Balme

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cleanhands said:
Cheers wasn’t aware of this
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Sounds a fair bit more serious than that tweet...

Looks to me like it's time for Balmey to put his feet up and look after himself rather than do anything too stressfull.


Neil Balme reflects on his time at Richmond as he prepares to finish at the club​

As he prepares to bid farewell to footy and his beloved Punt Rd, Neil Balme speaks to JON RALPH about the ‘miracle’ premiership and his ongoing health battle.

Departing Richmond administrator and dual premiership star Neil Balme has reflected on the club’s “miracle” 2017 premiership as he recovers from heart surgery which will deny him an MCG farewell on Saturday.
Balme will finish up as a senior club adviser this week in what shapes as a watershed moment for a club which might see Shai Bolton, Jack Graham, Liam Baker and Daniel Rioli depart.

Marlion Pickett and Sam Naismith joined triple premiership defender Dylan Grimes in retirement this week, with Brendon Gale also leaving in coming weeks as the club’s chief executive.

Balme won two Richmond flags in 1973 and 1974 as a robust enforcer and key position player and then after a coaching stint returned as the Tigers were at rock bottom after stints with Collingwood and Geelong as a football boss.

He was one of the key figures in the club’s extraordinary turnaround as it went from a disastrous 2016 campaign to 2017 premiers before adding the 2019 and 2020 flags.

Balme was to be feted at a gala Punt Road function last week where Geelong coach Chris Scott and Sydney chief executive Tom Harley were to be among the assembled guests.

Instead he needed heart surgery and revealed on Friday what was a routine procedure turned into something more complicated.

“I dodged another bullet,” he told this masthead after also battling with epilepsy in recent years.

“They were going to (put a stent in) but they finished up having to do a bypass because the stent blew up. I was bleeding inside, apparently. So now I have a zipper in the chest. I’m not too bad. I am a bit uncomfortable at times, but I’m still alive.

“I’m sleeping reasonably well, but it works out well because we are going to finish (at Richmond) anyway.

“I can walk down and buy coffee and come back but I just get very tired. I was thinking I would love to go to the footy tomorrow, but it would just be challenging talking to so many people.”

Balme was able to reorganise Richmond’s football department as coach Damien Hardwick changed the club’s game plan and leaders including Trent Cotchin were able to open up about their own struggles and provide more authentic leadership.

That remarkable season saw Dustin Martin win every award in football as the Tigers broke a 37-year premiership drought.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time a couple of times, and to go back to Richmond when I did and for that to happen, at the time it was always a miracle,” said Balme.

“It was terrific. There are too many (memories) but it’s hard to forget what the feeling was in 2017 when the siren went. There are a lot of wonderful times and even some of them are even inside (the club), getting people organised.

“I’m a Richmond man forever. I’m just finishing off (officially), it doesn’t mean I am going to go away. I am very proud of it.”
 
For the most part, I agree, but there are a coupla things I am doubtful about.
GreyCrow said:
Have him run his eyes over our squad and give opinions as honest as he can - how other clubs view our list etc
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I doubt the AFC cares about "how other Clubs view our list". I don't, myself.
Can you expand on that a bit, please?

Short-term, there's nothing he can do about our squad/list, unless they get him in before Draft period.
No doubt he'll view our games over, say, the last 2-3 years; I'd value his comments on
--- Selection
--- Game plan/style (this will be new info to Nicks; sarcasm aside, Nicks has little idea about the more subtle aspects of who should do what and where)
--- any weaknesses/strengths he identifies in individual players
--- use of sub
GreyCrow said:
He can do this from home
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A fair bit of it, yes.
GreyCrow said:
Have him run his eyes over our management structures - same as the squad - what is the perception from the outside
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Don't we want him to work on our training/game and how to improve it ie win more of them?
Our management structures were reviewed by Dunstall et al years ago and the Club will be very touchy about an outsider being honest about the mistakes they've made. Hence why we're stuck with Nicks' contract extension.
GreyCrow said:
He can do most of this from home and a general walk around the office chatting to people
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I think Balme having a lot of confidential one-on-one conversations with people (players, Nicks, Assistants, right down to trainers etc) will be very useful. Many people not in positions of power will have some good info, interesting perspectives and useful ideas.
GreyCrow said:
I would ask him to write a manifesto on his core beliefs in football and how to apply them. Have they changed over time or is there still things that time cannot change
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Disagree, sorry.
Footy players especially do not want to read ANYthing, let alone "Balme's Manifesto" Balme doesn't strike me as the kind of bloke who'd want to write one, anyway). Balme's a do-er, not a theorist..
They want to talk and be heard.
They want useful, practical ideas shared with them on how to play/Coach/work better and be a better team.
GreyCrow said:
I would have an office set aside and he can turn up when he wants and people can come and chat to him .
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Yes, especially if they know it's in confidence.
But turning up "when he wants"? Yeah/nah. People would need to know when he's gonna be there, so they can schedule time with him.
GreyCrow said:
Like a tribal elder or an old con he has vast experience in the system he loves. DONT LET IT GO TO WASTE
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Yes!
I don't know what he's got but it's something valuable. His reputation precedes him and he's know to be highly respected and contribute to success wherever he has been.
(If he hasn't all ready, I'd suggest that Nicks has a few chats with Blighty as well. I have no doubt he watches and takes strong interest in Crows games and would have some good ideas for Nicks --- but that would take Nicks' admitting that he has problems and flaws and things that are not working so, yeah, I doubt it'll happen)
 

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CrowBloke said:
For the most part, I agree, but there are a coupla things I am doubtful about.

I doubt the AFC cares about "how other Clubs view our list". I don't, myself.
Can you expand on that a bit, please?
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The AFC might not care - but thats the problem. ie the club venerates Murphy but how do other clubs view him and his role. What planning do they do for one of the competitions elite shape keepers.

Do they put more work into Fog , Tex or RT?

Just the general football view of the AFC players that the club are either ignorant about or dont care
CrowBloke said:
Short-term, there's nothing he can do about our squad/list, unless they get him in before Draft period.
No doubt he'll view our games over, say, the last 2-3 years; I'd value his comments on
--- Selection
--- Game plan/style (this will be new info to Nicks; sarcasm aside, Nicks has little idea about the more subtle aspects of who should do what and where)
--- any weaknesses/strengths he identifies in individual players
--- use of sub
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Doesnt need to be before the draft but yes your general tone is correct
CrowBloke said:
A fair bit of it, yes.

Don't we want him to work on our training/game and how to improve it ie win more of them?
Our management structures were reviewed by Dunstall et al years ago and the Club will be very touchy about an outsider being honest about the mistakes they've made. Hence why we're stuck with Nicks' contract extension.
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Our management structure was not reviewed . Chapman specifically said they were off limits ( please dont ask for a source :D )
CrowBloke said:
I think Balme having a lot of confidential one-on-one conversations with people (players, Nicks, Assistants, right down to trainers etc) will be very useful. Many people not in positions of power will have some good info, interesting perspectives and useful ideas.
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Agreed
CrowBloke said:
Disagree, sorry.
Footy players especially do not want to read ANYthing, let alone "Balme's Manifesto" Balme doesn't strike me as the kind of bloke who'd want to write one, anyway). Balme's a do-er, not a theorist..
They want to talk and be heard.
They want useful, practical ideas shared with them on how to play/Coach/work better and be a better team.
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Its not for the players but for the Football managers , the operations, the Chairman etc. People who need to know how to run a successful club
CrowBloke said:
Yes, especially if they know it's in confidence.
But turning up "when he wants"? Yeah/nah. People would need to know when he's gonna be there, so they can schedule time with him.
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More the idea that we shouldnt lock him into anything until his health is stabilised.
 
cleanhands said:
I’ll be eating the wife’s cooking(Chinese) so what I’m eating your guess is as good as mine
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Hopefully this does not offend a fellow Adelaide bigfooty poster. I do love authentic Chinese food, but they do use some ingredients that I have no idea what they are.
 
crowholder said:
Hopefully this does not offend a fellow Adelaide bigfooty poster. I do love authentic Chinese food, but they do use some ingredients that I have no idea what they are.
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May be best you don’t know!

Personally prefer Vietnamese & Thai flavours, but don't mind Chinese too.
 
Kane McGoodwin said:
May be best you don’t know!

Personally prefer Vietnamese & Thai flavours, but don't mind Chinese too.
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Chinese cuisine is quite diverse and tastes quite different than what we get in most places within Australia. I assume this is the case with Vietnamese and Thai food too. I find Vietnamese food often has too much sugar, like many Chinese food here. I love the spices used in Thai food.
 
crowholder said:
Chinese cuisine is quite diverse and tastes quite different than what we get in most places within Australia. I assume this is the case with Vietnamese and Thai food too. I find Vietnamese food often has too much sugar, like many Chinese food here. I love the spices used in Thai food.
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I do get a little worried if my wife is smiling at me while I’m eating
 
cleanhands said:
Authentic is completely different than what is cooked here
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Yum Cha in Guangdong is just so much better than anywhere in Australia too. There are some restaurants in Australia that have become closer to Chinese cuisine, but still worlds apart.
 

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I tried one of these last time I went to China.... Called water bugs, in translation, but they look very similar to an Australian pest. You pull off the wings and head and eat the rest. It tasted very sweet, like a soft centred chocolate. I was surprised. I think that many people would like them if they had no idea what they were eating. I am not a sweet tooth though, so I did not go for seconds, lol.


water bugs.jpg
 
crowholder said:
I tried one of these last time I went to China.... Called water bugs, in translation, but they look very similar to an Australian pest. You pull off the wings and head and eat the rest. It tasted very sweet, like a soft centred chocolate. I was surprised. I think that many people would like them if they had no idea what they were eating. I am not a sweet tooth though, so I did not go for seconds, lol.


View attachment 2090158
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Courageous 👍
 

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