Balme honoured with Reg Hickey Award

FORMER Geelong football manager Neil Balme has won the annual Geelong Football Club R.J. Hickey award.

Balme, who oversaw Richmond’s breakthrough flag this year as the Tigers football manager, was recognised by the Cats for his nearly 50-year contribution to the game, which started as a player with Subiaco in 1968.

From there the man mountain moved to Richmond, with whom he played 159 games in- cluding back-to-back premierships in 1973 and 1974.

Balme then switched to Norwood in 1980, where he played for two years and served as coach for 11 seasons.

He won two premierships at the helm with the Redlegs and later coached Melbourne, but having claimed the ultimate prize as a player, coach and administrator, Balme said it was the relationships he had built in his time in football that would stay with him even more than his successes.

“This is a tremendous honour and I am humbled to have been recognised for my contributions to the game by the Geelong Football Club,” Balme said.

“It is significant in many ways, particularly as I’m now working at Richmond.

“I have been lucky to spend so much of my life as part of this great game and to be seen to have made a positive contribution.

“My time at Geelong was among the best that I have had in the game. There are so many great people here, many of whom are attending tonight.

“The relationships that you build through the game are in many ways the best thing about working in football. My time at Geelong is very dear to me, the friendships that were built and endure regardless of where we work later on, are meaningful beyond the wins and losses.

“I would like to thank the club for this honour and for what they did for me during my time here.

“Both Carmel and I have nothing but great memories of our time at the Cats. This is a truly great club.”

Balme was in charge of the football department at Geelong during its three premierships in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

The Cats present the R.J. Hickey award every year at their AGM to a person in football — from the grassroots to the AFL — who has given outstanding service to the game, with the winner chosen by the club’s board.

Past winners include Jim Stynes, Kevin Sheedy, Tom Hafey, Ron Barassi, Michael Turner, Lou Richards and local legends Len Alford and Marg Webb.