Noah Balta [merged]

[pmac21]

His move to defence changed the game. 
Dimma.  Leave him there for Pete's sake.

[Andyy]

His move to defence changed the game. 
Dimma.  Leave him there for Pete's sake.

Truer words never spoken fmd.

Should never go forward again. He is a defender and he competes harder when he trying to stop a score than when he's tying to actually score.

Lots of guys I'd rather see forward, heck even Pickett is a good mark and kick, high leap etc.

[The Machine]

His move to defence changed the game. 
Dimma.  Leave him there for Pete's sake.

Agreed

[camboon]

Bring Biggy in to compete in the forward line if you need a tall forward, but Balta is not the answer at this stage in his career

[the claw]

I thought he was pretty ordinary most of the game!!!.
In fact i dont think he has had a season even when playing back.
I also thought for this game he needed to play back as the match ups demanded it.

Unlike most around here i think playing three talls fwd weather thats a fwd/ruck or a genuine tall fwd is the way to go.

I also think everyone is still thinking finals and we have to plan for the worst and ask what do we do if JR or TL get hurt. We need to be getting games into someone.
If you agree with that then ask yourself of our remaining talls who is the best chance of impacting there.For me that best chance is Balta.

[Broadsword]

If you agree with that then ask yourself of our remaining talls who is the best chance of impacting there.For me that best chance is Balta.

Sure, but you have to factor in the opportunity cost of playing Balta forwards, which is that you don't get to play him back. I'd rather swing Gibcus forward than Balta.

[Buddysucks]

The guy should be CHB and running towards goal all day. He is a weapon coming out of defence and on the rebound. We are screwing him and the team buy using him as Mr ‘Fix It’. Let him own and control a line.

[Tiger Khosh]

For whatever reason just does about everything better in defence than in attack. Even things that shouldn’t change no matter where you are on the ground like kicking and marking he just forgets how to do as a forward.

We’ve got lynch and Riewoldt now no reason to play balta forward. Even Cumberland plays more tall than small imo.

X 2

[georgies31]

Haven't been happy with him I know we stuffed him around up forward,  but even in defence to clumsy and no awareness that last play he was involved in unforgivable.

[Francois Jackson]

Gone backwards this year IMO

[Simonator]

Gone backwards this year IMO

No surprise after training as a forward all pre season. Just keep him down back

[TigerLand]

As Dimma said, this game summed up our year.

Balta mistake at the end, I wonder if he had a proper year of continued development as a defender if this still happens. Sums up our year that a guy who played 3/4s of the year as a forward made a mistake on the line that cost us the losing goal. Was literally 6 games ago that he made the mistake of shooting for goal. Dumb decision and feel for Balta his development has been handled appauling this year.

[the claw]

Gone backwards this year IMO

No surprise after training as a forward all pre season. Just keep him down back

Thought it was ordinary the year before as well.

In fact id say Noah has lived more on potential than actual high performance.
Sheesh am i going to cop it now for saying the truth.

Somewhere along the line he has to stop living on a few good games here and there and start delivering on a week in week out basis.
We all want him to succeed and we all love the attributes he has for the game but at the end of the day he needs to be better and far more consistent.

[lamington]

With rutten back his defensive craft will be top shelf

[camboon]

I think should he got one of the key forward kids so the pressure wasn’t on Balta to play forward. He has the ability to be a forward but not the attributes and confidence at this stage