Hall himself is also pointing out to any reporter who can be bothered that he really is "just Barry" and nuthin' else.

cheers

[Swans_Premiers]

Originally posted by Porthos


This plagued Tredrea in previous seasons, among other forwards, and contributed to his lousy goalkicking, as he would mostly mark 50m out on rotten angles.
Doesn't make much difference where he's kicking from IMO.

[Desredandwhite]

keep it nice, s_p. I don't know where you've got the port adelaide chip on your shoulder from, but it doesn't justify coming on here and being a tool about it. Please keep that in mind.