2 weeks Ago
Richmond coach Adem Yze will face the media on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after his club was thrown a “curfew curveball” in the Noah Balta sentencing verdict. Balta on Tuesday morning was spared jail time , instead receiving an 18-month community corrections order and a criminal conviction after pleading guilty to assault for an incident outside a Mulwala venue last December 30. However the sanctioned CCO includes a three-month night curfew where he cannot consume alcohol nor leave his house between 10pm and 6am.
It’ll significantly disrupt Balta’s playing schedule, as the Tigers are scheduled to play multiple night and interstate games between now and the end of Balta’s curfew (July 22). Watch your club in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Stream every round LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo Sports.
New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Balta is now expected to miss the Tigers’ next game against Melbourne in the annual Anzac Day Eve clash, followed by clashes with Essendon (Round 11), the Giants (Round 12) and West Coast (Round 19).
And depending on how the AFL’s floating fixture lands from Round 16 onwards, Balta could also be unavailable for matches against Adelaide (Round 16), Geelong (Round 17) and Essendon (Round 18). Multiple reports indicated Balta wouldn’t play at any level this weekend. Herald Sun reporter Lauren Wood said the curfew element of the Magistrate’s verdict caught the Tigers and Balta off-guard – and disrupted plans for Balta address reporters on Tuesday morning.
“I think the plan was, at that stage (on Tuesday) morning, Noah was going to speak outside court,” Wood said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle . “I think we all would’ve liked to have heard Noah speak – we’ve heard a lot about how remorseful he is and he released a statement this afternoon – but the curfew curveball came out of nowhere. MORE TO COME.
