RICHO’S TOP 10: Richmond Tiger Noah Balta deserves a second chance after assault conviction

1. Noah Balta made a horrendous mistake.

He has now paid for it criminally and by settling a civil suit along with the undoubted remorse and guilt he would have suffered. Also, the public criticism of him has been rightly severe. I do hope now that people can try and give him a second chance just like the late Andrew Krakouer who went to prison for assault and then completely turned his life around when released. Krak made a mistake but was a beautiful person to those that knew him. The same goes for Noah. I also think this Balta situation is a chance for the AFL and its clubs to be community leaders in this space. Kids need to be taught and educated early about walking away from potentially dangerous situations. I’m an ambassador for the Pat Cronin foundation which deals in this space taking their “Be wise” programs into schools. More than 300,000 kids Australia wide have now been involved in this program. They are doing great things to educate kids from a young age.

2. Two huge games coming up tonight and tomorrow in honour of our veterans and current service men and woman.

Anzac Day is the biggest game on the footy calendar after the grand final. It really is spine-tingling stuff to be there for the pre-game ceremony. It’s hard to get tickets but if you ever get the chance make sure you get to the MCG. With Darcy Moore out Nick Daicos will lead the Pies. He will handle it all with aplomb. The bigger the stage the better Daicos gets. The bigger problem for the Pies is keeping this hot defensive streak alive with Moore out. I think they are that well connected in team defence, and they will be able to cover Moore pretty well. I also think over the history of this game it has really helped teach younger people about what our veterans did for our country. Lest we forget.

3 Remember the Collingwood footy club of 2023.

The Premiers. They built that flag through immense pressure forcing turnovers then exploding back towards goal. That pressure is back in 2025 and they are a massive chance to win again in 2025. They are only conceding 66 points per game and their team defence was huge last Thursday night at the Gabba as they ended the Lions’ unbeaten start to the season. Throw in new recruits Dan Houston and Tim Membrey and it’s happy days if you’re a Pies fan. Oh and Nick Daicos could have another gear in him. He is a scary good player.

4. For the first time this season it really feels like the Lions are going to miss Joe Daniher as the season progresses.

Eric Hipwood is going OK but he’s never been a number one tall forward target. Logan Morris is a beauty but he’s only 19 years old and will have some poor games at that age. Sam Day was recruited to compete which he does, but over his 160-game career he has only kicked 118 goals. When Cameron Raynor, Zac Bailey and Charlie Cameron don’t hit the scoreboard either it further exposes the hole Joe has left.

5. Bravo Lachie Neale for calling out the cowards that abuse players online.

His stance came a week after Willie Rioli deactivated his Instagram account after a torrent of abuse following his anti-Hawks post. It really is a problem for the current generation of AFL players. It’s something players of years gone by never had to deal with. It clearly is affecting the mental health of some players. I guarantee the trolls would not say these things to the players’ faces and wouldn’t be able to deal with the same abuse back at them. As Lachie said “grow up”, it’s not OK.

6. What an absolute corker of a game between the Hawks and Cats on Easter Monday in front of a record crowd.

I hope we see these two teams play in a big final in September. Do yourself a favour next year if you’re a neutral fan and buy a ticket. These two teams never fail to produce a classic.

7. Carlton’s form has turned a corner and it’s been helped by the form of the underrated George Hewett.

Over the last five weeks he has had at least 27 plus disposals, 13-plus contested possessions and seven-plus clearances. Only Anthony Koutifides and Patrick Cripps have been able to have a run of form with numbers like that at Carlton. It’s time the opposition put more time into George as he’s flying.

8. I really expected North Melbourne to improve this year and after the Melbourne win a few weeks ago I thought that could be the turning point.

Unfortunately, at this early part of the season that’s not the case. Something is fundamentally breaking down with their defensive system. In 18 of 23 games last year, they gave up 100 points. In five of six games this season they have done the same. It’s a huge issue that can’t be fixed overnight. North fans must be getting a tad impatient.

9. Richmond’s Ryan Mansell received a three-week ban for pushing Liam O’Connell into a marking contest.

O’Connell was concussed. Logan Morris nudged Darcy Moore into a contest last Thursday night. Moore left the ground with a bloodied ear. He was cleared of concussion and Morris was spared a suspension. Then Conor Nash gets four weeks for his hit on Gryan Miers. The outcome is always what these situations are judged on so that’s why I was not surprised at all that Nash is sidelined for a month. If concussion is involved expect three weeks or more. It’s as simple as that so it’s time the AFL publicly said these suspensions are based on the injury outcome not the action. Seems clear to me.

10. You have got to feel for Sam Draper and his unfortunate Achilles injury.

Footy needs energetic cult figures like Sam. He was playing good footy as well. This news comes after the Bombers’ other ruckman Nick Bryan did his ACL. This means the Bombers will now need to wheel out veteran Todd Goldstein. Goldy is also employed as ruck coach at the Bombers and wasn’t expected to lace up the boots in 2025. Yet keeping him on the books has proved a smart list management decision. Can his old pins hold out for of the season? Time will tell.

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