Richmond football boss Neil Balme relishing rise of women’s football as AFLW Tigers eye maiden win
Renowned as one of the VFL’s hard men, Neil Balme is happy to concede he was moved by Richmond’s historic AFLW debut. Balme has fallen head over heels for the Tigers’ newest side and has predicted a huge future for women’s footy.
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Neil Balme spent a decade in the VFL as a Richmond enforcer whose attack on the man and ball often tipped from the robust to the outright violent.
Yet as Richmond’s AFLW team took to the field for its historic first game two weeks ago, Richmond’s staff spent the night pondering one question.
Had Balme, so integral to the formation of this team as footy boss and now senior club advisor, actually shed tears at the sheer emotion of it all?
Balme’s hearty laugh at the query this week shows he has regained his composure, and if he won’t admit to breaking down he does concede he has fallen head over heels for this new Richmond side.
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The hardest man in footy now travels to every AFLW game, full of admiration for the stories of resilience that populate the Tigers’ start-up side.
“It has surprised even myself,” says Balme.
“It’s just their fantastic attitudes. They have so much gratitude, they love playing, and it’s not a competition because our boys are fantastic but boys can ask why. These women ask, “ What else can I do?”
“I didn’t actually shed a tear although as I get older I am quite sensitive to things so it’s possible, but it was very moving. The build-up was quite emotional and I didn’t think I would be experiencing that but I certainly did.”
This year Balme, renowned as the game’s best footy manager, has taken a slight step sideways as club advisor to allow staffers Tim Livingstone and Blair Hartley promotions in the football department.
It has allowed Balme, 68, more time with both programs and the bigger-picture perspective for women’s football.
“It will keep getting better. I have no doubt about that,” he says.
“Now footy has accepted it’s a reality and it’s going to be here forever and part of Richmond’s community responsibility is to women’s footy. Even the discussion around who will pay for it is a reality, but that’s OK. We will sort it out.
“ (AFLW) will just keep improving. Even watching last year’s Grand Final and the way Adelaide played, I thought, “This has taken a step very quickly in terms of how well they can play together”. That is an inspiration to all of us.”
The old-fashioned protector in Balme felt a flush of anger when the Herald Sun’s Mark Robinson criticised franchise star Katie Brennan this week but he is aware of the silver lining.
“My first reaction is to think, “Robbo, is that necessary?” but then you think, “She isn’t playing quite as well as she would like to and she will play better”.
“But it’s the same as the blokes, you live in a big world and Katie would know it’s really important we get our media talking about women's footy and the price you pay for that is there will be criticism potentially.”
Winless Richmond takes on much-fancied North Melbourne on Sunday, and yet while he knows this year is about small steps the competitor in him will never die.
“You look at a game of footy where you don’t play that bloody well and then you get disappointed and then you go, “Hang on a minute, this is the first of many, we can’t expect too much initially” … But of course we always do.”