Hallett finds special-teams success while brother recovers from injury

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This article was published 22/08/2023 (807 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s still two Hallett nameplates inside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room.

The locker on the left reads ‘Hallett #21’ for Nick. The one the right has ‘Hallett #23’ for Noah.

Despite what the signs say, the brothers can no longer say they’re teammates.

Noah was released back in May as he’s still recovering from a torn ACL injured in last year’s Banjo Bowl. It was the only game the 18th overall pick in the 2020 CFL Draft played last season. He had worked his way back from a serious knee injury he suffered the year before on Nov. 13, 2021 in Montreal, only to go down yet again.

He’s not under contract, but Noah, 25, still heads down to IG Field to do his rehab.

“Well, they’re brothers. They’re tight as they come. Those two guys are inseparable,” said head coach Mike O’Shea after Tuesday’s closed practice. The Bombers (8-2) are preparing to host the Montreal Alouettes (6-3) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

“Noah is as much a part of our team as anybody. It’s important he’s working hard, which he is, and I think the guys like seeing him around.”

While Noah’s future is in question, Nick, 29, has quietly established himself as one of the best special teams players in the league. The older brother has recorded at least one special teams tackle in all 10 games this year and is currently second in the league in the category with 14.

Considering what Noah is going through, the success has been bittersweet.

“It’s difficult. I just try to remind myself how grateful I am to be here to get to play because there are players like Noah, or other people at home who just don’t get this opportunity,” Nick said.

“I’m praying every day that Noah will be back because he’s a very special player and I don’t think anyone’s gotten to see his capabilities. I’d honestly be inclined to say he’s a better player than I am so I hope people get to see that someday.”

Unlike Noah, Nick was not an early draft choice. Sixty players were picked before the University of Toronto product was nabbed by the Bombers in the seventh round. Teams are unlikely to find players who can contribute to their roster at that point of the draft, but sometimes there’s an exception to the rule. Out of the nine selections made in that round, Nick was the only one to crack a CFL roster.

“To be honest, when I got here I just thought this was a cool experience. I didn’t know there was a rule where you couldn’t get cut as a draft pick, they keep you until the end (of camp), so I thought every day was my last, honestly,” said Nick.

“Fast forward to now, I’m able to start making plays for the team. I know last year and the year before, a couple times I got the announcers to say ‘Mike Miller (the CFL’s all-time leader in special teams tackles), oh, no, that’s Nick Hallett’ so it’s cool to start having more of an impact.”

Nick is now in his fourth season in Winnipeg.

“You often don’t think much of these guys that come in as seventh-round picks. Maybe they’re going to make the practice roster. But honestly, you could see something in him right from Day 1 that you knew he was going to be a good special teams player,” said veteran linebacker Jesse Briggs, a fellow special teams ace.

“His growth from then until now has been really something. He’s become a very good professional player. To make it on special teams, you got to have a little bit of dog in you and he’s definitely got that. Players who get drafted, they’re often not asked to do that special teams role in college, and some guys show up here and they don’t necessarily buy into that being their way on the roster and their way to make a paycheque. But you could see he was all in right from the start and he’s going to find a way to help our team win. He’s continued to do that every year, especially this year, obviously.”

Nick has stepped up his game, but the special teams unit has been shaky at times. The Bombers are allowing opponents to gain an average of 12.4 yards on punt returns and 24.8 yards on kickoffs which is the second-most in the league.

To say they’re missing Miller would be an understatement. The 34-year-old fullback from New Brunswick hasn’t played a game all season and still isn’t practising. O’Shea said they hope to have him back at some point this year but wouldn’t go into the specifics of his injury timeline.

“Not having Mike is a huge loss. He’s the best to ever do it,” said Briggs. “Guys have stepped up, and you gotta give young guys credit as they’ve stepped up massively, but for sure, we’re definitely missing him. He’s a great, great player and we hope to see him back out there soon.”

Bombers donate 525 new football helmets

The Bombers announced Tuesday that they’ve donated 525 new helmets to be distributed among Manitoba’s 35 high school football programs.

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This season, the club has donated more than $300,000 in equipment to youth programs and has hosted more than 1,000 youth participants in free football camps.

“The Blue Bombers donating 15 helmets per school is a massive support as helmets cost us around $425 each,” said Oak Park Raiders head coach Chris Olson in a statement.

“Their support of equipment and camps for kids year-round helps us make it affordable for our kids to play.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.