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Richmond make huge call on Balta's future after CCTV release
SEN • April 2nd, 2025 4:26 pm
Richmond will not be changing the punishment imposed on Noah Balta despite widespread criticism that a four-match ban was not enough.
Balta is facing up to five years in jail after pleading guilty for an attack on another man outside the Mulwala Water Ski club in December last year.
Last week he pleaded guilty to a single count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and will be sentenced on April 22.
It means Richmond could play him in their Round 5 and 6 clashes with Fremantle and Gold Coast before he is sentenced – a move the AFL has said it will not oppose.
Both the league and the club have been torched by veteran journalism Caroline Wilson for their soft take on the assault as well as their intent to make Balta available to play before he is sentenced.
While the AFL and Richmond insist Balta was banned for six weeks, it only applied to four senior in-season games.
“I’m sure Richmond nor the AFL had seen the vision of what happened before they handed down that suspension,” Wilson said on The Agenda Setters.
“Balta and his not so perfect history really shouldn’t play at least until after April 22 when he’s sentenced, although that takes us to Anzac Day Eve against Melbourne at the MCG and that stage, too, feels (too big) for a player who committed, in the words of police, a wild assault.
“Even if he gets off on April 22 with a fine or a community service act, the game should have been far tougher on a player who committed such a violent act.”
Last week CCTV footage of the “sickening” assault was made public with prosecutors telling a court that the victim of the assault - Thomas Washbrook - was lucky to be alive.
Vision played in court shows Balta run towards victim, knock him to the ground before delivering repeated blows to his head.
Despite the violence, Richmond, with the AFL’s blessing, will push on with making their man available and firmly believe he has been punished enough.
“The AFL was part of the process when we sanctioned him; six weeks is a long time for a player to have out,” coach Adam Yze said.
“Not only the six weeks suspension, he’s been dealing with this for three months. He’s been doing extras at training, community service, helping around the footy club.
“He’s earning the trust and respect back not only from his team but his club, he’s hating not being out there.
“The fact that it’s out in the media now – it happened in January. He’s been dealing with that for a long time, so we’re not going to change our verdict.
“We’ve worked with the AFL and we’re really clear on that. It’s going to be nice when he is available.”
Yze stopped short of confirming if Richmond had seen the footage before it was made public but insisted Balta had been transparent from the start.
“It was exactly what he told us had happened,” Yze said.
“It’s in the courts, so we can’t really talk about the facts, but what you did see is exactly what he told us.
“He was honest about it, he knew he made a mistake and, like I said, he’s been earning the trust of not only us but the whole footy club.
“We can’t wait to allow him to get back out and do that on the footy field as well.”
