After the siren: In praise of the great calm of Balmeafl.com.au
26 September 2017ONE OF the great scenes in one of the greatest TV shows of all, The West Wing, comes when the House of Representatives Speaker strides purposefully into a shell-shocked White House to take charge following the kidnapping of Zoe, the daughter of the US President.
"Relax everyone," orders Glen Walken, who is played by John Goodman. "Breathe regular."
A situation not unlike that took place at Richmond over the summer as Neil Balme came bounding through the door at Punt Road as the newly-installed head of football.
The Tigers were floundering after their 8-14, 13th place finish last year. The club was under siege and supporters were demanding answers.
Enter Balme, who was back at Tigerland in an official capacity for the first time since he played the last of his 159 games for the club in 1979. Since then he had coached Norwood and Melbourne and held key football management positions at Collingwood (twice) and Geelong.
The Cats won three flags in his time there, so while he wasn't necessarily viewed as the saviour when he returned as head of football, he knew a thing or two about successful teams in the modern era.
And his message wasn't far removed from that of the fictional US politician.
"There is calmness and experience when he speaks," Richmond president Peggy O'Neal said in a recent interview.
"When he came to the club last year, we were all pretty down and he made us feel better about ourselves straight away. He said, 'I don't think you're that far away'."
Balme revisited that first message to the leaders at Richmond on Saturday evening as he surveyed the raucous scenes following the 36-point win over Greater Western Sydney that booked the Tigers their first Grand Final berth in 35 years.
"It was my optimism more than anything," he said with a laugh. "But they had been close. They had three reasonably good years and just hadn't won a final, then one ordinary one.
"The club was in a pretty good place and you just had to make sure it was all pulling in the right direction.
"If you looked at their personnel, people were writing them off as no good at all but I didn't think that was the case. They just had some work to do," he said.
Balme, an imposing physical figure just like Goodman, is revelling in Richmond's revival this year. He was a celebrated – and fearsome – member of the great Richmond teams of the early 1970s and is delighted to be back. Call it a homecoming.
"No doubt about that whatsoever," he said. "I was pretty committed at the other clubs I was at, but there is something that extra special about this place. I did play here for 10 years."
There was no open yearning to come the full circle and complete his life in football at Richmond. "I never really allowed myself to think about it because a lot had to happen. And I didn't want to be calling up a favour, but it has worked out really well," he said.
What Balme also brings to the Tigers is a sense of history. He is one of the very few full-time staffers at the club with a direct link to the Tom Hafey era, and the philosophies that shaped the club then will also apply as the club gears up for its biggest week in more than three decades.
"Enjoy the week, look forward to it and embrace it," he said.
"One of the wonderful things I learned under Tommy is that you are made for this finals stuff. Embrace and enjoy it. This is why you're here.
"And that's what we have to get across. This is ours."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-24/after-the-siren-the-great-calm-of-balme
