Just before 10 p.m. Thursday night the Hallett household – brothers Noah and Nick, their sister Caitlin and parents Charlotte and Michael – erupted with more than a few shrieks of joy.
Yes, in that instant when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers officially made the Hallett brothers teammates for the first time in their football careers, the Richter scale might have noticed some seismic activity emanating from a spot on Sandra Road in London, Ontario as a family let loose in celebration.
“It was a very special moment,” said Nick, drafted by the Bombers last year, after seeing Noah selected with the Bombers first pick, 18th overall, in a chat with bluebombers.com on Thursday. “My family is just so relieved. They finally get to cheer for the same team now.”
The Halletts aren’t the first brothers to play football and make it to the pros, nor would be they the first brother act to line up for the Blue Bombers in the same season – two of the most recent examples include Allan and Bruce Boyko and Glenn and Colin Scrivener in 1997 and Henoc and Cauchy Muamba in 2013.
What’s interesting, however, is that the two not only attended different high schools – Noah went to Mother Teresa, Nick to Sir Frederick Banting – they also played for different universities. Noah is a product of McMaster, while Nick, 3 ½ years older, starred at the University of Toronto.
“We’ve only ever played once in the same game. Mac won,” Nick explained with a chuckle, “but I had a decent game, so that’s all that matters.”
HAMILTON, ON – OCTOBER 19: McMaster Marauders vs Waterloo Warriors on October 19, 2019 at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
“I’m stoked,” added Noah, in a media conference call on Friday. “I was kinda hoping for this situation… we’ve never played together but we always wanted that opportunity. We never played each other because we’re in different age groups. It’s going to be special to compete with him at this level. It’s going to be crazy.”
The Bombers selected Hallett Thursday not because it could make for some kind of heartwarming novelty act, but because Noah – a U Sports Second-Team All-Canadian – helps fill a positional need.
He had been ranked highly on a number of CFL draft boards, with the Hallets believing Calgary, Winnipeg and Ottawa – where former McMaster head coach Greg Knox is now the defensive back coach with the REDBLACKS – were the teams most interested.
And then as the second round came to a close, Noah’s cell phone lit up with a call from Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking just waiting… the wait seems a lot longer than it actually is when you’re waiting for your name to be called,” admitted Noah. “I started to get excited when I thought I could be a later pick in the second round. I definitely had my eye on Winnipeg and Nick was hoping for the same thing.
“We both saw teams select different people and when Hamilton had their pick in (17th overall) and it wasn’t me I got a call and left the room for some privacy and it was Coach O’Shea and I was ecstatic. Everybody says such great things about him. He said I was going to be a part of the Blue Bombers and I’m excited to be a part of such a great organization now.
“I came back down (stairs) and told them and everybody kinda laughed. They’re super excited that Nick and I are going to be able to play at this level together. It was a special moment for our family when we watched my name come up on the TV.”
“My mom was close to tears,” added Nick. “It was such a good moment for our family. This is what everyone wanted.”
The Bombers know what they have in the first Hallett, as Nick provided a spark on special teams last year as a rookie. Younger brother Noah is an admitted football nut and that combination of grit and true love for the game is what obviously caught the Bombers’ attention.
“I think that’s the kind of player Osh was,” said Nick. “Noah is the type of player who prides himself on spending time in the film room and understands the game so well. He had good coaches growing up. That’s really his passion: football. Both of us will do anything to get the job done.”
The Hallets are close, sharing the same room growing up with Nick on the bottom of the bunkbed and Noah on the top.
Now the two will be on the same team, playing the same position and essentially competing for a possible starting safety role, depending on how the Bombers plan to use the ratio on defence.
“It’s definitely going to be a competition,” said Noah. “It got heavy a lot when we were younger. We were always playing games with each other and it would get pretty competitive because we’re athletes, so I think we’re used to it. But we found a way that it was always a good competition and whatever we were doing we were pushing each other to get better.”
“Yeah, sure, we’ll be competing for a spot,” added Nick. “But we’ve been competing against each other our whole lives. On the flip side of that we’ve also pushed each other to be the best player we can be, so we’ve always had each other to drive each other and push each other.
“It’s a best case scenario for both of us. We’ll be able to work together, study together and prep together. I think it’s going to be awesome.”
