The Roos had high hopes for Hale at the start of the year, but by late July had decided his best place was in the VFL.
He had kicked just 22 goals from 16 games, mirroring a side that struggled to find regular contributors in attack and was the lowest scoring in the competition.
To make matters worse, Hale fractured his thumb when representing North Ballarat and required surgery, ruling him out of a recall for the Roos' round 22 clash with Port Adelaide.
"Everything [combined] for what happened in the end," Hale told afl.com.au. "That's footy and everyone goes through it. The only way is to bounce back.
"You obviously want to be playing your best and helping the team out and all that sort of stuff. It wasn't ideal but that's how it goes. How you come out of it is probably the main thing.
"With a new coach and everything else, including the new facility, it's obviously a fresh start for everyone."
Importantly for Hale, Brad Scott saw him as a required player and met with the 25-year-old ahead of trade week to reiterate that.
Hale had signed a three-year deal in May - a sure sign of North's belief in his ability - but was aware that anything could come with a change in power.
"He (Scott) was adamant that this is where he wanted me to be," Hale said. "Obviously I had already signed again at the start of the year.
"Once you get that confirmation, you know that you're wanted I suppose. That's pretty much the start and end of it for me in a way.
"I've been here for eight years and hopefully I can be here for a few more. But obviously if you go through a year like I did last year, that's when pressure gets applied and people start talking about it.
"Hopefully it doesn't happen again and it's all positive."
Hale agreed that a drop in confidence had got the better of him but said the experience of 117 games meant he had to learn to deal with it.
Twenty-eight of North's current players are under 25, of which 24 have played less than 50 games. Eight more will be added in the coming drafts.
"Once you get down to the grind of the season it does muddle with your head," Hale said.
"The older guys have to display the way to go about [things]. That comes with playing and knowing you've prepared as best you can and getting out and getting a kick.
"[But that can't happen] until you get back in that situation ... when it comes to playing games against the opposition and knowing you can do your role."
The emergence of Hamish McIntosh and Todd Goldstein has seen Hale spend less time as a ruckman, which is a situation he is comfortable with.
His finish to the 2008 season - 17 goals in four games - showed he can have his greatest impact at full-forward, while key defenders Scott Thompson and Nathan Grima and fellow talls McIntosh and Drew Petrie have helped him gauge his own size and strength in the contests.
Hale returned to training on November 5, refreshed from an off-season break that included his wedding on the Gold Coast.
