Article and photo courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin
ANTONY STEWART | July 16th, 2012
FOR all of Josh Hall's achievements as a promising high jumper, nothing can compare to belting out the Suns' song with 22 teammates.
The Townsville product proclaimed his life reached a new all-time high when he helped Gold Coast to their first win of the AFL season when he made his shock debut against Richmond in Cairns on Saturday.
It has been less than a year since Hall took up the sport properly, but at Cazaly's Stadium you wouldn't have known it.
He oozed confidence from his first touch when he swerved a Tigers defender and delivered a pin-point long kick to Sam Day in a goal-scoring position. Playing in the forward line, Hall booted two goals in the gripping two-point win. "It was up there as nearly No. 1, it was an amazing experience and a dream come true," the 22-year-old said.
"To be on the field with those kind of guys like Karmichael (Hunt) and celebrate the first win of the season, I wouldn't have even dreamed of it, so it really was a great experience. I made the decision (to leave athletics) and it's paid off."
It was the day of the convert in the far North.
While Hall traded a potential Olympic Games berth for a shot at an AFL career, former rugby league representative player Karmichael Hunt was the man to kick the winning goal for the Suns after the siren.
"With 'K' kicking it to win it just topped it all off, but I was on a high in the three days leading up to it, so I slept well last night," Hall said.
Nerves rarely showed through, although Hall admitted he was "shaking like a leaf" when he had his first shot on goal, which he missed, but he booted true with his second attempt and received a big hug from Hunt.
"He said 'congratulations' and 'you're made for this level'," said Hall, who played his first two AFL games ever in reserves with the Townsville City Lions in 2010 before being discovered while playing A-grade for the Curra Swans last year. As a tribute to his boyhood Brisbane Broncos idol, Hall even threw in a Hunt-like rugby league sidestep to beat a defender.
"I've been doing it for a while in touch footy ... and I guess those are the sort of things the fans enjoy," he said. "You reinvent the game a little bit because no one has ever seen stuff like that, so it's a bit of fun and a bit of humour among the boys as well. They give me a bit of stick, but it's all in good fun."
Hall, who cramped in the third term and couldn't return, said he had never pulled up sorer after a sporting event. He hoped to get another crack with the Suns on Saturday against Brisbane.
"(Coach Guy McKenna) said it was a good first game ... and the other coaches shook my hand and congratulated me," Hall said
Last Modified on 16/07/2012 08:40