Noah Balta - Welcome to Tigerland

[Scoop]

The critics werent suggesting there was room for improvement. They made it out like he had a dozen goals kicked on him.

Cmon SA, I hardly called for him to be drawn and quartered.

Already a premiership player, Balta turns 24 this year. He can't ride on potential forever. We need him to be THE guy for when Tarrant & Grimes retire.
He is going to be out of contract this season & no doubt will be looking to get paid.
I just want to see his game improve. Right now that's not happening & hasn't for a while now. It's absolutely fair that he be put under the blow torch a little.

Spot on. It's his time, by the end of year he is 24 with 70 games. A lot of clubs will come offering big dollars based on potential at the moment. Another club might offer $650-700, would you pay it? I dunno. I think his potential is All-Australian good as someone else mentioned and also as someone else mentioned he is not a top 10 defender in the AFL right now. Might not be top 15. But he could be elite. I am asking for the gap between his best and worst to close.

 

[Smoking Aces]

He wasn’t good. And plenty view it that way for a host of reasons. But anyway, what did he say at the end ?

“He copped a good old fashion hiding, it happens. Not the end of the world but he needs to get better.”

Hardly anything to be wetting your pants over I’d have thought and throwing out “people will look foolish in 3 years time” quips etc etc.

Who is wetting their pants? I have no issue with calling out a bad game. But lets not make Balta to be the next Zac Dawson.

And lets not expect him to be the next Alex Rance either. Not that I am suggesting you have said that. But my point is we are always looking for the next Rance or Martin. It aint happening.

So lets wind back the expectation on these players.

 

[Redford]

But lets not make Balta to be the next Zac Dawson.

Hardly think anyone’s doing that Aces, cmon.

 

[Tigers of Old]

The critics werent suggesting there was room for improvement. They made it out like he had a dozen goals kicked on him.

I've told you a thousand times not to exaggerate.

 

[Ian4]

Just a reminder that Noah is out of contract at the end of this year..
With other defensive options soon to return he's got to get his act together & return to the form he showed a couple of years go now.
Hopefully plays better against the Crows assuming he's picked.

Miller could potentially take his spot.

Balta is from Doutta stars… just a few hundred metres from where I live. If he has a year similar to 2022, I would consider putting him on the market. At 23 I would suggest his footy IQ is at its peak (and its not very high). Essendon would probably chase a local boy pretty hard.

His next contract will be his last before free agency. Time to show your potential, son. We need you.

The one saving grace for Balta is that he effectively wasted most of 2022 - trained to be a forward but pushed back late when we worked out that wasn't his go. I'm confident he will still make it as a key defender (probably better suited up the ground where he can dash and kick long range goals when pushing forwrad).

OK, but 2 times last year the umpire called play on when lining up for goal after his 30 seconds expired. One of them definitely cost us 2 points. This takes me back to his low footy IQ.

 

[BrisTiger24]

OK, but 2 times last year the umpire called play on when lining up for goal after his 30 seconds expired. One of them definitely cost us 2 points. This takes me back to his low footy IQ.

Precisely why we have taken our medicine and realised he's not a forward. His game in defence is to mark or spoil, run in a straight line and kick the ball to a contest or the goal whichever is reachable. Surely his IQ can sustain that role?

 

[Tony Braxton-Hicks]

We’re stuffing Miller around.

Samson has Miller covered as a forward and as a second ruck. Miller needs to take over from Tarrant next year, if not now before we waste another year of his slow development.

 

[spook]

I disagree with the statement Balta's not a forward. He kicked 2 in less than a half in R1 last year after starting in defence. He kicked 4 the following week, and 2 the week after that. Not bad considering he'd hardly ever played forward. Then he had to play second ruck for a couple of weeks (15 disposals and a goal v Crows not bad for an apprentice forward/ruck).
His game against Freo, notwithstanding the shot clock blunder (or was that against Norf?), was a fine CHF's game.

He was thrown back at different times out of need, and twice missed three weeks with injury, so it was a disrupted year in more ways than one. He stayed back once we saw Miller could handle the second ruck, because he was a better option down back than Miller.

I actually think 'see ball, get ball' might suit him better forward than having to worry about who's switching onto who, etc. down back. With his athletic traits let the bad guys worry about him.

Word is we're into Ben McKay. Some have mentioned Harry Himmelberg too. I doubt we can afford both. Which one we get (if we get either) might determine which end of the ground Noah plays next year.

 

[Dont Argue]

How many times did old Grandpa here get Scoop's name wrong.... Bahaha

Who’s on first?

 

[Smoking Aces]

Hardly think anyone’s doing that Aces, cmon.

I've told you a thousand times not to exaggerate.

I just think Balta has been harshly judged.

I think we have set the bar too high.

 

[MD Jazz]

Haha...see below

He was soundly beaten by Mackay. And has been average in comparison to what he showed in 2020/2021. It's not just one game those disappointed in his progress are referring to.

It's his brain fade when he got called to play on last year when he could have won us a game.

His poor final last year. And a series of average games. It's not just last thursday night.

 

[MD Jazz]

So lets wind back the expectation on these players.

No. Why? He has elite potential. Why settle for a Dawson like player?

The bloke showed when he pantsed Dixon in a Prelim in Adelaide that he has real talent. He had started clunking contested marks as the defender. He was running off his man. Making great decisions on when to spoil and when to mark. I want to see that player again, not the hesitant confused guy thats been turning up for 12 months.

 

[Smoking Aces]

No. Why? He has elite potential. Why settle for a Dawson like player?

The bloke showed when he pantsed Dixon in a Prelim in Adelaide that he has real talent. He had started clunking contested marks as the defender. He was running off his man. Making great decisions on when to spoil and when to mark. I want to see that player again, not the hesitant confused guy thats been turning up for 12 months.

We are 1 round into a new season. As Spook mentioned he was thrown here there and everywhere last year. Let’s judge him after 4 or 5 games when he is settled into one position.

Don’t forget back in 2020 he was a stay home CHB. Hence why we saw performances like that in the preliminary final.

 

[craig]

Noah is a bit off kilter and probably lacking a bit of confidence pure and simple.

Once you start second and third guessing as a key back your screwed.

Noah is the sort of player that needs as little instruction as possible, keep it simple, he'll bounce back, and I'm sure Rutten will be putting some time time into him.

As long as the Tigers can get the job done up the ground, Noah will find his form and ensuing increase in confidence.

Lets be serious for a second, Harry McKay aint a dud, he's up in the group of the best Key Forwards in the comp and he's a big bastard, probably 3 inches taller than Noah.

 

[Ian4]

Precisely why we have taken our medicine and realised he's not a forward. His game in defence is to mark or spoil, run in a straight line and kick the ball to a contest or the goal whichever is reachable. Surely his IQ can sustain that role?

Its easier bas a defender, no doubt.

 

[Tigers of Old]

I just think Balta has been harshly judged.

I think we have set the bar too high.

What's his $ value come season's end then if this is the product you are happy with?

 

[Smoking Aces]

What's his $ value come season's end then if this is the product you are happy with?

KPP are still worth their weight in gold. Its a sellers market when it comes to guys like Balta.

 

[Tigers of Old]

KPP are still worth their weight in gold. Its a sellers market when it comes to guys like Balta.

Current price of gold per kg is $94000 AU approx.
Noah weighs 100kg..
So he's worth $9,400,000 a season?
I think you over value him a little Smoking..

 

[Scoop]

KPP are still worth their weight in gold. Its a sellers market when it comes to guys like Balta.

It's a buyers market. Stupid amounts of money getting thrown at potential. If McStay gets 700 last year, if Himmelberg gets 800, then Balta is around this mark. That's free agent money but if someone wants Balta to move, they will offer similar money to force the trade. Maybe this is a way to get back into the first round of the draft. But gee I'd be disappointed if that transpired.

 

[Redford]

It's a buyers market. Stupid amounts of money getting thrown at potential. If McStay gets 700 last year, if Himmelberg gets 800, then Balta is around this mark. That's free agent money but if someone wants Balta to move, they will offer similar money to force the trade. Maybe this is a way to get back into the first round of the draft. But gee I'd be disappointed if that transpired.

Not that I’d necessarily want them to do it with either of them, but hypothetically if the club was deciding on either Balta or Short to get them back into the first round, which one would you prefer they let go ? Probably Short for me.

Again, purely hypothetical. Won’t happen. But…