Neil Balme will complete his duties with Geelong before officially moving to Collingwood Neil Balme's time at Geelong has come to an end. Picture: Mike Dugdale Source: News Limited FOOTBALL is a dirty world full of backstabbing, double-crossing and outright deceit. So it speaks volumes that Collingwood's newly appointed footy boss Neil Balme will still be wearing Geelong colours come draft day later this month. Balme is all about those old-fashioned words that still play an enormous part in football. Trust. Honesty. Integrity. They might sound cheesy but in an era of footy-speak and empty corporate mantras, Balme has shown they are a proven recipe for premierships and success. Rather than booting him out of Simonds Stadium in a fit of anger Geelong will allow him to complete his four weeks notice then move to his new home at Westpac Centre. In-coming Cats footy boss Steve Hocking, Geelong CEO Brian Cooke and Neil Balme. Picture: Mike Dugdale Source: News Corp Australia As he said on Monday: "We trust each other to the point I will assist completely until I leave and then I will change horses." You get that kind of grace when you have worked as a player, coach and administrator for over 40 years. That experience is why his decision to move to Collingwood was greeted with such acclaim and seen as a significant acquisition for the Pies. The Pies might have thrown their chequebook at him eight years after shunting him out the door, but it is a massive win for Collingwood. Not for nothing did Geelong captain Joel Selwood laud the enormous role he has played in Geelong's three premiership. A club's footy boss is a jack of all trades, but over those four decades Balme has amassed an enormous range of skills. He is a gatekeeper when he needs to be, keeping the media at bay when time and space is needed. He is a voice of reason, calming nervous administrators when all the footy department needs is a dose of patience and calm. He will be a critical stabilising force at Collingwood next year at a time when plenty of questions still remain about how close they are to a premiership window. As coach Nathan Buckley navigates that journey it will be Balme handing him the wisdom of those three premierships at Geelong under Mark Thompson and Chris Scott. Neil Balme shares a laugh with Chris Scott and Brian Cook. It was Buckley himself who courted Balme, four years after Buckley himself lauded his old footy boss at a roast to celebrate his 40 years in footy. As Balme said on SEN Radio yesterday: "I have known Bucks since he was a young player and have always had a lot of time for him. I thought we were talking about the fact he wanted me to help him find someone (for the role) but it seemed to be me he was chasing. Former Pies administrator Mark Kleimann, who organised that roast for his old mate, said yesterday Balme was the perfect appointment. It is an unbelievable appointment. He will be a really good sounding board for Bucks. Bucks used to use him a fair bit when he was there and he respects who he is and respects him because he knows the decision he makes will be the right one,"" he said. He is a good listener and he doesn't rush into decisions. He is a calming influence on people who might want to make decisions on the spur of the moment. He is very approachable and easy to get along with and everyone who knows him can't believe how much of a thug he was on the field because he is just such a gentle giant ...