I was so impressed with my blog post on Barry Hall that i sent it to Jim Main and it was published last week.
Hallmarks of Persecution (17/6/09)
Dear Jim
The Sydney Swans' Barry Hall is in a tough situation. He has a reputation for being a bad boy and it seems impossible for umpires to view him neutrally. This is unfair and opposition players take full advantage by coaxing him into random acts of frustration. He is the most picked player in the AFL. He is able to be wrestled like WWE Smackdown and gets very few free kicks. Yet the glamour forwards like Lance Franklin and Matthew Lloyd only need a finger nail to grace their shoulder to get a free kick. Hall now is giving away free kicks and 50m penalties on the suspicion that he has done somthing wrong. In the Jarryd Roughead incident when it appeared Roughead ran into Hall's outstretched arm, no less than six Hawthorn players got into Hall's face. Of course he is going to push and shove. I know Hall does himself no favours with his remonstrations, but I feel sorry for him even though he created his own problems and now has to live with them.
Jim Main says:
It sometimes reminds me of bear-baiting in Russia, with people poking sticks into the beast to get a reaction. Yes he is his own worst enemy, but I always thought umpires had to treat all players equally.
And then there was this one written on the same topic in the same edition of Inside Football
In a League of His Own (17/6/09)
Dear Jim,
After watching the Swans lose to Hawthorn, I firmly believe as I have for years that there is a different set of rules for Barry Hall. Yes, he plays close to the edge, but he still should be treated according to the rules. I cringe at the way he gets manhandled every week and the umpires seems to sweat on him. He gets a free kick every now and then but most of the time defenders can just grab him, hold him and nothing is done about it. I get confused when I see the way Nick Riewoldt is adjudicated. Is it Hall's lack of hair and tattoo? He is good enough and fit enough to play on next year but it seems the AFL and the umpires are pushing him into a boxing career. Has the AFL become that soft?
Jim Main says:
The umpires will deny it but Hall is treated differently. However I do not believe in conspiracy theories.
Hallmarks of Persecution (17/6/09)
Dear Jim
The Sydney Swans' Barry Hall is in a tough situation. He has a reputation for being a bad boy and it seems impossible for umpires to view him neutrally. This is unfair and opposition players take full advantage by coaxing him into random acts of frustration. He is the most picked player in the AFL. He is able to be wrestled like WWE Smackdown and gets very few free kicks. Yet the glamour forwards like Lance Franklin and Matthew Lloyd only need a finger nail to grace their shoulder to get a free kick. Hall now is giving away free kicks and 50m penalties on the suspicion that he has done somthing wrong. In the Jarryd Roughead incident when it appeared Roughead ran into Hall's outstretched arm, no less than six Hawthorn players got into Hall's face. Of course he is going to push and shove. I know Hall does himself no favours with his remonstrations, but I feel sorry for him even though he created his own problems and now has to live with them.
Jim Main says:
It sometimes reminds me of bear-baiting in Russia, with people poking sticks into the beast to get a reaction. Yes he is his own worst enemy, but I always thought umpires had to treat all players equally.
And then there was this one written on the same topic in the same edition of Inside Football
In a League of His Own (17/6/09)
Dear Jim,
After watching the Swans lose to Hawthorn, I firmly believe as I have for years that there is a different set of rules for Barry Hall. Yes, he plays close to the edge, but he still should be treated according to the rules. I cringe at the way he gets manhandled every week and the umpires seems to sweat on him. He gets a free kick every now and then but most of the time defenders can just grab him, hold him and nothing is done about it. I get confused when I see the way Nick Riewoldt is adjudicated. Is it Hall's lack of hair and tattoo? He is good enough and fit enough to play on next year but it seems the AFL and the umpires are pushing him into a boxing career. Has the AFL become that soft?
Tim Brett
Concord West, NSW
Concord West, NSW
Jim Main says:
The umpires will deny it but Hall is treated differently. However I do not believe in conspiracy theories.
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