Running as an independent, you would need to finish at least third in the pecking order in circumstances where neither of the majors had managed to secure a quota.
Then, you would probably need to pick up second preferences from almost everybody else on the ballot paper to squeeze past one of the major parties into second place.
That was possible, but there were no guarantees.
On the other hand, as number two on the ticket, under normal circumstances, your only chance of getting elected would come if the other side failed to pick up their one-third of the first preference vote.
Then you would probably still need to pick up everybody else's second preferences if you were going to get in.
On that basis, Ballantyne was probably being offered an unwinnable position on the ballot paper.
At the same time, it wasn't too hard to see what was worrying Moran.
The most likely candidate for Number Two on the ticket was a dedicated Left-winger from Alice Springs who fancied himself in the slot as he built up the brownie points that would land him something winnable.
But he was nowhere near as popular in the indigenous community as he thought he was.
Moran may or may not have known that, but Ballantyne did.
His in-laws had been scathing. Polite enough to the bloke's face, but once he was back on the plane to Darwin or Katherine it was obvious he was seen as just another whitefella,