An awkward plan for Noah Balta’s return has emerged as Richmond face mounting pressure not to play the disgraced star in the AFL during Gather Round.

Richmond are facing serious backlash over the penalty they handed Balta, who has pleaded guilty to assault on a 27-year-old man outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club in December last year.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Richmond under pressure over Noah Balta handling.

Balta - who is awaiting sentencing - was banned for just four AFL games, a penalty most people feel is inadequate. He is free to play this weekend, but it appears that is unlikely to happen at AFL level as a chorus of criticism explodes.

“I understand the long-term Richmond plan for Noah Balta has been to have him return via the VFL once his playing ban ended,” Channel 7’s chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary has revealed.

“His four-match ban is now over. There’s a VFL bye this week but Richmond’s VFL side plays the AFL U18 Academy side on Sunday.”

Richmond are playing Fremantle on Sunday and their team will be announced - with an extended bench - on Thursday and confirmed on Friday.

But, according to Cleary, it seems likely the 194cm Balta will play some minutes against the under-18s in a somewhat awkward match-up.

Veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson, a well-known Richmond supporter, says the Tigers can’t play Balta.

“If that incident happened on the field Noah Balta would be missing 10 weeks,” Wilson said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

“There is a genuine move at Richmond for Noah Balta not to play at all this weekend.

“They will make up the completely believable excuse that he hasn’t played, and neither should he, and neither should he until after April 22 when he’s sentenced

“To think that they made that call before they had seen the vision of what happened and are (still) saying they would have made the same decision is an anathema to me

“I will be disappointed in Richmond if they play him.”

Matt Cronin’s son Pat was killed in a one-punch attack outside a pub in 2016.

“(The AFL) ticked it off, there’s no doubt about it,” Cronin said on 3AW.

“I think they’ve made their decision, sadly.

“The AFL has a terrific opportunity to set a benchmark.”

Cronin is also a Richmond supporter.

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“I’m really disappointed as a Richmond supporter,” he said.

“I hope he never comes back. That’s my opinion of him. He has brought Richmond into disrepute.”

Speaking at the Gather Round launch in Adelaide on Wednesday, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said it was Richmond’s call.

“Ultimately Noah is in the middle of a court process, which will finalise in a couple of weeks,” Dillon said.

“The AFL process was completed in February, Noah has served his suspension and he’s also undergone behavioural frameworks, which he’s been adhering to.

“Now he’s available for selection. It’s up to Richmond whether they select him.

“He has completed the suspension, he’s done everything that was asked of him. But he is in the middle of a court process, which continues.”

Outgoing AFL Players Association (AFLPA) chief Paul Marsh said Balta “has a right to play” while he awaits his assault sentencing.

“There’s been a disciplinary process there. Noah has served that out. And so he has a right to play this week. I don’t know whether he will,” Marsh said on Tuesday.

“At the moment, our thoughts are with Noah in a sort of broader sense, I think he’s got some problems, sorts of challenges ahead of him and that is the bigger issue.

“But if playing fully, and I think playing footy can be a nice distraction, being in a club where they’re actually working with him day-to-day is also really positive ... I think that the club will make the right decision.

“He’s gone through a process where he’s been suspended, so I think it’s appropriate that that’s the suspension.

“He’s got a criminal process that he’s going through, and there’ll be a determination made at the end of that. But there has been a football process, and that’s the result of it.”