AFL 2021: Richmond great Neil Balme linked to senior football role at Crows

Linked with another move to poach flag mastermind Neil Balme to South Australia, Adelaide is eyeing further prominent additions to bolster its football department.

Richmond great Neil Balme has again been linked to a senior football department role with Adelaide Crows.

Balme has been an instrumental figure in Richmond’s three premierships across the past four years after leaving Collingwood and joining the Tigers as general manager of football in September 2016.

The Crows pursued Balme last off-season, in a move to help add experience to then first-year senior coach Matthew Nicks and head of footy Adam Kelly.

But when asked about Balme on Friday, Nicks said it was “inappropriate for me to talk about an individual”.

“Again, what I can say is we are doing everything we possibly can to get better as every club would be doing at this point in time,” Nicks said.

“It’s looking in to that, sitting down, discussing a strategy and saying how can we improve? “We talk about adding to our group which is already strong.

“There are staff that are making decisions to move on to different fields.

“It’s hard as a head coach of a footy club, you want to keep the best people you can. It is harder to manage that at this point in time.

“That’s part of the job, to get the best people you can in and fit that all in under a soft cap that has been substantially cut.”

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Neil Balme, pictured chatting with Liam Baker in May, has again been linked to the Crows. Picture: Michael Klein

Balme indicated last year he was open to the idea of returning to Adelaide and in October said he took the offer “seriously”.

But because of an “unusual medical condition”, Balme decided to stay at Richmond in his “Godfather” role as senior club adviser.

He said what the Crows had sounded him out about was similar to his role at the Tigers.

Balme coached Norwood to two premierships in 11 seasons in the 1980s.

Adelaide significantly boosted its coaching department after claiming the first wooden spoon in club history.

Scott Burns joined as senior assistant and defensive coach, former captain Nathan van Berlo as midfield coach and ex-Geelong coach James Rahilly as forward’s coach.

It is also expected that highly respected fitness guru Darren Burgess will end up at the Crows.

Burgess’ former club Port Adelaide now also have an opening with Ian McKeown to finish up as head of high performance at the end of the season.

But it is expected the Crows will win out over their cross town rivals.

The three Tiger kids who stole Houli’s spot

– Sam Landsberger

Richmond’s changing of the guard has begun, with Bachar Houli joining David Astbury in retirement as the Tigers start to phase out their three-time premiership heroes.

Houli, 33, declared last week he wanted to play on, however the grand final warrior agreed to step away after a meeting with coach Damien Hardwick, football boss Tim Livingstone and list boss Blair Hartley.

“I wasn’t ready for it (retirement),” Houli told teammates on Thursday morning.

“I felt like I had more in the system, so I haven’t had much time to think about this speech.”

Houli will bow out a humble champion and icon of the game while his contributions to the 2017 and 2020 premierships will never be forgotten.

The dashing defender was runner-up to Dustin Martin in the Norm Smith Medal in the Tigers’ drought-breaking flag and he played on after popping his calf in the opening minutes of last year’s decider against Geelong.

With Nick Vlastuin concussed, Hardwick asked Houli to “say a little prayer to Allah” and keep fighting against the Cats at the Gabba.

In 2019, Richmond’s other premiership season, Houli won All-Australian honours. But Houli’s contribution off the field has arguably been just as significant.

He was renowned for being polite to umpires and treating everybody with respect across his 212-game career, and he even thanked teammates for helping him fit in socially despite never drinking alcohol with them.

LIST CHANGES: EVERY RETIREMENT AND DELISTING

Triple premiership Tigers Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards. Picture: Michael Klein

The 33-year-old of impeccable character was drafted by Essendon in 2007 as a spiky-haired teenager and matured into one of the AFL’s great role models.

“Not only did I want to play as many games as possible, but I wanted to educate Australia, about my faith (and) about the religion of Islam, the religion of peace,” Houli said.

“I hope I have left a sense of peace in everyone’s heart.”

Houli’s selflessness was on show again in 2021 as the injured line-breaker dedicated his time to tutoring the three players who have taken his place in Hardwick’s 22 – Daniel Rioli, Sydney Stack and Rhyan Mansell.

Houli would frequently go through edits and tapes with his halfback successors, helping them learn Richmond’s defensive system.

Bachar Houli helped Sydney Stack learn his halfback role this year.

“Those two guys (Houli and Astbury) have been incredible for us, both on and off the field,” Hardwick said.

“Both retire three-time premiership players, but that’s only really scratching the surface of what both those boys have brought to our club.

“The legacy they will leave and have built can’t be measured and they can’t be replaced.

“It’s going to take a team effort to build our club up again with regard to the quality of those lads and what they’ve brought both on and off the field.”

Houli played his last game against Gold Coast in Round 16 while Astbury, 30, will run out one last time against Hawthorn on Saturday.

Injured fullback Noah Balta has almost recovered from his ankle injury and is not expected to miss any pre-season training while captain Trent Cotchin had knee surgery on Thursday.