Richmond linchpin Neil Balme confirms future after being offered ‘Godfather’ role at CrowsOctober 9, 2020
by DAVID ZITA
FOX SPORTSRichmond Senior Club Advisor Neil Balme has confirmed he is staying put at the club, despite attracting significant interest from the Adelaide Crows.
Balme, one of the most respected figures in the footy world, had been a key pillar of Collingwood and Geelong’s successful periods in the early and late 2000s, before moving to the Tigers in late 2016, a year before their remarkable resurgence.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast with Garry and Tim on Friday morning, Balme confirmed he had received an offer from the Crows, but would be staying put at Tigerland.
“I am in a position now where I’ve had a bit of an unusual medical condition and I’ve been told I shouldn’t be thinking about doing anything different and I’m going to genuinely stay at the Tigers over the next couple of years,” he said.
“I’m really pleased I’m able to say that and really pleased that’s going to happen.”
Balme admitted he was “seriously considering” Adelaide’s offer, but had chosen to stay put at the club he won two premierships with across his 159-game playing stint there.
“I took it seriously,” he said of the offer.
“Things have changed in footy so you’ve got to at least think about it all ... I was seriously considering the proposition but I’m not going to do it.”
Asked what the role would’ve entailed, Balme indicated it would’ve been something similar to the advisory role he has taken on in recent times as Richmond.
“I think it was sort of Godfather of the footy department just to help them with all of that, there’s a significant amount of decision making in lots of areas and I’ve obviously had experience in all of those areas and hoping I could help in that sort of stuff was the thinking, but I’m not going to be able to do it.”
Balme remains in Victoria as the Tigers prepare to face St Kilda in the semi finals.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-neil-balme-richmond-richmond-head-of-footy-tigers-adelaide-crows-footy-department/news-story/f796ff737efec515ed73fc29f9bfe3d7