Richmond star Noah Balta cops lengthy ban after being charged with assault

Richmond have banned Noah Balta for four AFL matches after he was charged with assault last week.

The AFL premiership player handed himself into NSW Police following an alleged incident that led to another man being taken to hospital for a cut to his head.

Balta was charged and given conditional bail, to appear before Corowa Local Court on January 30 — right in the middle of the Tigers’ pre-season program.

The 25-year-old is permitted to keep training and was at the club with teammates on Thursday.

But he will be ineligible to play for the first four games of the season, as well as the club’s two pre-season matches.

He will also be required to complete education programming and undertake counselling.

“Noah deeply regrets being involved in the incident,” Richmond CEO Shane Dunne said in a statement.

“He has assisted the NSW Police in their investigation and he is keen to have the matter concluded as soon as possible.

“While the outcome of the investigation and the charge will be a matter for the police and the courts both Noah and the club accept that players can’t put themselves in these situations.

“After thorough consideration - which included discussions with the player leadership group - we arrived at a decision that reflects the seriousness of the incident and at the same time will help Noah address this behaviour.

“The club will continue to support him through this period and our collective hope, and expectation, is that we will see the best of Noah on and off the field from this point on.”

The charge came less than three months after Balta signed a massive seven-year contract extension to stick with Richmond until the end of the 2032 season.

The swingman, who has played 104 career games including the 2020 premiership, is a crucial cog of the Tigers’ rebuild.