His uncle is a Melbourne Cup-winning trainer so it’s no surprise that AFL hopeful Hugo Hall-Kahan has been patient with his approach to getting an opportunity on footy’s big stage.
Now the young defender is set to get his chance after being taken at Pick 10 by Adelaide in Wednesday’s mid-season rookie draft.
The 22-year-old is the nephew of David Hall, who trained legendary stayer Makybe Diva to win her first Melbourne Cup before moving to Hong Kong, where he has trained more than 650 winners.
It’s a racing family dynasty that also includes ‘grand-slam’ winner Greg Hall, who famously won the Melbourne Cup aboard Subzero in 1992.
Hall-Kahan, who appeared briefly on Sydney’s AFL list in 2022 but was delisted before he could make a senior appearance, said he is excited to chase his AFL dream in South Australia.
He was drafted by the Crows after a purple patch of form for Williamstown in the VFL.
“It means everything to get another crack at it, I definitely don’t want to let this one slip, but it feels different this time,” Hall-Kahan told Adelaide FC Media.
“I definitely had a lot of belief in my ability, I just knew there were certain things around just my mind and my habits, and everything around football and away from footy as well to get right.”
“I have put on a lot of size since Sydney, and just kept working at it each year, there’s obviously so many improvements still to come, but I always had confidence in my ability.”
“I was predominantly a half-forward, then spent a bit of time in the midfield last year at Williamstown, but was fortunate enough to speak with my coach this past off-season to see what was the best fit, and he thought it would be half-back,” Hall-Kahan said.
“I’ve just absolutely loved it, looking at the game from that direction, I think that’s just helped me a lot, and just maturing as well, just as a human, as a person outside of football, I think that has been a massive part of me getting here.”
