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| Barry Hall | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hall playing for theSwans | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Barry Andrew Hall | ||
| Nicknames | Bazza, Big Bad Barry | ||
| Born | (1977-02-08)8 February 1977 (age 48) Victoria | ||
| Original teams | Avenel,Murray Bushrangers (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 19,1995 national draft | ||
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 104 kg (229 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1996–2001 | St Kilda | 88 (144) | |
| 2002–2009 | Sydney | 162 (467) | |
| 2010–2011 | Western Bulldogs | 39 (135) | |
| Total | 289 (746) | ||
| International team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2003–2006 | Australia | 4 | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2011. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Barry Andrew Hall (born 8 February 1977) is a former professionalAustralian rules footballer who played for theSt Kilda Football Club,Sydney Swans andWestern Bulldogs in theAustralian Football League (AFL). He is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being namedAll Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on eleven occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their2005 AFL Grand Final victory. In July 2011, Hall created history by becoming the first player to kick 100 goals for three AFL teams.
Hall began his career at the St Kilda Football Club where he twice led the club's goalkicking in 1999 and 2001. He is best known for his career with the Sydney Swans. He was one of the Swans' best players during his time at the club, topping the club goalkicking from 2002 to 2008 and co-captaining the side from 2005 to 2007, including the club's drought breaking premiership in 2005. He also featured heavily in the AFL's promotion inSydney, gaining a similarly high-profile toTony Lockett[1] which saw him featured in a 2006 AFL and Swans joint promotion known as "Barry Hall Hall".
The former juniorboxing champion's AFL career was marred by a reputation for on-field aggression, which earned him the nickname “Big Bad Barry Hall”. Several controversial and highly publicised incidents (often called "brain snaps" by the media) andtribunal appearances interrupted his career and contributed to Hall changing clubs.
Hall was born inVictoria and grew up inBroadford, where he played his junior football. His other interests weremartial arts andboxing. At the age of 12 he moved to Melbourne to pursue a boxing career.[2] Training in a makeshift boxing gym in his father's garage, he won a state title in his early teenage years and had fought in 15 fights by the age of 15.
Hall also showed a talent for Australian football. After playing for theMurray Bushrangers in theTAC Cup and attracting the eye of talent scouts, he decided to focus on football.
Hall made hisAFL debut forSt Kilda in 1996. He helped fill the void of the record-breaking forwardTony Lockett, who had moved to the Swans the previous season. His most memorable performance for the Saints was his 3-goal burst during a five-minute period in the second quarter of the1997 Grand Final, in which put his side in a strong position going into half-time, despite St Kilda going on to be defeated byAdelaide by 31 points at theMCG. He played for St Kilda until 2001, kicking 144 goals in 88 games and being the club's leading goalkicker in the 1999 and 2001 seasons. He kicked a career-best 8 goals in Round 16, 2001 against theWestern Bulldogs. He left St Kilda at the end of 2001 in style, kicking a goal after the final siren of a Round 22 match againstHawthorn to win the match. One of the main reasons for leaving was the rise ofNick Riewoldt,Justin Koschitzke and the recruitment ofFraser Gehrig, as well as salary cap constraints.
Hall joined the Swans for the 2002 season and prospered under the coaching ofPaul Roos. He led the club's goalscoring in every season up until 2009 and was named club Best and Fairest in 2004. He has said that he benefited from the move to Sydney, in particular the relative anonymity he enjoyed when first arriving, playing alongside Tony Lockett in Lockett's comeback-from-retirement season. Hall's form reached a high in 2004 when he was named in theAll-Australian team. He then took his game to a whole new level from 2005, and not only bagged 80 goals for the season and a second placing for theColeman Medal, but set up many more goals as well. He was selected in the All-Australian list in 2005 and 2006 and captained the Swans to their historic2005 Grand Final premiership victory, their first since 1933. He led the Swans goalkicking in seasons 2005 to 2006, and in that two-year period he kicked two bags of seven againstEssendon in their matches in Melbourne (a win in 2005 but a loss in 2006). He also led the club's goalkicking in seasons 2007 and 2008, but in those two seasons he struggled with suspension and injury. He has also kicked big bags of goals against notably weaker opponents such asCarlton.
Hall earned a reputation as a controversial player, with several appearances at the tribunal resulting in four suspensions for a total of 10 matches. He has given away almost twice as many free kicks as he has been given over his career, and in 2003 Swans coach Paul Roos questioned whether Hall was given all the free kicks he deserved. Hall struggled with injuries through the 2007 season and his form was generally considered to be somewhat down from his peak, although he played a number of outstanding games and still led the club's goalkicking with 44. In 2008, Hall began the season in good form but, following a punch thrown against West Coast Eagles playerBrent Staker and a further incident where he aimed a punch at a Collingwood player, he missed a number of games and was suspended from the Swans' team on 8 July 2008.
In Round 19, 2008, against theFremantle Football Club, he kicked the last goal in the final minute and won the game by four points. He kicked a bag of goals in that game and in Round 20, against theGeelong Cats, he kicked five goals and one behind. In spite of the Swans' 39-point defeat to the reigning premiers he was the leading goalkicker for the game. In 2008 Hall was awarded the Paul Roos Award for the best player in the finals. He finished the year as Sydney's leading goalkicker for the seventh consecutive year, equalling the club record ofLen Mortimer.
Hall kicked his 600th career goal against theWestern Bulldogs in Round 10, 2009, when he kicked six in that game. After a striking incident involving Adelaide'sBen Rutten in his 250th game, Hall was put under an immense amount of pressure from coach Paul Roos to leave the club. Hall called a press conference on 7 July 2009 to announce that he was no longer going to play for the Swans. He kicked four goals in his last game for the club.[3][4]
It was announced on 6 October 2009 that theWestern Bulldogs had agreed to trade draft pick 47 for Hall withSydney.[3] On his Bulldogs' debut, in the second round of the2010 NAB Cup, he kicked six goals against Hawthorn. He then kicked four goals against Port Adelaide and had a part in the final and winning goal which gave the Bulldogs a place in the NAB Cup grand final against his first club, St Kilda. In the final he kicked seven goals, including five in the last quarter, to lead the Bulldogs to their first grand final success of any kind since 1970. He was awarded the Michael Tuck Medal for best on ground.[5] He made his home-and-away debut for the Bulldogs in Round 1 againstCollingwood atDocklands Stadium, but his side were defeated by 36 points. Hall kicked three goals.
Hall's good form at the Bulldogs continued, with four and five goals in successive games helping him get back to his best form of his early years at the Sydney Swans. In 2010 Hall was tripped byEssendon defender and rivalDustin Fletcher in Round 10, costing Fletcher a one-match suspension. In Round 15 in 2010, he kicked six goals against Carlton and also suffered an ankle injury. He finished second on the 2010Coleman Medal table with 73 goals in the home and away season, behind Richmond'sJack Riewoldt. He kicked his 700th goal against theGold Coast Suns in Round 3, 2011 and in Round 17, 2011 againstNorth Melbourne he became the first player to kick over 100 goals for three clubs when he kicked five goals.
On 19 July 2011, Hall announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2011 season. Despite captaining Sydney to their 2005 premiership, Hall stated that he wanted to be remembered as a Bulldogs player due to them giving him a last chance at playing AFL football in 2010. Coincidentally, this announcement came in the week leading up to the Bulldogs' clash against the Swans at theSydney Cricket Ground; in that match, he kicked five goals as the Bulldogs lost by 39 points.[6][7]
Hall ended his AFL career with 40 goals in his last eight matches and 55 overall for the2011 AFL season. In his final three games, he was coached by his 2005 Sydney premiership teammatePaul Williams, who had taken over fromRodney Eade (also his coach at the Swans in the first half of 2002) at the conclusion of round 21.[8] In total he kicked 746 career AFL goals, placing him 16th on the all-time goal-kicking list.
Whilst playing in a reserves game for St Kilda against North Melbourne in Round 14 in 1997, Hall struckSam McFarlane, a slightly built wingman, in the jaw, breaking it in three places. McFarlane spent the next three days in hospital getting the jaw wired back together and was sidelined for ten weeks. Although McFarlane returned for the final two games of the year, he never returned to play league football again.[9]
In the 1998 second semi-final St Kilda held the lead over Melbourne near the end of the second quarter. After being tackled bySteven Febey, Hall dropped his knees into Febey's head and after regaining his feet he slungAdem Yze to the ground. In frustration his outburst lead to an altercation with teammatesMatthew Lappin andShane Wakelin where Hall had to be restrained by his teammates and trainers.[10] Melbourne then took control of the match and won easily, ending St Kilda's 1998 season. The incident resulted in a four-match suspension.
In July 2002, while playing for Sydney, Hall was suspended for five matches after being found guilty of clawing the face of Port Adelaide ruckmanMatthew Primus during a Swans loss at the SCG. Hall had been charged on video evidence with making "unreasonable and unnecessary contact to the face". Hall acknowledged he had made contact with Primus's face, but denied he had tried to eye-gouge him. "I made face contact which I regret, but it certainly looks worse than what it was" said Hall.[11]
After an incident involving a punch to the stomach of St Kilda'sMatt Maguire in a 2005 preliminary final match,[12] Hall was reported for a level two striking and offered a one-week suspension for a guilty plea. This suspension would have meant missing the next week's grand final. Hall's representation successfully argued that the incident was 'in play' despite the ball being 50 metres away. As a result, the charge was reduced to a level one offence which reduced the penalty to a reprimand and he went on to captain the Swans to their first premiership in 72 years, defeating theWest Coast Eagles in thegrand final by four points.[13]
In an incident which shocked Sydney and West Coast fans alike, in Round 4, 2008, Hall was reported for strikingWest Coast Eagles defenderBrent Staker.[14] Video footage from the incident indicated that contact was made with a punch to the jaw.[15] Staker took no further part in the game, remaining off the field for the duration of the game. Later in the same game, Hall broke his wrist on the metal railing behind a soft cardboard advertising board. After the game the Match Review Panel ranked the incident as intentional, severe impact and high contact, therefore the offence was directly referred to theAFL Tribunal. He was subsequently suspended for seven games, one of the most severe punishments in the modern era by the AFL Tribunal.[16] Video footage of the incident was shown on television as far abroad asDenmark and theUnited States on theESPN network.[17]
Hall was handed a one-match suspension for an attempted strike on Collingwood'sShane Wakelin, his former St Kilda teammate, in Round 14, 2008.[18][19] Sydney later announced the team would not play Hall indefinitely.[20][21] Sydney co-captainBrett Kirk later claimed that Hall's habit of hitting opposition players off the ball is a "bad habit".[22]
On 22 May 2010 Hall was again the centre of attention when he was pushed over by North Melbourne defenderScott Thompson while tying his shoelace, triggering an ugly altercation between Hall and several other North Melbourne players.[23] Hall reacted to the taunts by putting Thompson in aheadlock and was subsequently reported for both wrestling and rough conduct. He was later found guilty of wrestling and fined, but not guilty of rough conduct.[24]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 1996 | St Kilda | 25 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 10 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 7.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
| 1997 | St Kilda | 25 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 70 | 58 | 128 | 52 | 22 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| 1998 | St Kilda | 25 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 57 | 36 | 93 | 28 | 9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 7.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 |
| 1999 | St Kilda | 25 | 20 | 41 | 36 | 184 | 58 | 242 | 141 | 13 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 9.2 | 2.9 | 12.1 | 7.1 | 0.7 |
| 2000 | St Kilda | 25 | 19 | 37 | 21 | 151 | 74 | 225 | 126 | 13 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 7.9 | 3.9 | 11.8 | 6.6 | 0.7 |
| 2001 | St Kilda | 25 | 17 | 44 | 23 | 140 | 36 | 176 | 97 | 12 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 8.2 | 2.1 | 10.4 | 5.7 | 0.7 |
| 2002 | Sydney | 1 | 17 | 55 | 31 | 154 | 36 | 190 | 114 | 10 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 11.2 | 6.7 | 0.6 |
| 2003 | Sydney | 1 | 24 | 64 | 35 | 218 | 73 | 291 | 167 | 22 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 12.1 | 7.0 | 0.9 |
| 2004 | Sydney | 1 | 24 | 74 | 39 | 244 | 101 | 345 | 191 | 30 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 14.4 | 8.0 | 1.3 |
| 2005 | Sydney | 1 | 26 | 80 | 41 | 299 | 91 | 390 | 206 | 32 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 11.5 | 3.5 | 15.0 | 7.9 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | Sydney | 1 | 25 | 78 | 38 | 283 | 82 | 365 | 216 | 49 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 11.3 | 3.3 | 14.6 | 8.6 | 2.0 |
| 2007 | Sydney | 1 | 20 | 44 | 30 | 176 | 62 | 238 | 135 | 24 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 11.9 | 6.8 | 1.2 |
| 2008 | Sydney | 1 | 15 | 41 | 36 | 165 | 40 | 205 | 132 | 11 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 11.0 | 2.7 | 13.7 | 8.8 | 0.7 |
| 2009 | Sydney | 1 | 11 | 31 | 4 | 82 | 29 | 111 | 64 | 17 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 10.1 | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | Western Bulldogs | 28 | 24 | 80 | 41 | 191 | 81 | 272 | 143 | 28 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 8.0 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 6.0 | 1.2 |
| 2011 | Western Bulldogs | 28 | 15 | 55 | 17 | 112 | 38 | 150 | 75 | 12 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 0.8 |
| Career | 289 | 746 | 421 | 2544 | 908 | 3452 | 1897 | 308 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 11.9 | 6.6 | 1.1 | ||
| Brownlow Medal votes | |
| Season | Votes |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 11 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 16 |
| 2006 | 8 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 11 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| Total | 92 |
Team
Individual
Hall met South African television personality,Lauren Brant, while filmingI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in South Africa in 2015. The pair confirmed they were dating in November 2016. In May 2017 Brant and her partner Hall announced the birth of their baby boy, Miller Hall.[26] The two secretly got married on 17 February 2021 (a week before Brant's birthday).[27] The pair have since had three more sons: Houston (born May 2019), Samson (born October 2021) and Clay (born July 2024).
Prior to Laura, Barry married Sophie Raadschelder after dating for about a year in November 2011.[28] They separated in early 2015.[29]
Hall's personal life has hit the media tabloids on several occasions, with his much publicised relationships with Kylie Stray andbikini model Tahli Greenwood.[30]
Hall's other interests include gardening and collecting fast cars, includingvintage car anddrag racing cars.[31]
Hall has been the centrepiece of advertising campaigns, including the "Barry Hall Hall" and "Excitement Machine Machine" 2006 television and internet campaign in Sydney byGeorge Patterson Y&R for the Australian Football League which was a finalist at theAustralian Interactive Media Industry Association[32] and Melbourne Advertising & Design Club[33] awards and also the "Barry Hall vs Broadford" 2007 advertisement by JWT Melbourne forFord Australia pitting Barry Hall against his junior club (with cameos from Hall's nephew and aunt).[34]
In 2008 Hall appeared in a series of "Barry Hall Hall" ads; however, these were pulled from the air following theBrent Staker incident.
In 2013, he joinedFox Footy as a boundary rider.
In 2015, Hall appeared in the Australian version ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. Another contestant on that show wasLauren Brant with whom he developed a relationship. The couple have three boys.[35] He married Brant in February 2021.[36]
In 2018, Hall was immediately dismissed from radio stationTriple M after making on-air remarks which were deemed unacceptable and inappropriate by station management.[37]
Hall participated on the third season of theSeven Network's reality quasi-military training television programmeSAS Australia: Who Dares Wins, which premiered on 21 February 2022.[38][39] In June 2025, Hall appeared in the music video for "Keith" by Australian bandPlaylunch.[40][41]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Boxing career | |
| Weight class | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 194 cm (76 in) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 3 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Win by KO | 0 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
In the middle of 2019, it was announced that Hall would make his professional boxing debut with the opponent being formerrugby league footballer;Paul Gallen. In the lead up to the fight, Hall said of Gallen “I know it’s been painted as a code war, but even the support I’ve been getting offrugby league people has been overwhelming, He’s not a very liked human being … so I’ve got a lot of support".[42] The fight ended in a draw.
In June 2021 Hall confirmed he will undertake another two fights. Hall squared off againstSonny Bill Williams in his second professional fight on March 23, 2022, in which the referee stopped the fight after Hall was dropped three times by Williams in the first round. Williams won by TKO.[43]
After a two year hiatus, Hall returned for his third professional fight on 10 July 2024, against another former rugby league player,Curtis Scott, inWollongong.[44] Hall was knocked out in 87 seconds by Scott, 21 years his junior, casting doubts on his future in the sport.[45]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–2–1 |  Curtis Scott | TKO | 1 | 10 July, 2024 | Wollongong Entertainment Centre,Wollongong, Australia | |
| Loss | 0–1–1 |  Sonny Bill Williams | TKO | 1 | 23 March, 2022 | Aware Super Theatre,Sydney, Australia | |
| Draw | 0–0–1 | Paul Gallen | MD | 6 | 15 Nov, 2019 | Margaret Court Arena,Melbourne, Australia |
 | ||
Coach:Lyon | ||