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.
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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.”
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