Stars of Tigerland Neil Balme
Stars of Tigerland. Neil Balme
Neil Balme had played just four senior games for Subiaco when he turned up on Richmond's doorstep as a seventeen year old in January 1969. The recruitment of such young players from interstate was comparatively rare at the time, but the Tigers, perhaps recognising that Balme was mature, both physically and mentally, beyond his years, took a punt and signed him up, a decision for which they would have ample cause to congratulate themselves over the course of the next decade. Tall (194cm) and hefty (99kg or more), Balme was far from shy in exploiting his physical attributes to the full in the services of his team. The fact that he also possessed considerable football ability made him one of the most formidable talents in the game, especially during his peak years of the early to mid-1970s. A highly capable knock ruckman, Balme was more commonly used near the goal front where he specialised in intimidating and terrorising the opposition, often enabling team mates to procure easy goals. He was also more than happy to chip in with a goal or two himself, and in 1972 (jointly with Ricky McLean) and 1973 he topped the Tigers's goal kicking. Given the generally raw and robust nature of his approach, Balme's true worth as a player tended to come most noticeably to the fore during the finals. He booted five goals in a losing team in the 1972 grand final, while a year later his controversial flooring of Carlton full back Geoff Southby made a significant contribution to Richmond's eventual 30-point win. Balme was also named among the best players in the Tigers's 1974 grand final defeat of North Melbourne. He was a member in 1977 of Western Australia's first ever state of origin team. The Tigers walked a little taller when Neil Balme took the field
Neil Balme's Career Highlights
Hall of Fame Inductee: 2010 Playing Career: 1970 – 1979 Games: 159 Goals: 229 Premierships: 1973 & 1974 RFC Leading Goalkicker: 1972 & 1973 RFC Life Member 1979
