READ PART ONE: Balic faces up to his biggest call

PART TWO

SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2015

HARLEY Balic was asleep on the couch when his parents rushed in to wake him. For a moment, he was concerned. It was a Saturday morning and they were yelling at him to get up and look at the computer. He resisted.

"You made the All-Australian team!" his mum Nancy yelled. Balic had to double-check before getting too excited.

His parents have read things in online forums about him before that haven't been right, so he didn't know if this surprise would be either.

He logged on to the AFL website and saw himself picked in the forward line in the team named after the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships concluded this week. "I was very pleased," he says. 

Balic entered the carnival fit, confident and with three big aims: to accumulate more of the ball, refine his kicking, and not play a bad game at any stage across the six rounds.

He was aware of the talk about Vic Metro being one of the weakest teams the state had produced in years. Generally, Vic Metro accounts for 25 per cent of the draft pool, but Balic had heard people saying it wasn't a great squad this year.

Balic's Vic Metro exploits earned him All Australian selection. Picture: AFL Media

Metro had also lost key forward Sam Weideman – tipped to be an early draft choice – to an ankle injury, leaving Balic as the stand-out prospect. "I saw it as a chance to stand up," Balic says.

It didn't take long for Balic to do that. Metro's first game was against Vic Country, which came into the championships favoured to take the division one title. Balic also tried hard to forget it was a big game and that recruiters were watching, a trap he had fallen into early in the season.

"Growing up, I'd never know where my parents were sitting at a game," he says.

"But at the start of this year, I was able to spot mum and dad, and see certain recruiters when I was on the ground.

"During the carnival I had an aim not to look around. I didn't want to know where mum was watching from, and I didn't want to see the recruiters looking down at their notepads, writing stuff down."

Up and down form

Balic gathered 27 disposals in round one, kicking a long goal from outside 50 on the three-quarter time siren. Metro lost after Country swept the ball from end-to-end with seconds to play and kicked a goal after the final bell to put it ahead, but Metro had played well and Balic was central to its effort.

Many recruiters thought it was the best game they had seen Balic play: he ran hard, was clean with his disposal, precise with his kicking, and showed he could be an agile, tall midfielder at the next level.

He wanted to keep going, viewing it as an opportunity to stamp himself as a consistent player.

Against South Australia in round two he had 26 disposals, spent some time across half-back, and was solid without having the same influence as Metro lost again.

Balic (r) with SA U18's midfielder Luke Partington. Picture: AFL Media

He was rested the next week – something he was disappointed about – and watched from the stands as Vic Country again proved too good in beating Metro by 35 points. Balic returned the following week against Western Australia, flying with the Metro team to Perth for the game at Domain Stadium.

Metro notched its first win, thumping the host by 74 points. Balic contributed with 20 possessions and nine marks.

His quietest game of the championships followed, when he struggled against Western Australia at Simonds Stadium two weeks later.

But Balic and the Metro boys responded in the final game, his efforts in the midfield helping the Vics beat South Australia.

Balic started slowly but turned the game his team's way with an influential 22-disposal display against South Australia's best midfielder, Luke Partington.

"I knew wherever he'd be the ball would be, but because I'm a bit taller I thought I could push him under it a bit," he says.

"During the championships I noticed when I worked my hardest I played my best. It was good to finish off well. Reflecting on the carnival I was pretty happy with how I went.

"I could have done better in those interstate games, but I think my preparation was right. My wrist was fine throughout the championships and I'm happy I put off surgery at the start of the year. Playing well for Vic Metro has given my draft hopes a bit of backbone."

In the spotlight

The championships capture the attention of AFL fans searching for future stars. Balic had attracted some media attention before the carnival – articles online and some exposure on television – and he has received more recently.

Last week he fronted the cameras as Vic Metro's representative at the squad's annual media call. The attention extends to his parents, who get excited every time Harley's name is mentioned.

But they aren't allowed to talk about it. Balic has banned any discussion of the draft at home.

Don't mention the draft: Harley Balic has his eyes on the future. Picture: AFL Media

Eddie and Nancy weren't big football fans before Balic's pathway started to take shape. Eddie's parents were from Bosnia, where they owned a café.

They moved from Bosnia to Austria, where Eddie was born, and then came to Australia via boat when Eddie was one. He has lived in Australia since. Eddie's brother, Moe, was a keen footballer, and played at under-19 level for North Melbourne and Hawthorn in the 1980s.

He won a contract with the Albury Tigers and won a best and fairest award. Nancy also arrived in Australia as a youngster, shifting from Canada when she was four. Her dad was born in Italy and her mother from Germany.

"We've seen a lot of Australia through watching Harley play sport," Eddie says. "Hopefully we see a bit more in the next few years too."

Where Balic ends up is starting to become a prominent question in his mind. He knows he has done enough to get drafted, but doesn't want to become complacent.

Adelaide sent two recruiters to Melbourne recently and Balic thought they seemed interested. The Crows interviewed twice in a month, and in the first, recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie gave Balic a pamphlet about the city and what to do there.

He would find it hard to move away from Melbourne, particularly being so close to his family, but thinks he could manage.

A chance to be 'the guy'

More clubs are expected to organise interviews soon, with Collingwood the only other club to visit him to date. Balic's Dragons might not make the TAC Cup finals, so he has limited opportunities left to impress.

There's no room for complacency in Balic's final TAC Cup games for the Dragons. Picture: AFL Media

"Sometimes I wish it was like last year and we had some of those great players in the team. Now it's my chance to be the guy people will talk about next year and say, 'I wish we still had him in our team'. I know you can shine in a losing side," Balic says.

"I think I've done enough to get a spot on an AFL list, but I want to keep moving up. I want to get drafted, but more than that I want to get drafted as a good, early pick.

"I want to test myself against the best, and see where people rate me against the guys being talked about as No. 1, like Jacob Weitering and Josh Schache,” he says.

"I'd love to go top 10. I want to push myself as high as I can so I can look back at the end of the year and say I didn't waste my chance."

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2

THE FIRST sign Harley Balic needed surgery came when he was in his kitchen, struggling to pick up a saucepan with his left hand without his wrist hurting.

There was pain when he twisted the cap off a water bottle, and he carried his bowl of cereal in the mornings with his right hand to ensure the other was free.

Balic was told in January he should have surgery to fix his fractured scaphoid, but at that point he didn't think he'd done enough to be drafted. He didn't feel like he could afford to miss three months after the operation. Had everyone seen enough of him yet? There were still questions about his game.

But a few weeks after the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, the under-18 All-Australian decided it was time to get the injury fixed. In his two games for the Dragons after the carnival, he felt the pain more than he had before, and he was hesitant to mark overhead.

Balic playing the pain game for the Sandringham Dragons. Picture: AFL Media

He met with renowned surgeon Greg Hoy, who noted there were already signs of arthritis in the joint potentially developing down the track, so Balic required surgery as soon as possible. In early August, he had the operation done at Epworth Hospital and stayed overnight to recover.

His Metro teammate, Carlton father-son prospect Jack Silvagni, had shoulder surgery straight after Balic, with the pair recovering in the same ward.

"It was pretty painful, but I was glad to have it done," Balic says. "It meant I missed the last month or so of Sandy's season, but I was still glad we chose to leave the surgery until after the championships.

"We really considered doing it in February, and a lot of people told me then to get it done. But it was in my best interests to get a few games under my belt because nothing was guaranteed at that stage. It's still not, but I feel like I've got some runs on the board now."

Managing the wrist injury, however, did have an adverse affect on Balic's season. It stopped him from doing as many weights as he had planned, so he wasn’t as strong as he could have been. It also robbed him of the chance of playing in the VFL for Sandringham, something he was hoping to do after the under-18 championships.

Postponing wrist surgery was a calculated gamble for Harley Balic. Picture: AFL Media

But in other ways it proved his resilience. Recruiters have known since January he was battling the problem without complaint.

"I can take a positive out of it. If I can accomplish what I did on the field without a wrist that's 100 per cent, hopefully when it's better I'll improve because of that test," he says.

Getting better, but there’s room to improve

Balic ended his season pleased with what he showed but knowing he has plenty left to give. His ball use improved, as did his versatility, and he thinks he stepped up with each level he played.

"I thought I was ordinary in the TAC Cup, but when I played in the national championships I was better and then in a couple of Academy games against VFL sides earlier in the year, I thought I was good again. The higher level I played, the tougher I was," Balic says.

"It's satisfying and it shows the clubs that if I am to get a chance at the next level I hopefully would be able to continue that trend and perform again.

"I wish I'd played more in the midfield, but I proved my capabilities in three parts of the ground. Before this year a lot of people probably saw me as a half-forward, and not much else,"  he says.

Sacking a Bomber

Clubs have mixed views about where he sits in the draft order. About 10 visited him at home during the year, and a few have followed him more closely than others. St Kilda's list and recruiting manager Tony Elshaug kept in touch regularly, while Melbourne's recruiting manager Jason Taylor has also dropped in at home a couple of times.

When Essendon's recruiters visited, they asked Balic who he'd replace on the Bombers' list. Not knowing many of the club’s players, he picked one of the younger guys.

"I was a bit hesitant to do that," he says. "You don't want to seem like you're bagging the player, but you also want to answer the question."

When his name is called out on draft night, Balic knows nothing will be the same again. Picture: AFL Media

Balic has become more at ease with clubs coming around to interview him and his family. Before each visit, his mum Nancy stocks up on sweets and chips for the scouts to nibble on, and they make sure the house is as tidy as possible. "First impressions are important," Balic says.

By the time he had another 15 interviews at last month's NAB AFL Draft Combine, Balic already knew most of the club scouts well and they became more specific with their questioning. He didn't do any testing over the four days at Etihad Stadium while he recovered from the wrist surgery, so his interviews were the most important part of his week.

Many clubs asked him about his year off school, and what he plans to do away from footy. Balic spoke about pursing a job in primary school teaching, which saw the scouts then ask why he would do that if he didn't enjoy school too much himself. "I told them I had grown up since then and realised what I wanted to do," he says. 

The string of interviews made him think more about which club he would like to go to with North Melbourne (the team he supports) and the Saints (the team closest to home) his obvious preferences.

Since the combine, Balic has stepped up his training. In recent weeks he has had some one-on-one sessions with Tom Couch, the former Melbourne midfielder who has started his own personal training company, Elite Training and Conditioning. 

The sessions were teed up by Balic's manager Matt Bain of Stride Sports, and are good work-outs. Generally, he heads across to the beach and toils on the sand for an hour at a time.

A few days ago he got the all-clear to take off his wrist brace, so he's also started introducing some ball work to his program. His touch feels a bit off, but he thinks his running capacity will be right for his first AFL pre-season.

Balic will keep training ahead of the November 24 draft in Adelaide. Running is one of the only things that keeps his mind off what might happen at the convention centre that night when clubs meet to make their selections.

Balic started the season feeling like a bit of a draft unknown. Now it's the unknown that has him nervous.

"Every night before going to sleep I lay there and think about the draft. I picture myself going to certain clubs, or at the airport leaving my family," he says.

"A fair bit of it scares me, like going into a new environment, not knowing any of the boys or coaches, and making a first impression on the team. It's all a bit daunting but the excitement overrides it.

"I can sense that a big thing in my life isn't far away. Each day is a day closer to the biggest day of my life. And if it happens, it's something that will change everything. Nothing will be the same again if my name gets called out."  

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