Hall takes two weeks
30/06/2009 11:22 AM
Sydney spearhead Barry Hall has accepted his two-match ban for striking Adelaide's Ben Rutten and will not play against either North Melbourne or Essendon in the next fortnight.
Hall's future at the club in light of his latest indiscretion will be discussed with coach Paul Roos on Tuesday, with Roos indicating that the club was not happy with Hall's latest suspension, and that the premiership captain's future was in his hands.
Hall, suspended for seven weeks last year for king-hitting Eagles defender Brent Staker, has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons over the past month. He gave away three consecutive 50m penalties at a crucial stage of the Round 11 match against Hawthorn, with Roos later saying he had cost the Swans the game.
With Sydney's season at the crossroads, with just five wins on the board, the Swans could ill afford to lose Hall, who when he has not been getting himself in trouble, has been in reasonable form. He kicked four goals in the loss to Adelaide on Saturday. His punch on Rutten also occurred at a key time of the match, with three-quarter-time approaching and the match still firmly in the balance.
North Melbourne's Drew Petrie and Richmond's Trent Cotchin both accepted reprimands for their Round 13 striking charges, meaning the tribunal will not sit on Tuesday night.