If you were asked to sum up Aaron Hall’s 2021 season so far in one word, it would be ‘resurgent’.
After a tough start to life at North Melbourne, playing 21 games in two seasons, a move to the half-back-flank has seen Hall put together arguably the best season of his career.
Set to play his 20th game of the campaign this weekend, consistent football has allowed him to grow and thrive in his new role.
A crucial and experienced cog in a young North side, Hall’s penetrating kick and composed ball use has seen him attack the corridor with pace and power this year, often opening up the ground for his teammates.
You could argue he is one of the best in the competition at that ‘quarterback’ style role, currently ranking second in kicks per game (20.79) and metres gained per game (620), behind only Daniel Rich and Jack Lukosius respectively.
In his 19 games this season, Hall is averaging 27.4 disposals per game, with only his 2016 average of 27.8 with the Suns seeing him find more of the ball than 2021.
When he gets the ball though, he doesn’t waste it, with his disposal efficiency a touch over 75 per cent, setting a new career-high for a season average, and considerably higher than his career average of 70.1 per cent.
He’s also averaging fewer ‘clangers’, just 0.5 per game, just the third time in his career and the first time since 2013 he’s averaged less than 1 per game.
Despite his positional change into a deeper role, Hall is still impacting the scoreboard and finding ways to effectively launch the ball inside 50, whether it be through long, arcing kicks, or short, sharp darts.
Averaging 3 inside 50s per game, Hall’s effectiveness at finding teammates sees him average 0.4 goal assists and 4.5 score involvements per game playing out of the back half of the ground, and he’s also popped up for 2 goals this season.
North fans will be hoping he doesn’t just carry his form into the final game of this season, but into 2022 and, potentially, beyond.