Neil Balme has his say on Richmond’s bold trade and draft strategy

There was a mass exodus of stars at Richmond within just two months of Neil Balme leaving the club. The former Tigers administrator has his say on the trade and draft strategy.

Former Richmond administrator and club great Neil Balme believes the Tigers can bounce back from their rebuild reasonably quickly, saying the club did the right thing in allowing quality players to depart in return for prized draft picks.

The Tigers lost premiership quartet Shai Bolton, Dan Rioli, Liam Baker and Jack Graham during the trade period which allowed them to stockpile top-end selections.

In a draft praised for its depth in the early rounds, Richmond took Sam Lalor with the No.1 pick, 195 centimetre midfielder Josh Smillie, electric small Taj Hotton, key forwards Jonty Faull and Harry Armstrong, and intercept defender Luke Trainor.

The Tigers traded their final pick in the first round for North Melbourne’s 2025 first-round pick which could prove to be valuable.

Richmond draftees Sam Lalor (back middle), Josh Smillie (back L), Harry Armstrong (back R), Jonty Faull (front L), Taj Hotton (front middle) and Luke Trainor (front R). Picture: Getty Images

The late Richmond recruiting manager Chris Toce was behind this illustrious draft haul and Balme described his tragic death as “horrifying”.

Balme, who stepped away from the Tigers in August, saw first-hand the impact of Geelong’s draft hauls in the early 2000s – including the 2001 ‘super draft’ – which led them to three premierships in five years.

After his stint as football boss at Geelong from 2007-14, he joined Richmond ahead of the 2017 season and saw the likes of Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin hold the cup aloft.

He said Richmond’s trade and draft strategy should prove to be effective given the strength of 2024 draft crop and the looming threat of Tasmania.

“All the recruiters are saying it’s as good a draft as there’s been for a while. And also with Tassie coming in, it will cost us a fair bit in terms of draft picks going forward, which we can understand,” Balme said.

Neil Balme is confident in Richmond’s direction. Picture: AAP Image/Michael Dodge

“So I think it’s the right place at the right time and now there’s got to be some really good coaching, which I’ve got no doubt our guys will (provide), and it’s a lot of good learning for the players to really buy into it.

“I think the older blokes and even the middle-aged blokes at Richmond get it, they are really pleased that these kids have come on and I think they will really help them understand how the game works and get them in as quickly as they can.

“They’re in a pretty good place and I think everyone is still looking back, it wasn’t that long ago that we were outstanding for three out of four years. So there’s a little bit of patience required in that, but I think they’ll get it and I think they’ll come out of it reasonably quickly.

“With the draft, I think hopefully it’ll be an exceptional draft and those kids will take the opportunity that’s in front of them.”

Balme said it is imperative for clubs to be honest about where they sit and this was ultimately why the Tigers allowed three quality players to walk for the right price.

“There may be a time when you’ve got to rebuild, as they call it, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. I think the real challenge for those footy clubs is to understand where they are, what position they are in,” Balme said.

“As long as the CEO and the board, etc and the coach all think the same way as to where we are, I mean, it’s more achievable to pull out of it as quickly as you can. And I think that’s what they’ve recognised.

“Several of the first-picked players leave, well if we thought there was a genuine chance that we might be in the picture again for this year coming, we wouldn’t have let those blokes go and worked a lot harder to keep them.

A number of premiership Tigers have moved on this off-season. Picture: Michael Klein

“But because of where we are, we say, ‘OK, if they want to go, that’s okay.’ We’ll sort of help them go, as long as we get decent picks for them. And then we can do what we’ve done, which is pick six or seven kids who obviously might not have a huge influence next year, but very soon they will – they are the rebuild on top of what we’ve already got.

“So I think they know where they are, I think there is probably going to be a bit of pain next year because it’s hard to get through. But they know what they’re doing and they will just keep getting better.”

Toce, who passed away from cancer on the final day of the trade period, was honoured on draft night by having his young son, Harry, log the first selection that saw Lalor join the club.

Balme has had health scares himself, telling this masthead in August that he “dodged a bullet” undergoing heart bypass surgery, having also battled epilepsy in recent years.

“It is almost surreal what happened to him because he’d only been with us for nine months in the end and it almost come from nowhere. All of a sudden he is crook and you think, ‘ah yeah he is crook, he will be alright’, but then the poor fella passes,” Balme said.

“Then you see his wife and kids at the function that we’re at for him and it’s just horrifying when you look at it.

The late Chris Toce. Picture: Richmond FC

“It was awful and when you saw all the people that had worked with him in footy and how wonderfully they spoke about him, I know everyone does when you pass, but they were real.

“It was very challenging for Blair Hartley and our recruiting blokes to lose him when we did. He really had quite a bit of impact even though he’d only been there for nine months, very, very sad.”

Balme said he will consider lending a hand at the Tigers, where he also won two premierships as a player.

“I’m sort of thinking a little about what I’m going to do – I can’t do nothing - but I’m looking forward to just having a bit of a breather and think it through and see what I can do,” Balme said.

Originally published as Neil Balme has his say on Richmond’s bold trade and draft strategy