Geez didn’t mean to start a war with my post.
My biggest issue with balta has always been his footy iq. It’s very evident that he was late to the game and it’s his athleticism that got him to adapt very quickly. When we were a great side and he had Rance, astbury, grimes, broad, vlas in the peak of their powers to take instruction from, he was a very important part in the back end of our dynasty. With the older guys finishing up / losing form, baltas form has also been on the steady decline culminating in his worst season yet this year. I’m interested to see whether last season was a result of what happened off field (and understandably so) and whether he can recapture his form this season.
Just basing it off last seasons form, I have him behind the other 7 defenders I named in my original post.
I wouldn’t be playing him wing or perm forward either, again footy iq isn’t there. I’d give sims first crack but 2nd ruck / part time fwd would be the only other place to play him imo.
Now if next season is a repeat of this one and a club desperate for key position defenders came calling with a good 2026 pick, I’d bite at that. We could cover a decent chunk of his salary too.
Hopefully he has reset his mind and gets back on track this season in which case the above is all just moot.
