Noah Balta helps Richmond Tigers defeat Gold Coast Suns days before assault sentencing, but at what cost for his club?

Of course, no one at the Tigers thinks what Balta did was acceptable. As their coach Adem Yze said, the tall has worked hard to regain the respect of his football club. Nor should anyone think one mistake cannot be redeemed.

But the Tigers had a chance to show where such behaviour sits in their decision making, and they chose to take a player-first approach.

It was a decision of a bygone era, from a time when football clubs were a joke in many sections of the community and before they started preaching about how important they were within the community.

The decision to hold firm led to officials delivering ridiculous messages. They told us Balta had trained hard in the past three months and had done everything right to earn his chance to play. Unfortunately, the decision also led to head-scratching cheers for Balta as booing rang out when he played on Saturday night.

Those advocating to reduce violence in the community would have been entitled to shake their heads in despair.

Some straight talking from the club would have been more credible. It would have meant saying something like, “we need Noah in our backline and we won’t cop penalties being changed because the player and his teammates would not forgive us”. Of course, they didn’t dare.

Even Balta’s ex-coach at the Tigers, Damien Hardwick, diverted his post-match comments about Balta to a criticism of Victorian premier Jacinta Allan for using the selection of the 25-year-old as a political decoy.

Hardwick will have plenty supporting his view the premier should stay out of football matters, but given the amount of public money that has gone into building training and administration centres for elite AFL clubs and grandstands – including $15 million from Andrews government to Punt Road’s development – the government has some skin in the game. A community licence is a community licence.

Of course criticism of the premier hasn’t come from Richmond, but nor has criticism of Richmond been confined to the premier. Even their esteemed premiership forward Jack Riewoldt said he didn’t think Balta should have played.

The truth is, the most consistent sentiment is disappointment rather than anger that the Tigers couldn’t wait for one more week for Balta to play.

Richmond are a great club with good people. They have run some of the competition’s best community programs, particularly their Korin Gamadji program that helps educate Indigenous youth. Dealing with young people is complex, and sometimes the right answers are more obvious to those at the coalface than observing from afar.

But, to date, Richmond have not used Balta’s mistake to positively shape attitudes towards community violence. It’s been mystifying. Unless there are other reasons they are yet to explain, the Tigers, on this issue, have lost some respect. They will need to do some work to win it back.

That work should start on Tuesday when Balta receives the NSW court’s judgment.

Clarko’s Cluster?

Leaking goals and the impact losing has on belief is North Melbourne’s issue.

It’s not the coach, Alastair Clarkson, who has as good a handle on the defensive systems required to win games as any coach in the caper. Think Clarko’s cluster for a start and defending with the ball in hand to finish.

It’s not the belief in the foundations being built, as the young group have committed one after another to the plan in place. Ben McKay is their only departure of note since Jason Horne-Francis left before Clarkson had his feet under the desk.

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The job at hand is to break the cycle of failure which losing as often as 97 times in 113 games creates.

That doesn’t mean smashing players into oblivion. It means teaching players and weeding out selfish ones who show they won’t, or can’t, adhere to the team system.

On Good Friday, North Melbourne were in the game trailing by just one point with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. By quarter-time they were 31 points down.

They were back to within 20 points at half-time. By three-quarter time they were 50 points down and the defenders, who are being taught a co-ordinated, modern defensive system lost their nerve.

One went one way, one went the other as self-preservation crept in. Those teams bouncing on the bottom have done the same thing for years.

Against the Blues, they lost centre clearances 20-10, meaning the ball was repeatedly sent into a weak back six, exposing a group of players who are trying to play team defence but have spent little time together as a team.

Clarkson should expect better from his midfielders. Tristan Xerri needs to rediscover his form and Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin must lead from the front. George Wardlaw is all heart but his disposal could improve, while Harry Sheezel, despite his accolades, was playing just his 50th game.

The main decision for the coach to make this week will be how long does he persist with senior players down back such as Aidan Corr and Griffin Logue.

If they show a propensity to look after themselves rather than commit to the system they are being trained to play, the coach is better off watching young players such as Riley Hardeman and Wil Dawson steel themselves in the furnace that is the AFL.

That’s not easy for Corr and Logue as defeat is hard, but the good defenders don’t buckle until something hasn’t worked six times rather than at the first moment of concern.

No one doubts North Melbourne supporters are fed up. They are entitled to switch off when grand plans and patience are being spoken. They have been loyal, committed and passionate.

Clarkson could give them a little more occasionally to reflect his real sense of urgency and explain, as many young coaches try to do now, what is being developed. Not so much “trust us” as “join us in this battle”.

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But it’s also a difficult tale to tell when the players are struggling with the emotions of defeat as much as the supporters.

Stability and experience is what the Roos bought with Clarkson.

It will take more than hard work from him for results to come, but at least a coach is in place who loves a challenge.

Draper injury opens mid-season trade period chat

Injuries to Sam Draper and Nick Bryan have thrown Essendon’s plans for 2025 into disarray.

The unfortunately timed Achilles injury might cost the unrestricted free agent Draper, who was fit and playing the best football of his career, half a million bucks on his next contract as it complicates the decisions regarding his future beyond 2025.

It will also lead to calls for a mid-season trade period as the Bombers turn to 36-year-old veteran Todd Goldstein to ruck, but the AFL must not make knee-jerk decisions when changing player movement mechanisms.

The number of talls available in AFL recruiting pools have decreased as more locals are attracted to playing college basketball in America following revised remuneration rules.

This means the risk of unintended consequences of such a shift is high, particularly when it comes to ruckmen, and should be resisted until the time for careful consideration is available.

Are our umps up to measure?

“I wouldn’t mind buying real estate of that umpire,” was once a staple phrase of football commentary as Peter Landy and co. mocked the inability of umpires to measure 15-metre penalties.

It’s a tough job for the umpires who have clearly been instructed to crack down on the length kicks need to travel before a mark is paid, but the measurements are now so inconsistent it’s become confusing.

Add in the huge number of steps players are allowed to take before disposing of the ball when kicking in after a behind, and it’s clear there are different measuring sticks used depending on the rule being applied.

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Obviously, the intent is to keep the ball moving, but the AFL should explain that objective to the football watching public, who deserve to be kept in the picture as the umpires adjust to what are tough calls to make.

Even someone with a real estate background would do. Over to you AFL.

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