Noah Balta [merged]

[one-eyed]

Training block looms with Tiger to miss next fortnight

Defender Noah Balta is set to miss the Tigers' next two games due to his court-enforced curfew

By Sarah Black
afl.com.au
19 May 2025

RICHMOND is set to be without Noah Balta for the next two games with the key defender's court-enforced curfew likely to prevent him from playing in rounds 11 and 12. 

Instead, he is likely to undergo a two-week training block while his Tigers teammates prepare to face Essendon at the MCG and Greater Western Sydney at Engie Stadium in successive weeks.

Balta must be at his home in Melbourne between 10pm and 6am each night until July after pleading guilty to assault earlier this year, and thus cannot be selected for Friday night's Dreamtime at the 'G clash against Essendon.

He is also expected to miss the following week's game against GWS, slated for 4.15pm AEST in Sydney. A tight turnaround with flights makes the logistics near-impossible for him to be selected, with the first viable post-match flight scheduled at 9.40pm AEST.

The Tigers then have a day match at the MCG against Sydney on June 7.

But complicating matters is the VFL fixturing, which is a chance to restrict Balta to training only for the next fortnight.

With the Swinburne Centre no longer hosting VFL games for the remainder of the season, the Tigers' twos have a home game in Frankston, starting at 7.10pm AEST against Essendon this Saturday night.

Theoretically, Balta may be able to play the VFL game the following weekend, a curtain-raiser against the Giants at Engie Stadium, but a 12.30pm start and a flight back to Melbourne (with the potential for delays) may make things difficult.

Speaking after Richmond's close loss to North Melbourne, coach Adem Yze was somewhat philosophical about the situation.

"We obviously know he's not available for Dreamtime, which is disappointing, but he'll do what he did last time, and that's train hard and get ready to play," Yze said.

"Whether he is playing VFL or training, his attitude and just being a good teammate – he's helping a lot of our younger defenders at training.

"He'll do that [and] if it's the next two games that he's missing, he'll go into a training block and be ready to play when he's next available."

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1325762/big-richmond-tiger-noah-balta-set-to-miss-next-fortnight-as-training-block-looms

[one-eyed]

A quirky one with Noah Balta who has his 10pm curfew in place. Tigers would like him to play a 12.30pm VFL curtain raiser in Sydney next week v GWS but is investigating logistics so there are multiple options in case of weather, cancellations so he doesn’t breach curfew. Should have plenty of time to get back on a 5pm plane.

https://x.com/RalphyHeraldSun/status/1926045112397680782

[one-eyed]

'Getting a bit cute': Tigers considered defender for risky AFL recall

Noah Balta is set to play in the VFL for the Tigers in Sydney on Saturday

By AAP
28 May 2025

RICHMOND contemplated using Noah Balta on limited minutes so he could make it back to Melbourne to comply with his court-ordered curfew.

But the Tigers ultimately decided against it, opting to play the defender in Richmond's VFL game against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.

Pending final approval from the court system, Balta will fly to Sydney on Saturday, front up for the Tigers' reserves at Engie Stadium in a game starting at 12.30pm, before catching a flight back so he can be at home by 10pm.

Coach Adem Yze admitted the club toyed with the idea of subbing him out of the AFL game, which starts at 4.15pm, early so he could get back to Melbourne in time.

"We'd be getting a bit cute if we did that ... because there could be a risk that someone else gets injured and then we're putting others at risk," Yze said on Wednesday.

"We looked at the option of playing him in the seniors and getting him back on time, but it was just going to be too risky.

"We don't want to go and mess with that.

"We understand what he's going through (and) it's just around performance and if we can get a game into him, we'll do that.

"It was the only game we considered these things, it wasn't to disrespect what he's going through, it was just around performance and whether we could keep the momentum of him playing."

Since being sentenced on April 22 for assaulting a man in regional NSW last year, Balta has already been forced to miss two AFL matches.

The court ordered him to be at home from 10pm to 6am every night.

As well as the upcoming clash with the Giants, Balta will also miss a return match against Essendon, and a round 19 trip to play West Coast before the curfew is lifted on July 22.

"Jake Batchelor, our VFL coach, is pretty happy he's going to be available for this week," Yze said.

"If he's going in and out it's obviously hard with performance and the stress of going in and out and what it does to your body.

"But his wellbeing is really important as well, to go in and out of AFL footy is really tough, you see that with injuries.

"He'll travel (there) with the team, go help our younger defenders in the VFL and get another game into him."

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1331314/getting-a-bit-cute-richmond-tigers-considered-defender-noah-balta-for-risky-afl-recall