Barry Hall: Car fanatic turned AFL Hall of Famer

If you’re an AFL fan or a general Australian sports fan, you’ve probably heard the name Barry Hall.

For those who need a refresher, Hall had an exceptionally long career playing for the St Kilda Saints from 1996 to 2001, Sydney Swans from 2002 to 2009, and Western Bulldogs from 2010 to 2011, amassing a whopping 289 games played across his 15-year career.

Hall earned his right to the AFL Hall of Fame by captaining the Swans to their first premiership win in 72 years in 2005. He is also one of the very few players to kick over 700 goals in his career.

While Hall’s run-ins with several players on the field may have overshadowed some of his feats, he is undoubtedly one of the most famous and well-known players to ever grace the oval.

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about Hall is that under the surface of professional athlete, he is a fully-qualified mechanic that played football to fuel his car addiction.

Since retiring from the game in 2011, Hall has been busy as a husband, father, and car fanatic, amassing a collection that would make any gearhead at least a little bit jealous.

We caught up with Hall to chat about everything cars.

Where did your car obsession begin?

BH: [I’ve loved cars] ever since I could remember. My dad was a mechanic and was into the old muscle cars. I remember he had an HT Monaro back in the day, a brand new and original Bathurst car, which he still has, and I remember I just loved getting in the car.

He was constantly working on it, constantly trying to make it faster, and I just loved it. I used to go out to the shed with him and watch him work on it all the time, and then eventually, you sort of listen, learn, and pick up on some stuff.

Once I got a job and was able to earn some money and buy the cars I wanted to buy, that’s when my real passion started and I actually start to worked on it myself, which was fantastic.

What was your first car?

BH: I bought my first car from my dad for $150, a 1967 HR Holden, when I was 15; you can’t get anything for $150 nowadays. It needed restoring, painting, and a lot of work, so I did all the work myself, and from ages 15 to 18.

I tried to do the body work myself. I obviously couldn’t paint it, so I prepared the body for it.

Dad and I put the engine together for it. It didn’t blow up, and I’m not sure how. I put a Celica five-speed gearbox in it, and then I made just a few little mods.

Back then, I actually put it on LPG because petrol was about 50 cents per litre. I didn’t have much money at that stage, so I just said, “Let’s put it on gas!”.

We set it up so that it was ready to have a V8 put in it after I got off my P plates. We ended up putting a nine-inch differential in it and the rest of the stuff so that it was ready for the V8, but I just didn’t get to that stage.

The most unfortunate thing happened, I started playing football, and I got a bit of money in my pocket, so I just wanted to buy the best HSV at that stage, which I think was a VR or VS. I’m sure the HR would be worth more than a VR Clubsport right now but oh well.

What made you want to become a mechanic while playing AFL?

BH: The AFL does a really good job of setting guys up with career paths. They’ll even pay for your education.

I thought, “What do I want to do? I love cars. Why don’t I just become a qualified mechanic on paper?”

I was never going to be a grease monkey, but it was just a certificate to say, “Yeah, I do know what I’m talking about, and I do know how to fix a car.”

The program is great. I played for 17 years, so I was very lucky, but I think the average AFL player plays for around three-and-a-half years. It’s during the critical time period of 16 to 20 where you’ve got to really work out what you want to do. And then, at the age of 20, all of a sudden, you’re not playing anymore.

So that is a bit of an issue, but the AFL does a good job of trying to push education, paying for all the grants, and trying to set them up. It’s important because you’re not going to be playing footy forever.

Even though I played for 17 years, I still got to the stage where I was like, “What am I going to do now?” It’s not even a money thing; it’s a purpose thing. While playing, you get up, train, and try for grand finals, and there’s a purpose in what you’re doing. When you don’t have that, it’s a really empty feeling.

What’s in the shed at the moment?

BH: I’ve got a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro with a twin-turbo small block. It was the first muscle car I ever really bought. I imported it from America. It was my favourite car, and I had it hanging on the wall. I thought, “As soon as I get money, I’m going to buy that.” So I did.

It actually wasn’t too bad in terms of import cost; I’ve had that car since I was 23.

I also have a Holden HG Premier, a Ford XR GT Falcon, and a Holden HQ Monaro two-door in build at the moment.

My daily drive is a Dodge Ram because I’ve got four kids, all under seven, and not only did I need a car to tow all my others, but I also needed a six-seater.

It’s a good thing I’m working with eBay at the moment, so if I need a part, I just jump online to order it. There are usually five or six suppliers, and I can price match straight away and always try to get the best deal.

It’s just so easy to buy parts now. I remember lining up every Wednesday to buy the Trading Post and reading through the same section every week to see if there were any new parts added. But now it’s just so easy to click your fingers and go on eBay.

Do you work on all your cars yourself?

BH: I think people know I’ve got cars, but they probably don’t know. Not to pump my own tyres too much, but I know more about cars than I do footy. I absolutely love cars; I live and breathe them.

I do about 90 per cent of the work to my cars by myself, and people are more surprised at that, of my knowledge basis and that I actually do the stuff myself because I’ve had a lot of people do work for me in the past when I had lots of money and they just rip you off. I just think, “I may as well learn to do it myself, stuff it up, learn along the way, and my knowledge is going to grow”.

I use my cars as a bit of a getaway tool. People who have worked on cars and know cars understand that yes, it’s about bettering and driving the car, but it’s also about the build. It’s about putting that big jigsaw puzzle together and improving it. For example, now, I’ve got three cars that are finished, but they’re not really because I’m constantly looking to make them better.  

My wife says, “I thought you finished that.”

I always say, “I just got to get this one thing, and then it’s done.”

But next month, I’ll be looking at something else. I think she got the memo that these cars are never finished.

Is it true that you’re building each car for your kids?

So I’ve got four kids, and when each one was born, I bought a car for them, which is a great excuse for the wife because I get to build it, drive it, and play with it now. Then, when they’re 18, I’ll hand the keys over to them, and he can do what he wants. They can drive it or sell it for a deposit on a house.

I’d love for them to keep it and drive it because I’m sure when they’re 18, there won’t be too many of this type of car around. It was basically just a little investment for them, which fills my passion, too.

But in saying that, they absolutely love the cars now. When I’m backing out of the driveway, they’re fighting over who gets the booster seat.

They’ve helped me a few times in the garage, too, because I’ve got quite big hands, so getting bolts in those little spots — my kids can do that for me at times — but they last about 10 or 15 minutes before they find the next thing.

But I’m hoping the next house we buy will have a big garage so I can emulate what I did as a kid, which is go out and watch over my dad’s shoulder.

What’s next on the list for your collection?

Well, I’ve had another little boy, so I’m in the market for another car. Because we are trying to buy a car at the moment, it’s a bit tough, but I do owe him a car. I think the two-door Monaro I’m restoring is probably going to be his by the time he’s 18.

So hopefully, it’ll be done by then. That was my dream car, but by the time he’s 18, I think I’m going to be too old to be driving anything that fast.

The post Barry Hall: Car fanatic turned AFL Hall of Famer appeared first on Drive.

Source link