Past Player Of The Week - Tony Hall

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Admin #26
I hope that time does not diminish the greatness we had in that back to back period.

And to think we had Morrissey lurking around as well. Those who saw it were incredibly fortunate.

I know I am.
I am too.

Says something about the dilution of the elite talent pool with all the extra teams running around today.
 

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Admin #27
I hope that time does not diminish the greatness we had in that back to back period.

And to think we had Morrissey lurking around as well. Those who saw it were incredibly fortunate.

I know I am.
Speaking of players that were affected by injury, Russell Morris, before Jim Edmonds brutally pole-axed him with that elbow was headed for greatness, I thought. Never the same - how could you be - after that shocking incident.
 
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#29
I'm an old hawks fan, maybe still have a soft spot for them (yes traitorous for changing).

Tony Hall was an exceptional overhead mark, not really like Breust, more like Fyfe in terms of overhead prowess, though he was shorter and had a stronger body.

My favourite recollection was he was interviewed after a game against Carlton where he was held kickless all day, would have been 1992. he simply said you are only as good as your last game, I make no excuses for it I just have to do better. The next week he came out and tore the Kangaroos a new one with over 10 marks and a couple of goals.

That was typical of the Hawks back then, it was hard to hold a player down all day, but if you did watch out next week.

He was a gun. Hard to believe he has been retired nearly 20 years.
 

moginie

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#31
Speaking of players that were affected by injury, Russell Morris, before Jim Edmonds brutally pole-axed him with that elbow was headed for greatness, I thought. Never the same - how could you be - after that shocking incident.
Absolutely agree. It was a disgraceful episode. No surprise that Morris never totally recovered his form.
 

Rich

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#32
What a gun he was, a great pair of hands, courageous, skilful and moved like a Rolls Royce. A slightly bigger Shaun Burgoyne that can take a grab.

Loved watching him play
 

Adelaide Hawk

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#33
I hope that time does not diminish the greatness we had in that back to back period.

And to think we had Morrissey lurking around as well. Those who saw it were incredibly fortunate.

I know I am.
I guess the only regrets on has from those days was we COULD have won 6 flags in a row and proved without doubt the 1980s Hawks were the greatest team of all time.

Won the flag in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991.

1987 - got to the GF without Dunstall and Brereton was about 30% fit. Would have beaten Carlton comfortably had we been near fit.

1990 - decimated by injuries to key players all season. Hall only played final 4 games of the season. Buckenara play only 2 games. Dunstall missed the middle of the season due to a depressed skull, Brereton also missing mid-season with ongoing back issues, and several more. 3 weeks before the finals, the Hawks finally put together a near full team and we smashed eventual premier Collingwood by 83 points. However, the damage was done, and having to win from 5th spot was out of our reach.

How good would that have been ... 6 in a row :) Certainly an awesome team, and as was said before, it was a privilege to have witnessed it.
 

Adelaide Hawk

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#34
The Hall/Collins incident was a massive blow and one of my most disappointing moments as a Hawk fan.
I travelled across with a contingent of SA supporters and was sitting in the stand when that happened. I can still recall Hall sitting on the turf, holding his knee, with a look of tremendous pain on his face. I sat there suspecting the worst as they brought out the stretcher. Suddenly an idiot behind me started yelling at Hall that he was soft and should get up and walk off like a man. He kept this up for about a minute, I'd had enough, stood up, turned around and just stared him in the eyes, Gary Ayres fashion. His girlfriend could see I was about to belt the crap out of him so she pleaded with him to sit down and shut up. When he did, everyone around us started cheering that someone had shut him up. We didn't hear a peep out of him for the rest of the match.

BTW, the Victorian team that day was the best footy team I've ever seen, the equivalent of a Dream Team.
 

Ordovician

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#36
Speaking of players that were affected by injury, Russell Morris, before Jim Edmonds brutally pole-axed him with that elbow was headed for greatness, I thought. Never the same - how could you be - after that shocking incident.
And do remember that the moron thug Queenslanders running the replay screen replayed the incident a few times, with the charming postscript "Cop that!"?.

There is no substitute for true class, a lesson lost on some people.
 

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