Damien Hardwick has blasted Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan for her comments in relation to Noah Balta's ongoing court proceedings.

The Richmond star is due to be sentenced at Albury Court on Tuesday, April 22, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm of a 27-year-old man outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club in December 2024. The charge carries a maximum five-year jail term.

The footy star was handed a four-match suspension by Richmond and the AFL but Balta returned to play in the Tigers ' 11-point win against Gold Coast on Saturday.

Both the footy club and the AFL had given the green light for Balta to return ahead of his sentencing, but the move has caught some criticism from the footy world and the wider community.

Earlier in April, Allan had launched a blistering attack on the club and AFL bosses over the decision to bring the 25-year-old, who took five marks and amassed 14 disposals over the weekend, back into the fold.

But her comments have caught flack from Hardwick and other members of the football world, with the Gold Coast Suns senior coach claiming Allan should instead focus on fixing issues within her state.

'We’ve got a premier who put her nose in someone else’s business, Hardwick told reporters on Saturday, addressing Allan's recent comments regarding Balta.

'She should just concentrate on getting the state running well.

'It’s an absolute mockery of her making comments in regard to that,' the former Richmond boss, who coached Balta for six seasons, added.

He’s pleaded guilty, he understands that. He’s going to cop his fair whack.

'Speaking to him, disappointed in his actions, support the individual, he’ll get better as a result of it.'

Allan had described Balta's alleged attack on Thomas Washbrook as 'sickening' earlier in April.

'Having looked at the footage ... what a sickening attack that was,' Allan said.

Her comments came after Richmond were contemplating bringing the defender back into the fold ahead of their Round 5 clash against Fremantle - but Balta was omitted from the squad after being deemed not match ready.

'Like many Victorians... I'll be sitting down with the kids, they'll be watching Hawthorn, I'll be looking at Essendon's results,' Allan continued.

'Either way, when we sit down (and watch the footy), how do we explain to kids, particularly, how do we answer that question?

'How does the AFL and the Richmond Football Club answer that question about what's going on here? What sort of message does this send to kids about what's right and what's wrong?

'I think that's really a question that the AFL and Richmond need to answer.

'Let's remember the victim here who would no doubt be deeply traumatised by this experience.'

David King and Dane Swan had both clapped back at the Premier over the comments, with the former suggesting she should 'read the room' given Victoria is currently managing a surge in crime of late.

'I've never seen as many machete-carrying, weapon-bearing people out on bail just attacking us left right and centre,' King said on SEN.

'We've got half the state getting broken into at the moment.

'And she's decided to pick on the Noah Balta situation. I think she's got more on her hands. Control the controllables… I just think that's bizarre.

'What the hell are you doing raring your head up on this?

'I can't believe it. She makes a good point on the Noah Balta stuff but gee whiz, Jacinta, read the room.'

Balta, meanwhile, had proved a crucial cog in Richmond's win on Saturday, holding Ben King to only one goal during the match.

'He's done a mountain of work, extras, supporting our younger players ... not only to get himself right to play, but he's been trying to win back the respect of his footy club,' senior coach Adem Yze said, speaking on Balta, after the match.

'He knows he let the club down, he knows he did something wrong, but he's been dealing with that every day.

'Noah's performance today was outstanding and it's a credit to him. We're really proud of him.'

Yze had previously stated that Balta had been 'punished enough' by the footy club over the matter, while the club's captain, Toby Nankervis, said the footy star has owned his actions.

'We all know Noah has done the wrong thing and he will have to be accountable for his actions, which he will be. It was great to see him out there last night,' Nankervis told 3AW .

'I am sure all of our fans would have loved to have seen him out there last night and having him down back was a massive presence.

'It was great for Noah as well. He has had to do a lot of work on himself and will continue to so it’s great to see him back out there. I think clearly Noah has done the wrong thing and he’s really owned that and is really accountable to his actions.

'As a footy club early on it’s about making sure he’s aware of the significance of what he’s done and now it’s about wrapping our arms around him as much as we can.'