Balme’s impact can’t be understated: BomberBy Justin Talent
SEN
17 September 2017Mark Thompson says the impact a great football manager can have on a club is substantial.
The two-time premiership coach pointed towards former Cats football manager Neil Balme, saying on SEN’s The Super Box that his influence on Geelong from the moment he joined the Cats at the end of 2006 was “super important.”
Balme’s arrival at the Cattery saw Geelong move from missing the finals in 2006 - forcing the club undertake an intense internal review on Thompson’s position - to an empathic premiership in 2007, a moment Thompson still considers to be his proudest moment during his time there.
A decade later, Richmond have made their first preliminary final since 2001, a year after Balme joined the club as football manager and the year after Tigers coach Damien Hardwick survived a similar review after his side also missed the finals that year.
Thompson revealed the first words spoken to him by Balme after his contract was renewed late in 2006, believing Hardwick would have likely heard similar words last year.
“Balmey took me and said ‘come on son, we’re going for a coffee,” he said.
“The first thing he said was ‘I’m not here to just assess you. I’m here to help you. I’m not here to coach, I’m here to administrate. Keep the board off and be the conduit between the footy department, the board and the media. That’s my job and I’ll give you as much help as I can.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2017/09/15/balme-s-impact-cannot-be-understated-bomber/
