The latest is St Kilda strongman Barry Hall, whom new coach Malcolm Blight sees as a key defender rather than a forward IF Malcolm Blight has proved anything in his regularly exciting and occasionally tumultuous 10 years as an AFL coach, it is that he is an outstanding manager of good players. He helped Mark Ricciuto take the step from good to great, helped Garry Hocking jump from inconsistent to consistent and Mark Bickley make the leap from good captain to inspirational leader.
Blight is one of the game's greatest teachers.
He thrives on accomplishing tasks others deem improbable. The Hall Project is one of the first initiatives unveiled by Blight in his fourth stint as a league coach. He's learning, he hasn't played there a lot. The scenario facing Hall and St Kilda will be among the most challenging faced by player and club in 2001. A significant test in the handling of the project will be the manner in which all parties react to the inevitable failures.