Balme joins us

[MintOnLamb]

 

[Go Richo 12]

Best News in years for the Richmond Football Club.

Makes those running around forming tickets just goes to show you never follow these types. They have no idea. Give them all jobs selling tickets at the MCG 

Not saying I support the challengers but could all their agitating have forced these changes from the incumbents?

[(•))(©™]

Sure they were already speaking to Neil Balme before the challenge 

[🏅Dooks]

Well done Richmond! 

[(•))(©™]

Benny on SEN now.
Saying how They've been trying to work out where they can Improve, over the last few months.
While this is a great result for us, I can't help but see their failure to admit their mistakes as an ongoing characteristic of this board.
It doesn't go past the fans calling for Jackson, Richardson and Hartleys heads for years.
A shame they needed an expensive review to tell them.

[Yeahright]

Our great white hope. Much like the development guru Mark Williams .

[Hard Roar Tiger]

LOL

How's the rival ticket going to take this news?

Been in discussion for weeks , lmao , and they hadn't spoken to him

Has the Tiger Balme been applied to Hiscock?

[Go Richo 12]

Sure they were already speaking to Neil Balme before the challenge 

Never said they spoke to Balme but with the current board under threat they have felt they needed to get Balme to keep current/ potential/ perceived challengers at bay.

[WilliamPowell]

The rebel board has already had an impact.

They forced the cup cakes to appoint Balme.

Please

With respect the only group who had been speaking to Balme was RFC and this was before last week's circus performance by "Focus in Football"

[MintOnLamb]

Hope it goes well, shades of Alan Jeans??

[(•))(©™]

Sure they were already speaking to Neil Balme before the challenge 

Never said they spoke to Balme but with the current board under threat they have felt they needed to get Balme to keep current/ potential/ perceived challengers at bay.

Yeh I wasn't speaking to you but fwiw, I agree.

[yellowandback]

I get the distinct impression that we at shifting Dan Richardson under Neil Balme to be re-trained as a GM of Football, Hartley is being shifted under Richardson to see out the final year of his contract, they've moved the recruiting guy in to replace FJ but kept his part time?

Still smacks of nepotism and not holding people accountable.

Hartley should never have been on a contract, based on his record should be sacked, as should FJ as should Dan Richardson.

Balme has simply inherited passengers which isn't going to help his impact.

[Dougeytherichmondfan]

The rebel board has already had an impact.

They forced the cup cakes to appoint Balme.

Please

With respect the only group who had been speaking to Balme was RFC and this was before last week's circus performance by "Focus in Football"

Gale said on SEN today he was worried the FOF group may have queered the RFC pitch to Neil by associating him with the challenge.

#agitators

[one-eyed]

Neil Balme Richmond GM of Football, Tigers’ call to hire Balme had nothing to do with Focus on Footy board challengers

Jake Niall
The Age
12 September 2016

NEIL Balme’s return to Richmond was not a reaction to last week’s board challenge launched by the ‘Focus on Footy’ group because the Tigers have been wooing Balme for some time.

Balme’s move to Richmond had been in the wings for some weeks, with Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale having made contact with Balme as speculation mounted about Graeme Allan’s possible return to a position in the football department at Collingwood.

Foxfooty.com.au understands that Balme felt undermined by Allan’s return, which saw Allan take over as the club’s head of football and Balme offered a new position as director of coaching.

Balme informed Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley of his future intentions on Monday morning. While Buckley, a close friend of Balme’s, was disappointed with the decision, he understood why Balme had opted to return to the club where he won two premierships in the 1970s.

After telling Buckley, Balme then informed Pies chief executive Gary Pert, who has taken ownership of the decision to replace Balme with another experienced football chief in Allan.

Balme has signed a three-year deal at Richmond to lead a revamped football department, joining the Tigers as the new head of football, with Dan Richardson, who has two years to run on his contract at Richmond, taking up a role as head of football talent.

Richardson will now work closely on the club’s list management strategy with the head of list management and recruiting Blair Hartley, who has one year left on his deal at the Tigers.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/richmonds-call-to-hire-neil-balme-as-gm-of-football-had-nothing-to-do-with-focus-on-footy-board-challengers/news-story/a3e272b768fe3b48bb72bc2077cd4669

[one-eyed]

Richmond hire Neil Balme as general manager of football

Daniel Cherny
The Age
12 September 2016  6:16pm


Despite their major policy request being met, Richmond's board challengers will not relent. The "Focus on Football" group has accused the Tigers' board of being "motivated by self-preservation" after the club announced on Monday that Neil Balme was returning to Punt Road.

One of Richmond's favourite sons, dual premiership player Balme has crossed from Collingwood after turning down a job offer to be director of coaching.

His new position as football department general manager was revealed on Monday afternoon after the club's full review of the department in the wake of a disappointing season.

Balme, 64, had effectively been demoted at the Pies after the recent promotion of Graeme Allan to the head of football role, and the former Melbourne coach, a veteran administrator in two stints at the Pies as well as eight years at Geelong, has crossed to the Tigers to take up their key football role.

Richmond's rebel "Focus on Football" ticket last week nominated Balme as its preferred head of football, however the Tigers say their approaches to Balme pre-dated the challengers' launch last week.

Dan Richardson - who had been the club's football boss - will sit under Balme as general manager of football talent. Richardson is set to work closely with the club's recruiting and list management chief Blair Hartley.

Matthew Clarke has been promoted to sit below Hartley as national recruiting manager from after the 2016 draft, with long-time recruiter Francis Jackson moving to a part-time role. Meanwhile strength and conditioning coach Adam Douglas will leave the club, replaced by rehabilitation coach Luke Meehan - whose void will be filled by Rob Inness.

A move to hire Balme to head the Tigers' football department was the key platform of the rival ticket unveiled last week.

While the group's leader Dr Martin Hiscock applauded the decision to hire Balme, he questioned the Tigers' motives, while taking credit for the move.

"The board's choice of Neil and their plans for him are a carbon copy of our Focus on Footy plan. They may not be talking to us, but that certainly listening!" Hiscock said.

"Balme's appointment is yet another predictable example of a board motivated by self-preservation."

Hiscock's group - featuring 1980 premiership players Bryan Wood and Bruce Monteath - has also called for the full report of the review, but it's understood that won't happen for confidentiality reasons.

Balme had been offered the role of director of coaching at the Holden Centre - but has opted to depart the club to which he returned at the end of 2014.

Collingwood chief Gary Pert said the club had hoped to retain the one-time hard-man, but understood Balme's choice to make the short move down Olympic Boulevard.

"There is no doubt that 'Balmey' would have added some real value to the program in a newly created role as Director of Coaching however we respect his decision and thank him for his friendship and service to the Collingwood Football Club over the past two years," Pert said.

Balme's future had looked cloudy after Allan was recently appointed to his new role despite being entangled in an AFL investigation for allegedly assisting Greater Western Sydney's No. 1 draft pick Lachie Whitfield evade a drug test last year - when Allan was still employed by the Giants. Balme had been identified as a candidate for a new senior football role at the Brisbane Lions, who have multiple vacancies to fill after sacking coach Justin Leppitsch a fortnight ago.

However Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had said as recently as Friday he expected Balme to remain at the club.

Richmond chief executive - Brendon Gale - asked by Peggy O'Neal's board to conduct the review - explained the decision to hire Balme - a figure widely respected in the industry.

"Neil brings tremendous experience and judgment to the role and a clear understanding of what successful environments look like, having been a part of six Grand Finals and three premierships as a leading football administrator," Gale said.

"He has a great capacity to bring people together, make them better individually and collectively, and focus energies on the key aspects that drive football performance. He will now take responsibility for determining how we respond to the findings of the review.

"We have been in discussions with Neil for a number of weeks. He is excited by the challenge that lies ahead and clearly has a passion for a club where his football journey began. We are delighted that he has accepted this new role."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-hire-neil-balme-as-general-manager-of-football-20160912-greeep.html