Richmond star Noah Balta has been charged with assault over an alleged incident in NSW.
The 25-year old, who signed a whopping contract extension tying him to the Tigers until the end of 2032 only months ago, turned himself into police on Tuesday afternoon after a man was hospitalised with head injuries the night before.
Police were called to the venue, a sports club in the Victorian-NSW border town of Mulwala, in response.
According to Channel 7 reporter Mitch Cleary, Balta will front the Corowa Local Court on January 30, having been granted conditional bail.
“NSW Police have just confirmed that Balta has been charged with assault over an alleged incident that led to another male being taken to hospital for a laceration to his head,” he said.
“Balta then handed himself into police at the Mulwala Police station just before lunchtime on Tuesday.
“It’s understood Balta had been preparing to celebrate the New Year with family and friends.
“He has been given a conditional bail – to appear before Corowa Local Court on January 30 – right in the middle of the Tigers pre-season training.”
The AFL Integrity Unit are expected to launch their own investigation into the incident.
After a spate of retirements and trades in recent years to facilitate a rebuild, Balta is one of only a few premiership Tigers remaining on their list from their era of three flags in four years from 2017-2020.
Playing predominantly as a key defender, he has featured in 104 matches for the Tigers since making his debut in 2019, including the 2020 grand final win over Geelong.
He is set to play a crucial role in a Tigers team boosted by a swathe of top draft picks after a dramatic off-season saw them trade star trio Daniel Rioli (Gold Coast), Shai Bolton (Fremantle), Liam Baker (West Coast) and Jack Graham (West Coast) in the aftermath of winning the wooden spoon in 2024 with only two victories.
Balta played 19 of 23 games for the Tigers in 2024, kicking 12 goals as he was regularly shifted into attack.
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