Ball's Choice Collingwood or Essendon

[clark's kick 155]

I want Bailey or Connolly to stand up and let it be known that the MFC thinks Ball is an unprofessional and disrespectful spoilt brat, who is trying to hold the MFC to ransom. Let's make it clear that if hasn't got the courtesy to even speak to us, to even say 'no thanks', then he's not the type of person we want here.

Let's forget about trying to bluff Essendon to take him at 10. That's not going to happen. Let's stand up and make it clear we won't tolerate threats of sitting out the year if we select him. Let's make it clear that we believe, even if no one else does, that it's a privilege to play for the red and the blue.

Yes, this may mean he makes it to Collingwood or Essendon. Yes, he'll be getting his own way. Yes, his rumoured threat to sit out 2010 will have worked. But let's make it clear what we think of his actions. Let's show him there's consequences to his actions. Let's not be scared to get Ball or Connors offside.

Let's show we have the power to choose our destiny. We need to demand respect.

[Redleg 40,815]

Good we are all in agreement them ... Essendon will take him at pick 10 ...

Hope so.

[Redleg 40,815]

I wish, but Essendon have 2 pics in the 20s before Collingwood have there first.

This is definitely draft tampering AFL stand up.

It is actually not draft tampering to say which clubs you would and would not prefer to play for.

It may well be draft tampering to declare you will not play for a club if chosen by them.

The penalty for refusing to play with the club that selects you is 2 years ban from AFL. I don't think he will cop that. He will play for whoever selects him. Hopefully it is not us.

[Keyser Söze 0]

And you sit with your back to the mirror at poker games?

Not sure what you're referring to...

[Guest hangon007]

This is definitely draft tampering AFL stand up.

We would not have a leg to stand on if we overlooked him with picks 11 or 18 ... Vlad would just say "you had your chance"

I would have thought the AFL would only get involved if he refused to go the club that drafted him ...

Edited November 15, 2009 by hangon007

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I think the biggest mistake we've made is suggesting we were interested in him in the first place, we should have sounded out his manager first to see if he was interested. All this does now is reinforce the perception that no established player wants to lay for us.

We have several players coming through and another couple that we are going to pick up in the draft that will fulfill any role he was to play anyway.

[Daz's Dee's 113]

We all need to move on from the ball thing yes its disapointing that ball didn't even talk too us or nominate us a prefered choice and lets face it we (demonlanders) all follow MFC with a passion and can see a bright future, but in the eyes of most the general football community we are not a threat (yet) and lets face it we have not been a big player sice the 50's and early 60's I love the MFC and everytime a player overlooks us i feel hurt like everyone else. Luke Ball does not barack for Melbourne like we all do i don't feel a need for name calling just look to the next lot of players available and get someone else with potential there are alot of good juniors out there and if a player like Mitch Thorpe prooves his fitness and attitude i'll barack for him in the Red and Blue as i do most of the players....

Good Luck Luke i think you made a mistake not talking to MFC and had the chance to be part of something Big the next MELBOURNEFc dinisty........

[Keyser Söze 0]

I think the biggest mistake we've made is suggesting we were interested in him in the first place, we should have sounded out his manager first to see if he was interested. All this does now is reinforce the perception that no established player wants to lay for us.

We have several players coming through and another couple that we are going to pick up in the draft that will fulfill any role he was to play anyway.

Who cares what the public perception is of players wanting to come to MFC?

I don't.

I care about building a list and winning games.

Everything else will follow in good time.

[clark's kick 155]

I think the biggest mistake we've made is suggesting we were interested in him in the first place, we should have sounded out his manager first to see if he was interested. All this does now is reinforce the perception that no established player wants to lay for us.

But we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't.

Also, I think it was a tactic we could legitimately have relied on once upon a time. When Nick Stevens' left Port, he only had 2 options - get traded to Collingwood or be picked up by Carlton with PSD1. And when the Collingwood trade fell through, no other option but Nick Stevens going to Carlton was thought of. We definitely tried to create the same sense of expectation with Ball. Unfortunately, the PSD has evolved since 2003, and identifying preferred clubs (a legitimate tactic with the trade period, but surely not the PSD) and having your manager actively persuade clubs not to choose you appears acceptable!

Edited November 15, 2009 by clark's kick

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Who cares what the public perception is of players wanting to come to MFC?

I don't.

I care about building a list and winning games.

Everything else will follow in good time.

We have approached several high profile players over the last couple of years and all of them have rejected us. The more this happens the more other high profile players will look at us a a club of last resort and this will indeed damage the club.

Sometimes it's better to keep your powder dry and see what a player has in mind before you announce to the World that you'll go all out to get him, if the player doesn't want to come to you then you decide whether to ambush him and select him anyway or just pass him over and move on. Either way it's damaging to the club to be seen as a place where no one wants to go. In this business perception is everything, for instance where would Collingwood be without it; they have won one flag in the last 51 years but everyone perceives them to be a successful club.

[clark's kick 155]

Who cares what the public perception is of players wanting to come to MFC?

I don't.

I care about building a list and winning games.

Everything else will follow in good time.

I agree, if that perceptions exists, well it exists.

The only way we can change it is on the field.

[Jaded No More 68,862]

I am quite surprised that more of you don't see that Ball's recalcitrance is his way of asserting control over a situation in which he has little.

It must be an incredibly humbling experience.

Best option at 18 - whoever that may be.

A kid who has no bias or a sense of self-importance and will not "contemplate sitting the year out" if chosen by Melbourne, is more likely to be best available at 18 than Luke Ball.

Good luck to him, and we all move on.

He is not the missing factor in our quest for a flag.

(and btw, I do agree with everything you've written on this matter, just to clarify)

[Guest The Old Xaverian]

Why the disrespect towards Ball?

That is a side effect of tanking, players are unsure of that clubs winning ethos/culture. Obviously Ball saw it as a major consideration.

[Jaded No More 68,862]

Why the disrespect towards Ball?

That is a side effect of tanking, players are unsure of that clubs winning ethos/culture. Obviously Ball saw it as a major consideration.

Now go away!

[Footynut 302]

Why the disrespect towards Ball?

That is a side effect of tanking, players are unsure of that clubs winning ethos/culture. Obviously Ball saw it as a major consideration.

what's that??? thought I heard a fly buzzing around... Better go get the ole fly swatter.....

Instead of coming on here and bleating rubbish looking to start a riot why don't you put yr money where yr mouth is on who will be first to win a flag next mfc or the filth....

End of story hey....

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Why the disrespect towards Ball?

That is a side effect of tanking, players are unsure of that clubs winning ethos/culture. Obviously Ball saw it as a major consideration.

hmm more like he knew he couldnt handle being no.1 midfielder, quickly edged out of the side by the likes of Scully and Trengove

Collingwood going nowhere fast , good luck there Ball.. you might look OK there though, your ridiculous fixture should get you to another elimination final to be flogged, Ball will look like Michael Jordan lining up next to Thomas and Davis who vanish in September like farts in the wind... pack of soft c0cks

[titan_uranus 24,970]

He is not the missing factor in our quest for a flag.

Not at the required price, no.

Best available (kid) at 18.

[The Emblem 1]

hmm more like he knew he couldnt handle being no.1 midfielder, quickly edged out of the side by the likes of Scully and Trengove

Collingwood going nowhere fast , good luck there Ball.. you might look OK there though, your ridiculous fixture should get you to another elimination final to be flogged, Ball will look like Michael Jordan lining up next to Thomas and Davis who vanish in September like farts in the wind... pack

Leon was a September wonder...I wonder where he went?

[Akum 2,660]

Good luck to him, and we all move on.

He is not the missing factor in our quest for a flag.

Luke Ball - meh!

Remember that he is not at St Kilda because they told him loud & clear what he needed to do to improve to get a regular game. And at 25 it was all a bit too hard to do the required work on his game. That's a bad bad sign. Not only does he not want to play for us, he doesn't want to work on his game.

In 09 GF, Geelong concentrated on tagging Dal Santo & Montagna, the two Saints midfielders with the disposal skills to really hurt them (OK, they overlooked Gram, who nearly did hurt them). Ball did well, but wasn't going to hurt them. He'd have been more use to the team if he'd blocked for Dal Santo & Montagna, but that's not his game either and he's not able or not willing to change.

He wants to go somewhere that he doesn't have to change his game. He'd be good for Essendon or Richmond; he could struggle to get a game in the filth's midfield.

The midfield we're building is attacking, with pace and elite disposal - the two areas he'd have to work on if he played for us. Ball's a very good ballgetter, and an outstanding person by all accounts, but we're in the same boat as the Saints - he's not the midfielder we need.

[Redleg 40,815]

Whatever the case, we should definitely be coming out and saying that we're still seriously considering drafting him with pick 11: Essendon being forced to use pick 10 on him would be a win for us.

We have already said it and the Herald Sun article is linked in another thread.

[The Emblem 1]

Not sure what you're referring to...

I mean when you're try to bluff, it's best not to show your hand, e.g. announce that your bluffing.

[Keyser Söze 0]

We have approached several high profile players over the last couple of years and all of them have rejected us. The more this happens the more other high profile players will look at us a a club of last resort and this will indeed damage the club.

Sometimes it's better to keep your powder dry and see what a player has in mind before you announce to the World that you'll go all out to get him, if the player doesn't want to come to you then you decide whether to ambush him and select him anyway or just pass him over and move on. Either way it's damaging to the club to be seen as a place where no one wants to go. In this business perception is everything, for instance where would Collingwood be without it; they have won one flag in the last 51 years but everyone perceives them to be a successful club.

Yeah, they've rejected us.

Mainly because they are high profile players, accustomed to winning, and the idea of coming to the wooden spooner is not that appealing. Whether it be MFC, Brisbane, Collingwood or Geelong.

The simple fact is that we've been finishing on the bottom of the ladder.

If a player is weak-minded enough to not want to look at the facts before deciding to come here and instead go by the often-wrong perception of the general football public, then chances are he is not the player who is going to help us succeed.

Collingwood is perceived as a successful club? is it? Ever heard of the 'colliwobbles'?

Maybe financially. or in terms of supporters. But these things aren't perception, they are reality.

I don't see how publicly declaring our desire to get him is damaging for the club.

Maybe for your own psyche.

Other supporters may use it as ammunition now, because they can, but in 2 years' time it will either be forgotten or irrelevant as we beat the pies et al.

Winning changes everything. For now, we are managing to still get our name in the papers every couple of days.

No such thing as bad publicity. Collingwood prove that to be true.

Edited November 15, 2009 by Keyser Söze

[Nasher 33,607]

I don't understand why people are so upset about Ball. He had no intention of coming here, at any point. Would those who are calling Ball all these nasty names have preferred he 'listen' to us, make this public façade that he was "weighing up the options", then choose Collingwood anyway? That would be far, far more frustrating in my eyes. I personally appreciate him not wasting our time, or his own.

Can anyone name one single reason why a player like Ball would want to come to MFC? And it's not just MFC. I'd expect Richmond and Freo would have been similarly shunned had they been interested. He's after success, he does not want to have to start from scratch again. TOX's post on it being about tanking is, as per usual, complete bollocks.

Too much emotive rubbish being posted in this thread IMO.

[Guest The Old Xaverian]

He'd have been more use to the team if he'd blocked for Dal Santo & Montagna

Ball was better than both on GF day, if Lyon hadn't of played Ball in a limited role on GF, he would be a premiership coch.

. In this business perception is everything, for instance where would Collingwood be without it; they have won one flag in the last 51 years but everyone perceives them to be a successful club

Businesses don't use a mythical figure of 50 years when creating perceptions. Obviously Ball, an educated fellow, views us as a successful club. We win games, finals, make PF's, GF's & the like in a time of rebuilding.

[Jarka 767]

Why the disrespect towards Ball?

That is a side effect of tanking, players are unsure of that clubs winning ethos/culture. Obviously Ball saw it as a major consideration.

That doesn't explain why Ball wants to go to Collingwood, who tanked to get Pendlebury and Thomas

/shrug