Real reason Paul Gallen was fuming after his Code War bout with Barry Hall

Paul Gallen had calmed down by the time he faced reporters after saying he was robbed by the judges, but he was still filthy about another injustice.

Paul Gallen wasn’t happy after his Code War clash with Barry Hall.

Paul Gallen let his frustrations open for everyone to see after claiming the way his Code War boxing showdown with Barry Hall was refereed was even more of a robbery than the way the fight was controversially scored as a majority draw.

Gallen was steaming in the ring when he declared only one of the judges scored the fight his way after the three-person judging panel returned scorecards of 58-56 (in Gallen’s favour), 57-57, 57-57.

However, the 38-year-old was much calmer about the controversial decision when he faced the press 15 minutes after the fight.

But he was nowhere near calm about the way the fight was refereed.

During the middle rounds Gallen even barked at the referee to do something after sensing early that Hall was going to be allowed to get away with murder.

READ: Australia reacts to Code War farce

Before, during and after the fight, Gallen’s biggest gripe was always that Hall would get away with grabbing him, slowing the fight down and taking away Gallen’s endurance advantage.

Hall was repeatedly cautioned by the referee for grabbing Gallen in the clinch, but that ended up being a double-edged sword against Gallen. Hall wasn’t docked any points and the cautions further slowed the fight and allowed Hall more time to recover.

“He was warned every round to stop grabbing me,” Gallen said.

“I said that to the referee at the start of the fight, ‘He’s going to grab me all the time’. And he said, ‘That’s a foul and if he grabs, I’ll warn him’. He warned him every round. Took 20 seconds to win every round. So it ended up being three minute rounds. So they gave him a lot of breathing time.

“All he did was survive. How you get points for surviving, I don’t know. He admitted it out there. For him to say out there one judge scored it like that, he would know. As an athlete we know. He won a couple rounds no doubt, but I hit him with more shots.”

Gallen said in interviews in the weeks leading up to the fight he suspected Hall was going to disrupt the fight with grabbing tactics — but he took no solace from being proven right.

“It feel like I’ve lost, I’m so disappointed,” he said. “One judge had it right, the other two had it wrong — I’m certain of that.

“I knew coming down here that I had to win convincingly.

“I said it in radio interviews all week, he will try and keep me on the end of his jab and then as soon as I get inside he will grab me.

“That’s exactly what happened.’’

Gallen wasn’t impressed with the officiating.

HALL’S TELLING BACKFLIP

Barry Hall strutted into his post fight press conference with a beaming smile and just his grey undies.

A shredded physique that wowed Australian sport during Thursday’s weigh-ins was still there, but it was impossible to look past the deep cuts and bruising around the Swans premiership captain’s face.

His melon might have been pounded but Hall still cut a satisfied, relieved figure.

Hall said Gallen “technically, probably won” immediately after the judges’ controversial scorecards were announced — but the 42-year-old AFL legend was telling a different tale after stepping out of the ring.

Hall said in his press conference a draw was the fair result after he weathered the Gallen Storm and landed a series of counter punches when allowed to swing freely with his superior reach advantage.

Hall’s comment in the ring, however, is hard to ignore after rival Gallen’s furious suggestion that only one judge had the numbers right as the 58-56, 57-57, 57-57 scores were announced.

“I don’t know if I won or not,” Hall said.

“One judge gave it to him, so technically he probably won.”

Hall said he is happy to have the rematch in Sydney and fight it over three minute rounds.

He said he regrets not taking the fight to Gallen in the later rounds when he says he got on top.

“I’m just kicking myself at the end that I could have went,” Hall said.

“I had an opportunity to press him at the end and I didn’t. (Trainer) Angelo (Hyder) at the end was saying, ‘You’ve got him’.

“I thought I hit him with cleaner shots. He might have hit me with more shots, but I thought I hit him with the cleaner, more technical shots.”

Gallen was more active but did Hall land the cleaner punches?