Noah Balta - Welcome to Tigerland

[Tigers of Old]

Spot on TOO, I recall chatting to a RFC staff member during the Wallace years, asking why with so much talent, we couldn't get up the ladder.
He simply said leadership, we had some great players but no leadership.

Nice one 5Sk. Terry would know this better than anyone.
I envied Hawthorn for exactly this reason. Ordinary footballers can become great players when strong leadership is within.
It's an old cliche but every kid drafted knows how to play. The difference at this level is entirely above the shoulders.

 

[eZyT]

It's an old cliche but every kid drafted knows how to play. The difference at this level is entirely aboive the shoulders.

I dunno Oldy,

I reckon Dusty was pretty different from tom scully and jack trengove from the neck down.

 

[seven]

Spot on TOO, I recall chatting to a RFC staff member during the Wallace years, asking why with so much talent, we couldn't get up the ladder.
He simply said leadership, we had some great players but no leadership.

Yes. We went on to recruit a number of junior captains.

 

[Sintiger]

Can't remember any other 20 year old defenders as good man on man than Balta, he has already got Rance covered in that department.
Will be stoked if Balta can be the intercept player that Rance was.

Rance was a very good one on one defender. In fact in his early days he was seen that way and at one point Dimma labelled him the best one on one defender in the game.
I think as time went by we freed him up a bit because we needed him to play another role and the emergence of Dave Astbury was very important in that.
I reckon it’s a bit of a myth that Rance was not good one on one. Sure he got beaten from time to time but so do all full backs.

 

[tigerman]

Rance was a very good one on one defender. In fact in his early days he was seen that way and at one point Dimma labelled him the best one on one defender in the game.
I think as time went by we freed him up a bit because we needed him to play another role and the emergence of Dave Astbury was very important in that.
I reckon it’s a bit of a myth that Rance was not good one on one. Sure he got beaten from time to time but so do all full backs.

I'd say Rance's dominant strengths were his ability to intercept, his closing speed and his ability to be able know when to leave his opponent. He was good one on one but not great, I remember Cloke and Hogan towelling him up.
Agree re Astbury, he allowed Rance to become the player that he was.

 

[Dont Argue]

Rance was a very good one on one defender. In fact in his early days he was seen that way and at one point Dimma labelled him the best one on one defender in the game.
I think as time went by we freed him up a bit because we needed him to play another role and the emergence of Dave Astbury was very important in that.
I reckon it’s a bit of a myth that Rance was not good one on one. Sure he got beaten from time to time but so do all full backs.

Correct.
Jurica destroyed Silvani.
You don’t hear Carlton supporters saying he wasn’t great one on one.

 

[CarnTheTiges]

It going back a way, and not using google, but the last giant athletic CHB who had a strut at 20 maybe glen jakovich? Maybe?

I remember hearing something during the season that Jakovich himself said about Noah that he just couldn’t be moved once he set his feet, and that was as a 17 yo.

 

[waiting]

Correct.
Jurica destroyed Silvani.
You don’t hear Carlton supporters saying he wasn’t great one on one.

Remember that day.
Kicked 4 or 5.
Just wasn’t committed enough.
When Walls came though he didn’t see Jurica in his plans.

 

[Sintiger]

Remember that day.
Kicked 4 or 5.
Just wasn’t committed enough.
When Walls came though he didn’t see Jurica in his plans.

We have had a lot of big guys who played just a few good games, looked good and disappeared. Lounder, Stuart Edwards, Jurica, Dan Foley. Even in recent years Cleve Hughes played one blinder.

 

[waiting]

We have had a lot of big guys who played just a few good games, looked good and disappeared. Lounder, Stuart Edwards, Jurica, Dan Foley. Even in recent years Cleve Hughes played one blinder.

So true Sin. So true.

 

[rinso17]

We have had a lot of big guys who played just a few good games, looked good and disappeared. Lounder, Stuart Edwards, Jurica, Dan Foley. Even in recent years Cleve Hughes played one blinder.

Vickery, Griffith, Post, Putt

 

[Sintiger]

Vickery, Griffith, Post, Putt

Putt never played a game so he never had a chance to tease us

 

[Coburgtiger]

I'd say Rance's dominant strengths were his ability to intercept, his closing speed and his ability to be able know when to leave his opponent. He was good one on one but not great, I remember Cloke and Hogan towelling him up.
Agree re Astbury, he allowed Rance to become the player that he was.

The fact that you remember two instances of him being beaten, shows how rarely it happened.

 

[Brodders17]

The fact that you remember two instances of him being beaten, shows how rarely it happened.

exactly. Petrie kicked 7 on him. once. Jenkins got a few kicks one half, as did Taylor. I am sure there a few other instances, but not many.
Rance was a great defensive full back, from maybe 2012. defence alone he would be remember as one of best ever full backs.
he just happened to also be a great interceptor, great at helping teammates and reading play, and good at rebounding as well.

and i think Hogan kicked 2 or 3 on him, and had about 12 disposals. that game has been mythacised a little, because it was a kid against the great Alex Rance.

 

[tigerman]

Cloke took 14 marks and kicked 7 goals against Rance too.
Rance was a champion, one on one wasn't a weakness, but it wasn't his one wood.

 

[turk-d-tiger]

Somebody should make a list of how many goals were kicked on Balta game by game in 2020

 

[The_General]

Rance had been rated - at one time - as the best one on one defender in the game. Had a very high percentage of contests won, spoils, etc. Grimes and Astbury though enabled him to be freed up as a rebounding defender and intercepts were key to our game plan.
Don't forget Rance got beat by some forwards as he'd leave his man to help defensively, then get caught out of position.
If he had a weakness it was lack of vertical leap and reach. Very tall players could exploit him in this way. However in the 200+ or whatever games he played, he was beaten this way rarely.

 

[kiwitiger]

I always thought the players that might get the better of rance due to the physical mismatch were the bigger gorilla types that stood their ground rather than move around
, He seemed more comfortable on the move , not many could beat him for athleticism

Buddy was probably considered the toughest match up for defenders in his time and rance beat him regularly,

I think Balta will certainly be able to handle the gorilla types , he is pretty close to doing it now at 20 , did it on the biggest stage 2 weeks in a row as a kid, and he looks like he has the athleticism to go with the more athletic types , exciting prospect.

 

[tigerman]

I always thought the players that might get the better of rance due to the physical mismatch were the bigger gorilla types that stood their ground rather than move around
, He seemed more comfortable on the move , not many could beat him for athleticism

Buddy was probably considered the toughest match up for defenders in his time and rance beat him regularly,

I think Balta will certainly be able to handle the gorilla types , he is pretty close to doing it now at 20 , did it on the biggest stage 2 weeks in a row as a kid, and he looks like he has the athleticism to go with the more athletic types , exciting prospect.

Agree

 

[CarnTheTiges]

Agree

Me too. Rance liked to run off guys and we used Astbury to stand the forward gorillas. From what I’ve seen of Balta he’s very strong. Rance was a freak, Balta may be, too. Time will tell. One thing that Balta has that Rance never did is that monster kick.