Coaching Career
Balme's stint at Norwood lasted eleven seasons during which his team never missed the finals. They won premierships in 1982 and 1984, earning Balme an excellent reputation and several overtures to return to Victoria and coach. Richmond were among the suitors for his talents. But Balme felt that the game was stagnating in its home state, dragged down by an emphasis on negativity and physicality. He encouraged a fast, open and skilful passing game that he believed was the future of the code.
In 1991, Balme left Norwood and became the inaugural coach of the new Woodville-West Torrens Football Club, formed from the merger of Woodville and West Torrens at the end of 1990. His success there proved that a merged entity could work at a time when AFL clubs were facing the prospect of merger to stay viable in the new, fully professional era. Eventually, he succumbed to the lure of coaching in the AFL and was appointed to lead Melbourne Football Club for the 1993 AFL season.
Balme's persistence with a strategic, high-possession, low-impact game plan earned both praise and ridicule. When the style succeeded it was attractive and hard to counter. However, when broken down by intense tackling, the players (and the coach) could look foolish and inept. Melbourne made it all way to the preliminary final in 1994, but struggled thereafter. Balme's reasoned, personable style and his insistence on player self-empowerment made him very media-friendly, but some questioned whether he was suited to coaching in the AFL.
Balme and his players were caught in the turmoil surrounding the club's proposal to merge with Hawthorn Football Club in 1996. The team slumped and after a number of embarrassing performances in 1997, Balme was sacked mid-season by the controversial new Demons president, Joe Gutnick.
Balme found a position more suited to his personality when he was appointed football operations manager at the struggling Collingwood in 1998. In 2000, he was joined by former Richmond teammate Mick Malthouse (as coach) as part of an ambitious plan to lift the ailing Magpies up the ladder. Balme's calm, rational demeanour and casual style proved to be a great foil to Malthouse's more intense and temperamental character and the team made it to the 2002 and 2003 AFL Grand Finals, only to lose both matches to the Brisbane Lions Football Club.
Surprisingly, Balme was moved sideways by Collingwood at the end of the 2006 AFL season and he opted to accept an offer from Geelong Football Club to act as football operations manager in 2007, for the Cats, the year in which the club won its first Premiership in 44 years. The success at Geelong has continued throughout his tenure with two more Premierships (2009, 2011) and a Grand Final appearance (2008).
Read more about this topic: Neil Balme
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