Father of man who died of coward punch makes chilling prediction about AFL star's future after he dodged jail for shocking attack

Daily Mail​

23-04-2025

A father whose son died in a coward-punch attack believes Richmond defender Noah Balta is likely to be 'targeted' in future and will 'unfortunately be remembered' for his assault of a 27-year-old man last December.
It comes as the footy star was sentenced in Albury Local Court on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to the attack on Mr Thomas Washbrook outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club near the NSW /Victorian border.
The 25-year-old footy star was handed an 18-month community order, a $3,000 fine, and is now due to miss a large string of games this season, having also been handed a three-month curfew order, which restricts him to his home between the hours of 10pm and 6am.
Reflecting on the events that have happened after the incident, Balta has shown remorse, pleaded guilty, and settled a civil claim with the victim, while also undertaking education and counselling.
But now Matt Cronin, the father of Pat Cronin, who died following a coward punch attack at the age of 19 in a pub brawl nine years ago, has broken his silence after Balta's sentencing was handed down.
'I've done a fair bit of reflecting on this today,' Cronin told Heidi Murphy on 3AW Drive.
Cronin's son, Patrick (left), tragically died after the 19-year-old was punched in the head during a brawl in a pub nine years ago
'When I was first approached about the whole Noah situation a number of weeks ago, my comment was prepare to be disappointed.
'I think right through the court process that we went through where Pat did die, he wasn't as injured, he was killed.
'We were very disappointed with the outcome from the courts on that.'
He added: 'The affray charge that was laid against eight people who were involved seriously that night that led to Pat's death, not one of them got a custodial sentence. Not one.
'So to say that our bar is fairly low in terms of expectations of what courts will deliver when it comes to punishment in these sorts of cases... we'll use Noah's situation no doubt with our education programs we run, and use it as a real shining light of someone that you don't want to be. You don't want to be that person being talked about, for weeks and weeks on end.'
Mr Cronin is the founder of the Patrick Cronin Foundation, an organisation that raises awareness to end violence and bring about change to 'end the coward punch'.
The charge Balta was facing carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. He had no involvement in Pat Cronin's death.
But when asked whether Balta should have been handed jail time, Mr Cronin said: 'No, I don't think so.'
'I don't think there's much more that he can do now,' he added.
'We talk a fair bit about remorse in our lives and remorse to me isn't about words, it's about actions.'
Now, Mr Cronin believes that Balta's case can help create change around the dangers of assaults and coward-punch attacks among the wider Australian community.
'I think this is an opportunity where we can use Noah's situation to say: "Well what can we do from here from now on".
'How can we learn from these and use this example where it's been such a high-profile case, it is because he's an AFL footballer, he's in a privileged position of being an AFL footballer and is a role model as many AFL players are.
'And we've got to use this opportunity to say how do we use this opportunity to make a change for the future. You know? Let's stop the next one from happening.
'As you know with the work we do with the foundation - it is all about that next moment. It's all about the next situation that comes out.
'Like it or not, Noah is now going to be a target, someone will want to provoke him, whether that be on the football field or in private life.
'He'll always be remembered unfortunately for this act, and that is a consequence piece.'
Mr Cronin, who is also a Tigers member and continues to pay for the membership of his son, Pat, had previously been left disappointed by Richmond and the AFL's decision to green-light Balta's return to play against Fremantle in Round Five.
But he explained that he had sent an email to Richmond and Andrew Dillon, the AFL's CEO, regarding his eligibility to play.
'I am really pleased to say that both responded to that reach out,' Mr Cronin said. 'We've got a meeting next week with Andrew Dillon and we've also got a meeting on Thursday with the Richmond Football Club. I don't know what the outcomes of those meetings are going to be, but we're going to use the opportunity to say to exactly what I've said: "Let's use this moment as a real point in time where we can make a difference".'
In a statement issued via the Richmond Football Club, Balta said: 'I apologise to the victim, my family and friends, and everyone associated with the Richmond Football Club.
'I have let a lot of people down and the lesson has been learned that violence is never the answer.