Whateley: Did Richmond’s inaction make Balta circus worse?

DID Richmond’s refusal to keep Noah Balta unavailable for selection increase the severity of his punishment in court?

Balta, who avoided a jail term after pleading guilty to a single count of assault, has instead been handed an 18-month community corrections order which includes a 10pm-6am curfew for three months.

The Richmond player, who appeared at Albury Local Court, must also abstain from alcohol, not commit any further crimes, must not enter Mulwala Ski Club and will complete a Motivating Affect Self-Control Program.

In the lead-up to Balta’s sentencing, Richmond insisted they would not extend the six-match ban already imposed on Balta, saying he had been punished enough.

Their refusal to keep him in the VFL until after Tuesday’s hearing became the focus of much criticism, with Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allen slamming the club on numerous occasions in recent weeks.

Now Gerard Whateley wonders if Richmond’s staunch support of their man has backfired and created “a huge societal referendum”.

“I had the mildest view on this and I understand double jeopardy,” he said on SEN. “If I put that aside, this has been dreadfully mishandled in football circles.

“The last thing you want before a man goes and fronts a magistrate for sentencing is the Premier of that man’s state on a couple of occasions just reaffirming how grave this is.

“That’s what football opened up here; it couldn’t see the wood for the trees.

“Instead of realising a small football problem that could have been easily circumvented by waiting a couple of weeks and playing VFL, they’ve made it a huge societal referendum.

“When you’re going back to a magistrate, you do not want the backdrop of that being serious figures in the community saying this is grave.

“Richmond played a really bad hand here – separate to the issues, it was short-sighted. Just keep your powder dry for two more weeks.

“It allowed it to spin off into a big community debate and I wonder if that has now played out in court. The backdrop to it is very real.

“The premier of this state has been reasserting how serious this is as a magistrate is contemplating what the penalty is – you don’t want that.

“The gravity of the scenario was built and built.”

The court was told that Balta paid his victim $45,000 in compensation.

Balta’s lawyer argued the point on night games to which the magistrate said “that was the punishment”.

Vision played during the court hearing showed Balta run towards his victim and knock him to the ground before delivering repeated blows to his head.

SEN