Richmond is contemplating a land of the giants forward line in a departure from its premiership dynasty.
The Tigers effectively operated with Jack Riewoldt as their only tall forward for two of their three flags under Damien Hardwick before recruiting Tom Lynch.
Their famed mosquito fleet terrorised opposition defences with their tackling and general defensive pressure but they are set to reinvent themselves after missing the finals last year.
Noah Balta’s outstanding pre-season in attack, after breaking through in the AFL as an intercepting defender, means Richmond will be a different proposition up front.
The 22-year-old arrived at Punt Road as a key forward, so kicking goals isn’t foreign to him, as he showed in a towering performance in the Tigers’ 25-point Community Series defeat of Hawthorn on Saturday.
Balta finished with three goals, 19 disposals and seven marks – but most importantly coexisted wonderfully with Riewoldt and Lynch, who kicked another five majors between them.
He was also able to do the ruckwork inside 50 to support Toby Nankervis and Ivan Soldo.
Richmond assistant coach Adam Kingsley liked what he saw from Balta as a forward.
“We thought his ability to compete, to bring the ball to ground and bring our crumbers into play was really strong,” Kingsley said.
“Obviously, he’s made an AFL name for himself as a backman, and been really important for us, but we feel like we can stretch opposition with the three keys – Jack, Tom and Noah.
“His aerial stuff is really important and his ground-level stuff is really good for a big guy.”
Balta’s positional switch is an interesting development after David Astbury’s retirement and Callum Coleman-Jones’ defection to North Melbourne.
Veteran defender Robbie Tarrant crossed from the Kangaroos in the Coleman-Jones trade and looms as the key to unlocking the Tigers’ plans.
Athletic top-10 draftee Josh Gibcus is also showing great promise as an interceptor, while new co-captain Dylan Grimes and Nathan Broad are backline stalwarts.
