Glen AtwellBarry Hall reported for punching Brent Staker
April 13th 2008 01:45
Hook from Hall will hurt Sydney
By Glen Atwell
"I can't believe what I just seen"
"Did I just see Barry Hall deliver a left from the pits of hell?"
"Is Staker going to get up?"
"How many weeks will he get"
It was an ugly incident that will stay with those gutsy enough to sit through the replay a second time:
With 3:48 remaining in the first quarter of last night's Sydney vs West Coast match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Barry Hall delivered a knockout blow to West Coast defender Brent Staker in the Swans' attacking 50.
The attack was calculated, calm, and executed with such speed and precision it made most feel sick to the stomach. It was a striking left hook to the jaw of the unsuspecting defender.
Staker was left dazed, shaken and was unable to return to the field for the rest of the game.
Is this AFL, or boxing? How will the AFL respond to ensure behind the ball snipers are rubbed out of the game for good? With a heavy hand, I suspect.
Hall is going to cop a hefty holiday. Perhaps six or seven weeks. A quick calculation of the AFL tribunal's points system sees Hall accumulate enough points to confuse a calculator. Intentional, behind the play, heavy contact. Add to that the fact that Staker never returned to the field, and Big Bad Barry might be down for the count.
But Barry's brain freeze will also heavily impact on at least the next month of Sydney's 2008 season. The Swans are up and about this season, and look a threat to the unbeaten sides of the competition. But with Hall missing, through either suspension or a suspected broken wrist, a gaping hole is punched in the attacking zone.
Was the cheap shot worth the trouble?
By Glen Atwell
"I can't believe what I just seen"
"Did I just see Barry Hall deliver a left from the pits of hell?"
"Is Staker going to get up?"
"How many weeks will he get"
It was an ugly incident that will stay with those gutsy enough to sit through the replay a second time:
With 3:48 remaining in the first quarter of last night's Sydney vs West Coast match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Barry Hall delivered a knockout blow to West Coast defender Brent Staker in the Swans' attacking 50.
The attack was calculated, calm, and executed with such speed and precision it made most feel sick to the stomach. It was a striking left hook to the jaw of the unsuspecting defender.
Staker was left dazed, shaken and was unable to return to the field for the rest of the game.
Is this AFL, or boxing? How will the AFL respond to ensure behind the ball snipers are rubbed out of the game for good? With a heavy hand, I suspect.
Hall is going to cop a hefty holiday. Perhaps six or seven weeks. A quick calculation of the AFL tribunal's points system sees Hall accumulate enough points to confuse a calculator. Intentional, behind the play, heavy contact. Add to that the fact that Staker never returned to the field, and Big Bad Barry might be down for the count.
Barry Hall's left hook to the jaw of Brent Staker was a slur on the AFL product
But Barry's brain freeze will also heavily impact on at least the next month of Sydney's 2008 season. The Swans are up and about this season, and look a threat to the unbeaten sides of the competition. But with Hall missing, through either suspension or a suspected broken wrist, a gaping hole is punched in the attacking zone.
Was the cheap shot worth the trouble?
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