Hall's stellar career with the Swans ended on a sour note, his two-week suspension for striking Crow Ben Rutten proving the last straw for a club that, until then, had tolerated their full-forward's sometimes violent temper flares.
But since returning to Melbourne and commencing training with his new club, the 32-year-old says he feels more like a rookie than a veteran, and is keen to leave his indiscretions in the past.
"You try and impress everyone again - I'm feeling 18 at the moment," Hall said from Whitten Oval on Saturday.
"Melbourne's good, the weather's been alright and it's good to get home.
"You can escape a bit of the footy up in Sydney so I'm back in the swing of it here and it's like I never left."
The Dogs targeted Hall to fill the much-publicised gap in their forward line that many believe has prevented them from challenging for a premiership in the last two years.
And while the 250-gamer is not sure he can contribute a bag every week, he is confident he can fulfil the role his new club will ask of him.
"I don't think it's past me," Hall said. "To do it on a weekly basis is probably past me because the body is getting on a little bit.
"In terms of winning games, I'm not sure. But I still reckon I can play some pretty good football."
Coach Rodney Eade echoed the sentiment, saying Hall's input would not be judged solely by the numbers he puts in the goals column.
Eade also expects the burly forward to be open to adapting his game.
"I remember coaching Tony Lockett and as he started to lose athleticism, he found new ways to counter that," he said.
"They learn new tricks to not only survive but thrive in the competition, and having coached Plugger for quite a while, you realise at the end of his career he learned new ways to kick goals.
"You'll find Brad Johnson's done that. Players learn to adapt."
The skipper himself said he was looking forward to Hall contributing as a player and as a leader and mentor to the club's young group of developing forwards.
"He's going to be a big asset for us and I think he'll have an impact both on the scoreboard and with his presence on the ground for us as well," Johnson said.
"Once he settles in after Christmas, I think we'll start to see [his leadership] when he's out on the ground and doing the sessions with us."
Hall is recovering from a clean out of both ankles and has not started running drills so far this pre-season. He says the restrictions are merely precautionary.
"I'll start just before Christmas and that will be a pretty important time. There will be no pudding and a lot of running.
"The frustrating part is I can't get out there and train at the moment."
