WATCHING the Swans from the sidelines for the first time in nine years, Adam Goodes felt something was wrong with Barry Hall - and that was before the Sydney forward took a swing at Collingwood defender Shane Wakelin.

After 204 consecutive games, a one-match suspension had forced Goodes into the grandstand at ANZ Stadium last Saturday night, and the dual Brownlow medallist said the first time the ball went near Hall, he sensed things were not right.

Speaking on the day co-captain Brett Kirk described Hall as a "good person … with a bad habit" who needed to take responsibility for what had happened, Goodes said yesterday that the main concern for Hall was to find a "nice mental state where he can play footy and get on with his life".

"Just watching on the weekend, he [Hall] definitely looked very frustrated, and from the very first forward entry [inside their attacking 50m], he was throwing Wakelin around," Goodes said.

"Look, I'm not frustrated with Hally's actions on the weekend, but as soon as I saw them, I was just like, 'Well something isn't right here.' It was a little bit disappointing, but at the same time, footy aside, we just want Hally to feel OK, not get so frustrated out there on the field. Whether it takes a week or two weeks, we'll be here to support him, the football club, the leadership group and the players.

"I sent him a text message last night saying we're here for him and we're going to miss him and we look forward to him getting back around the football club. You just want Hally to be in a nice mental state where he can play footy and get on with his life. At the end of the day, football is what we're paid to do here - but it's more about the person, and this is one of those cases with Hally, and we'll do everything we can to help him get back to playing good footy, and we know that he can do that."

Hall surprised many yesterday when he joined his teammates for a training session at the SCG. Kirk said he had been unsure when Hall would be back at training, and there had been thought he might take a few days away from the club to clear his head.

Asked if he agreed with Hall's claim that he was trying to push rather than strike Wakelin, Kirk said: "It's just totally unacceptable. It's a reflex action that he doesn't even know he's done.

"I think that why he's come out and said he pushed. I don't think he realises what he's actually done, which says to me there's something going on that he needs to work through so if he does get put in the same position, he doesn't do something without even thinking about it.

"One of the main things I said to him was that he has to take responsibility for what's happened, he has to put his hand up and admit that his actions are unacceptable at our footy club. He needs to do something about it and when he does that, I'm sure he'll be able to work through it.

"Barry is the one who needs to take responsibility. He's the only one who can change."

Kirk, who described the matter as "maybe one of the toughest" the Swans' leadership group has had to deal with, also confirmed that Hall - who only last year surrendered the co-captaincy of the club - had stood down from the leadership group.

"As a leader of our football club, you want a model of behaviour we want our young players to aspire to be, and Barry, at this present time, is not doing that, and he's stood down from that capacity," Kirk said.

"The club is right behind him, the players are behind him. I think Barry is a good person. He's got a bad habit and he needs to work his way through it so he can come back and know it won't happen again.

"We trust and respect Barry, and I think we need to be compassionate, but what he did was unacceptable and he's not modelling the behaviour we want at our football club."

Kirk said he met Hall, who was "OK" but, "of course you are going to be upset, something you love has been taken away, and he's going to be in that frame of mind at the moment".

When asked if this would be the last chance for Hall, Kirk said that was not a decision he would make solely so he would not comment. He was also quizzed on whether Hall would be back this season.

"It's not for me to say, and I don't think anyone can really say that. I'd like to think it will happen but I'm not sure whether it's a short-term or long-term thing."