‘Terrible backdrop': The ‘unknowable' aspect of Balta sentence as new details of altercation emerge

News.com.au

22-04-2025

Respected broadcaster Gerard Whateley has questioned how public blowback to Richmond making Noah Balta available at AFL level may have impacted the Tiger's sentencing as he'll miss several more matches in 2025.
Balta at court on Tuesday received 18-month community corrections after pleading guilty to assault for an incident outside a Mulwala venue last December.
According to the Herald Sun, the verbal altercation between Balta and the victim came after comments made about pizza.
The sentence included a three-month nighttime curfew that requires Balta to be at home from 10pm-6am until July 22. That would make him unavailable for Richmond's clashes with Melbourne on Anzac Day Eve on Thursday night, Essendon (Round 11), GWS (Round 12) and West Coast (Round 19).
It also puts doubt around Balta's availability for interstate games, with Richmond confirming it wouldn't argue against the curfew.
After copping a four-game club imposed suspension to start the season, it's effectively an eight-game ban in total.
Speaking on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Tuesday night, co-host Whateley believes 'broad community debate' and 'widespread condemnation' — including from Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan — for allowing Balta to play against Gold Coast last weekend days out from his sentencing was a 'terrible backdrop'.
'The unknowable is, was this the full suite of penalties all along? Or the curfew, which was completely unexpected, does it come as a result of the magnitude of the case?,' Whateley posed.
'It had built up, there was a public expectation around meeting a certain standard. Has that became part of it?
'It was very much front of mind and there was a demand for a severe penalty because of the football decision that was taken.
'Had the football decision not been taken, it would've been a much quieter couple of weeks in the build up to sentencing. I just think it was a poor backdrop where you couldn't see the wood for the trees.
'Football was never the major contemplation here, it was to get through sentencing.'
Balta, 25, was fined $3000 and made to pay $45,000 to the victim.
The court order included Balta abstaining from alcohol, not committing further offences and completing the Motivating Affect Self Control Program.
Balta's lawyer pushed back on the curfew, but NSW Magistrate Melissa Humphreys maintained that was the punishment.
'I think the Magistrate made it clear that she was perfectly aware of the football ramifications in doing that. Just as anyone who works a night shift would have to alter their life to serve it,' Whateley continued.
'Balta is going to accept the penalties as they've been laid out today, he has accepted responsibility the whole way through and that will go to the process of not appealing.
'The gravity of it is lost and nobody and the football ramifications are going to play out all the way through until the end of his curfew phase on July 22.'
Demons legend Garry Lyon said Balta's penalty was 'never going to please everyone,' but thinks Mrs Humphreys — 'whether unknowingly or not' got the football sanction right.
'I don't know if anyone would suggest an eight-game suspension was lenient in this case,' Lyon said.
'I don't know whether everyone is going to be 100 per cent pleased with it, but eight games is hefty. We understand the victim in this and our thoughts are with him.
'But that's a penalty, and Balta has from all reports shown remorse. That can be an easy throwaway thing, but I'm told it's genuine and he's committed to rehabilitating himself and also being a conduit for the message that violence is unacceptable.
'So hopefully there can be some good come out of this.'
Balta released a statement via the club earlier on Tuesday.
'I apologise to the victim, my family and friends, and everyone associated with the Richmond Football Club,' he said.
'I have let a lot of people down and the lesson has been learned that violence is never the answer.
'I will continue to work to improve myself to ensure this never happens again.'