Balta banned from night games after assault sentencing
Oliver Caffrey and Anna Harrington |
Richmond premiership defender Noah Balta will be restricted to playing day games after having a night-time curfew imposed by a court.
Declaring that a “lesson has been learned” and vowing to “improve myself”, Balta was sentenced on Tuesday for assaulting a man in regional NSW on December 30 last year.
The 25-year-old was fined $3000, given an 18-month community corrections order and assigned a curfew, restricting him to his home address between 10pm and 6am until July.
But Balta won’t face any additional sanctions from the AFL.
His punishment came just days after his first AFL appearance of the season on Saturday night in the Tigers’ upset win over Gold Coast.
Balta was facing a maximum five-year jail term.
Richmond won’t try to negotiate the punishment, so Balta will miss this Thursday night’s clash with Melbourne at the MCG.
Balta will also have to sit out the Dreamtime match against Essendon on May 23, and a twilight match against GWS at Engie Stadium on May 31 because he wouldn’t be able to get back from Sydney in time for his curfew.
Balta, in a written statement, apologised to the victim, his family and friends, and Richmond.
“I have let a lot of people down and the lesson has been learned that violence is never the answer,” he said.
“I will continue to work to improve myself to ensure this never happens again.”
Richmond chief executive Shane Dunne insisted Balta had paid a a “significant price”.
“This club does not condone violence in any form, and it is why we took such a strong and immediate stand when this incident came to light,” Dunne said.
“Noah has worked hard to improve himself in the months following the incident, undertaking education and counselling. That work will continue.
“With the judicial process now concluded, it remains our collective expectation that Noah learns from this, and we see the best version of him going forward.”
The AFL confirmed Balta would continue to participate in a behavioural change program, but wouldn’t face further action.
“The AFL acknowledges the court sentencing today of Richmond player Noah Balta,” the AFL said in a statement.
“His actions on that night are something we never wish to see in any setting, by anyone, at any time.
“Balta’s conduct could have resulted in a much more serious outcome, his actions do not represent behaviours acceptable to anyone in our game or our community and he must continue to take responsibility for them.
“The AFL will take no further action in addition to the already served suspension and impact on his participation in future matches.”
Richmond’s decision to select Balta against the Suns, just three days before he was sentenced, prompted a strong reaction.
Richmond great Jack Riewoldt has been among the critics of his former club’s handling of the situation.
Riewoldt said on Fox Footy the Tigers’ decision to select his ex-teammate while court proceedings were ongoing didn’t sit well with him or pass the public “sniff test”.
Speaking before Saturday night’s match, Riewoldt said there was “no way” Balta should be playing.
Balta served a four-game suspension, then had a match with Richmond’s VFL team, before playing a key role in shutting down Gold Coast spearhead Ben King.
AFL Players’ Association president, Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, wouldn’t be drawn on Balta’s unique curfew situation.
“Clearly pretty unheard of, unprecedented in many ways, that sort of situation,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“So (I’m) not really fully across it as well … so not super clear on it, to be honest.”
AAP
