Richmond have reportedly selected controversial defender Noah Balta to play at Marvel Stadium against the Gold Coast Suns this week, despite his impending sentencing in New South Wales on Tuesday.
Several prominent AFL journalists broke the news on Thursday afternoon ahead of the official publication of the team lists at 6:20pm AEST, at which point Balta was named at full back.
Head coach Adem Yze had for weeks expressed his desire for Balta to return to the senior side upon the end of his six-week ban, but opted last week to return him to action via the VFL team in a practice match against an AFL academy team.
Yze then told reporters that his on-field performance in that match would be the club's only concern ahead of what could be an indefinite halt to Balta's 2025 campaign.
"We needed him to get a game under his belt and then it's depending on how he plays and how he pulls up," Yze said.
"We'll assess how he played, how he pulls up and whether he warrants selection on the way that he played.
"We'll have those discussions later in the week."
Richmond's intention to name Balta ahead of his sentencing had already attracted the criticism of some high profile names, including Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, who last week questioned "what sort of message this sends to kids about what’s right and what’s wrong".
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said earlier this year that he was "comfortable with the suspension" served by Balta despite the timing of it ended between the Corowa court handing down its guilty verdict and Balta's sentencing on Tuesday, where jail time has not been ruled out.
Balta's victim, Thomas Washbrook, believes the Richmond forward is deserving of a second chance according to his legal representative John Suta because of his behaviour since the incident including educational courses and a confidential payout that exceeded Washbrook's medical costs.