Steve Price: Tigers should tear up Noah Balta’s contract

The Noah Balta incident has divided the football community but for Tigers coach Adem Yze to suggest Balta is a victim beggars belief — and Richmond should make an example of him.

Football coaches say a lot of dumb things during any given season but Richmond coach Adem Yze and his comments about player Noah Balta could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Balta is waiting to be sentenced over a brutal assault on a man who, at the time, had his back turned the other way. The phone camera vision is hard to watch as the 100 kg, 196 cm-tall athlete runs at Thomas Washbrook, the innocent victim.

Balta punches the older man in the head and Washbrook falls to the carpark concrete, luckily not striking his head on the asphalt. Balta is not done and launches into a series of punches to the head of his victim. Washbrook could easily have died.

Arrested and charged, the Tigers star – who recently signed a richly rewarding seven-year contract extension worth millions – has pleaded guilty and according to lawyers has paid out a confidential compensation payment to the victim. Obviously, we don’t know how much and probably will only ever be able to guess, but here we have a super fit, strong sportsman bashing a bloke in the car park of the Mulwala Ski Club after a day of drinking.

Balta is waiting to be sentenced over a brutal assault on a man who, at the time, had his back turned the other way. Picture: Supplied

The victim – blood pouring from his head – was admitted to a local hospital. Balta is then suspended by his club – not by the AFL – for the first four matches of season 2025 and misses two practice games as well. In 10 days’, time he could go to jail although that seems unlikely.

I can’t find anywhere justification for the attack by Balta and his guilty plea was swift and without reservation, suggesting he knows he was in the wrong and he is said to be remorseful.

Richmond sensibly chose not to select Balta this weekend even though his suspension was up, and he could have played.

In my view Balta shouldn’t play again this year and Richmond should make an example of him to his younger teammates and tear up his contract. Trade him out, because you must ask yourself, is that the sort of influence you want around what is probably the youngest player list in AFL?

Balta shouldn’t play again this year and Richmond should make an example of him to his younger teammates. Picture: Michael Klein

What planet is Adem Yze on suggesting Balta is the victim? Picture: Michael Klein

As for Adem Yze, what planet is he on?

Asked at a media conference about the impending return of his star swingman, Yze wheeled out the Balta victim line to an incredulous media. He said Noah had served his suspension, then this line: “He’s (Balta) been dealing with this for three months and he’s hated not being out there”.

Seriously?! Balta, the out-of-control self-confessed bash artist, is suddenly the victim. Come on Adem!

AFL Chief Andrew Dillion wasn’t much better, saying it was all up to Richmond and that he was comfortable with the four plus two suspension. What a hospital handpass that was.

On Thursday – and I don’t know why it took so long – Premier Jacinta Allan weighed in. She might have been flapping around for a diversion from her own problems but boy was she adamant. “Having looked at the footage what a sickening attack that was,” she said. “What sort of message does this send to kids about what’s right and wrong.”

AFL chief Andrew Dillion has said it was all up to Richmond and that he was comfortable with the four plus two suspension. Picture: Getty Images

I rarely agree with the Premier but she’s right on the money.

Sport – especially it seems AFL – is full of second chance saloon stories that turn out for the best, but the Balta incident has divided the football community. Retired Geelong star and now media commentator Jimmy Bartel agrees with me after hearing Yze’s woe-is-Noah comments.

Parents of coward punch victims have this week in unison come out attacking the idea that Balta play again and what parent wouldn’t feel that way after losing a child to a blind attack like that.

Picture: Mark Knight

Just over 21 years ago in January 2004 I lost my friend and work colleague David Hookes to a coward punch from a hotel bouncer. Hookesy had been – along with his Victorian cricket teammates – asked to leave the Beaconsfield Parade pub they were drinking in. Outside the bouncer took a swing at David, who fell and hit his head on the gutter.

Rushed to hospital and placed on life support he never regained conciousness and ultimately the bouncer faced court and was cleared in a decision many rejected and disagreed with.

That’s why I feel so strongly about this, and the Balta incident could just as easily have turned out that way.

If Brendon Gale was still at Punt Rd it wouldn’t be handled like this. Picture: Michael Klein

I don’t believe that if former President Peggy O’Neil and CEO Brendon Gale were still at Punt Rd it would be handled like this.

Another example of how to handle these things involved Dane Swan.

Talking with the former Collingwood champion while in the South African jungle appearing on the 2017 edition of the TV show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Swanny said his part in a brawl that saw a hotel bouncer knocked out cold could have ended his football career.

Dane was charged with 13 offences and convicted of the lesser charge of affray and ordered to serve 100 hours of community service. Some at Collingwood wanted to get rid of him but coach Mick Malthouse – according to Swan – stuck up for him. He went on to to win a premiership, a Brownlow medal and play 200 games.

Dane Swan says his part in a brawl that saw a hotel bouncer knocked out cold could have ended his football career. Picture: David Caird

Maybe that’s what Yze and the Richmond hierarchy are basing their treatment of Balta on, but there is one big difference. There was no phone camera vision of what Swan did or of what the bouncer did to David Hookes.

There is vision of this ugly, vicious attack on a bloke with his back turned to an AFL star determined to seriously hurt him. Once that vision was out there, Balta had no choice but to plead guilty.

At the very least, the AFL and Richmond need to wait for the court’s judgement before allowing this bloke to play again.

Likes

• Premier Jacinta Allan finally under pressure to hold her job – sooner she goes the better.

• Inner city councils now voting to make little used bike lanes narrower.

• Buruli ulcer disease caused by possum faeces sparks a debate about a possible possum cull – bring it on.

• Aussies like Jason Day, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee flying the flag at the Masters golf.

Dislikes

• Independent Federal election candidates pretending to be something they are not and funded by Climate 200 money.

• The new Metro train project not even open yet but already number of trains during peak times has been cut.

• Drug king-pin Tony Mokbel being treated like some sort of celebrity.

• My council rates increased by the maximum three percent to pay for the McCrae house landslide – why?

Originally published as Steve Price: Tigers should tear up Noah Balta’s contract