Obviously Ball, an educated fellow ...

unlike you

... hadn't of ...

It is the circumstance we find ourselves in at this particular juncture in our history. We are in the middle of a rebuild and it will take time. It is this 'time' that pushes established players away from us.

Great summary rpfc. This 'time' can be interpreted a couple of ways. From our perspective we recognise we're on the up and our list will be that much more exciting come Thursday week and our return to the top may not be all "that long". From anyone else's perspective, Melbourne has just come off back to back wooden spoons and faces a gradual climb back to the top that will "take time."

Come September 2010, players on the move from other clubs, may well be kicking down FD's door, wanting to be a part of something big.

When did MFC announce they are bluffing?

They didn't, you announced it in post 11

Loose lips sink ships...

LOL...KS

Not only that - but as so few of their supporters can read and write, their literate minority have to come to other club's sites to get a bit of intelligent debate!

Yeah to read the great Hoopla's posts!

What are you doing up so late?

Not very good actually. I agree with everything you said, and I'm on yours and rpfc's "he'll play where he's damn well told" bandwagon.

But it doesn't answer the question I asked. Why would Luke Ball want to play for Melbourne [specifically]?

Lots of people do things because they present a challenge in life so what's wrong with accepting the challenge of helping to lift a club that's been travelling poorly for a few years up the ladder?

Then again, perhaps the easy option would be to take a gig at a place like Collingwood where the livin' is easy and people without much hunger for achievement can have a good time for a few years, get well paid and drift aimlessly through what's left of their career.

Lots of people do things because they present a challenge in life so what's wrong with accepting the challenge of helping to lift a club that's been travelling poorly for a few years up the ladder?

I would agree, except in football I'm not sure this happens. Can you think of someone who purposely left a successful club and went to an unsuccessful one? Most AFL footballers have one dream, and that is to win a premiership.

I would agree, except in football I'm not sure this happens. Can you think of someone who purposely left a successful club and went to an unsuccessful one? Most AFL footballers have one dream, and that is to win a premiership.

The man was exceedingly well paid but Chris Judd also went to a club that had been down for several years and when he went there he spoke about the challenge of lifting that club. At the time, Carlton had Fevola, Nick Stevens and a handful of early draft picks. Two years later they made the finals and should have done better than 7th. They can already smell something after two years. What's wrong with that?

this is all a bunch of hot air.

All that this article states is that Ball does not want to play for Melbourne.

All of you people get in up in arms saying "well he can go F&^% himself" or "good riddance" just need to take a step back and look at the situation. Deep breaths, relax, there is no point getting all flustered about a player who never played for us in the first place.

It is not a crime to nominate which clubs you want to go to. This gives the clubs notice that he does or does not want to play for your club. "Pick me if you want, but i probably wont be too passionate."

He wants what is best for him and his career. He is not trying to insult the club or YOU as a supporter.

this is all a bunch of hot air.

All that this article states is that Ball does not want to play for Melbourne.

All of you people get in up in arms saying "well he can go F&^% himself" or "good riddance" just need to take a step back and look at the situation. Deep breaths, relax, there is no point getting all flustered about a player who never played for us in the first place.

It is not a crime to nominate which clubs you want to go to. This gives the clubs notice that he does or does not want to play for your club. "Pick me if you want, but i probably wont be too passionate."

He wants what is best for him and his career. He is not trying to insult the club or YOU as a supporter.

Firstly, I agree with most of your post. However I disagree with the "but I probably won't be too passionate" theory. He will bloody well play as good as he can wherever he gets picked. I've said it before, he has made his own bed by signing onto the ND, he will damn well lay in it which ever way the cookie crumbles.

Secondly, I've tried to stay away from these Ball threads for sometime, but occassionally you can't help but click on one, just to see further updated links.

Picks 1,2,11,18,34,50 and PSD#1 will be picked on the best player to suit the FD's journey to obtain the strongest list possible going forward. If they think it's 18yo's so be it, if it is Ball so be it.

Nov 26th just cannot come quick enough.

I'm tipping Ball will have another couple thread topics opened by draft day based along the same lines we've been reading for weeks, such as expecting an apology or reason as to why he doesn't want to come to Mfc.

There is not a chance in Hell that we will pick Luke Ball with a top 20 pick.

I would agree, except in football I'm not sure this happens. Can you think of someone who purposely left a successful club and went to an unsuccessful one? Most AFL footballers have one dream, and that is to win a premiership.

Fair point.

The man was exceedingly well paid but Chris Judd also went to a club that had been down for several years and when he went there he spoke about the challenge of lifting that club. At the time, Carlton had Fevola, Nick Stevens and a handful of early draft picks. Two years later they made the finals and should have done better than 7th. They can already smell something after two years. What's wrong with that?

Fair reply.

The fundamental difference between Ball's situation and Judd's situation however is that Judd had already tasted premiership success (as a captain no less) so this perhaps along with the brown paper bags was enough to wet his appetite for a new challenge. Ball is still after that first premiership and isn't getting any younger so it comes down to the player at the end of the day.

The man was exceedingly well paid but Chris Judd also went to a club that had been down for several years and when he went there he spoke about the challenge of lifting that club. At the time, Carlton had Fevola, Nick Stevens and a handful of early draft picks. Two years later they made the finals and should have done better than 7th. They can already smell something after two years. What's wrong with that?

Like 1858 said, Judd already had a premiership when he decided to move. Big, big difference.

this is all a bunch of hot air.

All that this article states is that Ball does not want to play for Melbourne.

All of you people get in up in arms saying "well he can go F&^% himself" or "good riddance" just need to take a step back and look at the situation. Deep breaths, relax, there is no point getting all flustered about a player who never played for us in the first place.

It is not a crime to nominate which clubs you want to go to. This gives the clubs notice that he does or does not want to play for your club. "Pick me if you want, but i probably wont be too passionate."

He wants what is best for him and his career. He is not trying to insult the club or YOU as a supporter.

I tend to agree with this. It's not like he's even stuffed us around in the way that say, Judd arguably did. In fact he's been nothing if not absolutely forthright; he didn't express any interest in us at any stage, so he hasn't led us on. When you consider that Ball spent the first few years of his career in a rebuilding side stacked with promising but then un-proven high-end draft picks, it's not surprising that our "exciting young list" isn't a major selling point for him- he's been there and done that, and I don't think he's being overly arrogant in wanting to get to a side who'll be playing finals next year instead of going through it all again.

I do agree that he's being a bit short-sighted; I don't really rate Collingwood as a serious premiership contender even with Jolly, and the gap between Melbourne and Essendon is smaller than people think. In four years time, I'd be surprised if we're not a long way ahead of Collingwood, and probably Essendon. Then again, the way his body is, maybe Ball and Connors arent sure he'll even still be playing by then, and see the short-term solution as the best one for him.

I tend to agree with this. It's not like he's even stuffed us around in the way that say, Judd arguably did. In fact he's been nothing if not absolutely forthright; he didn't express any interest in us at any stage, so he hasn't led us on. When you consider that Ball spent the first few years of his career in a rebuilding side stacked with promising but then un-proven high-end draft picks, it's not surprising that our "exciting young list" isn't a major selling point for him- he's been there and done that, and I don't think he's being overly arrogant in wanting to get to a side who'll be playing finals next year instead of going through it all again.

I do agree that he's being a bit short-sighted; I don't really rate Collingwood as a serious premiership contender even with Jolly, and the gap between Melbourne and Essendon is smaller than people think. In four years time, I'd be surprised if we're not a long way ahead of Collingwood, and probably Essendon. Then again, the way his body is, maybe Ball and Connors arent sure he'll even still be playing by then, and see the short-term solution as the best one for him.

I reckon this is about right. Ball'd be worried that by the time we challenge, his body will just about have given out.

I would agree, except in football I'm not sure this happens. Can you think of someone who purposely left a successful club and went to an unsuccessful one? Most AFL footballers have one dream, and that is to win a premiership.

Nathan Brown to Richmond perhaps?

For a club like Melbourne to play in the finals is difficult, for us to play in a grand final it is extremely difficult, or at least it has been.

That's a weak excuse. In a period of restricted trade/drafting, Melbourne have had access to 5 years of drafts with Priority Picks, which is an AFL record. No other club has had a "free" hit like this in the draft period.

We have poor facilities a variety of training venues that the spoilt brats at Collingwood wouldn't even bother to turn up at.

Facilities don't really have an impact. In the 90's, North, a club with less resources than Melbourne facility wise managed to win 2 flags training out of a granny house gym.

Despite all of this and your easy draw you have still failed to win more than one flag in 51 years

Collingwood only left Victoria Park in 2005. I suggest that the facilities at the Junction Oval (an oval I've played a number of VAFA games on) were superior to Victoria Park. Prior to 1987, every club played each other twice, so there goes your facilities & draw theory.

History didn't start 51 years ago, over a much shorter journey, we've been quite a more successful club than yours with less resources.

Ugh.

Go. Away.

Facilities don't really have an impact. In the 90's, North, a club with less resources than Melbourne facility wise managed to win 2 flags training out of a granny house gym.

North had the greatest player to ever play the game of Aussie rules, captain the team to those two flags. Stupid thing to say, really.

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.

Through his conduct to date, it appears that Ball is childish and unprofessional.

Ball may think the Dees are a mile off a flag (perhaps we are), but it's clear to most rational observers that Ball, through his conduct to date, is not yet wise beyond his years. He doesn't appear to have tested the waters at all, and his conduct to date suggests that he's incapable of adopting a measured, considered approach, which would involve hearing and assessing what the respective clubs actually have to say.

I've seen graduates in the professions and the business world (similar age) who seemingly demonstrate far greater maturity and level-headedness than Ball.

He may be a great leader of 18 year olds at a footy club, but he appears to be a mile off the pace in terms of the degree of professionalism required in the professional or business world.

Still seems to be a boy.

And for a St Kilda player or fan to criticise the MFC about not having a "winning ethos/culture" is laughable in the extreme.

That's a weak excuse. In a period of restricted trade/drafting, Melbourne have had access to 5 years of drafts with Priority Picks, which is an AFL record. No other club has had a "free" hit like this in the draft period.

ARE YOU REFERING TO 1997 (JEFF WHITE, TRAVIS JOHNSTONE), (COLIN SYLVIA, BROCK MCLEAN) 2003, (WATTS, BLEASE) 2008, (SCULLY, TRENGOVE) 2009 Where is the 5th year of PPs?

Also going back to 1997 is a bit rich.

St. Kilda in a similar period had (RIEWOLDT, KOSCHITZKE 2000), (BALL,CLARK 2001 dal santo at 13), GODDARD 2002 due to Carlton's salary cap breach very lucky,

Facilities don't really have an impact. In the 90's, North, a club with less resources than Melbourne facility wise managed to win 2 flags training out of a granny house gym.

Don't really need facilities when you have Wayne Carey

Collingwood only left Victoria Park in 2005. I suggest that the facilities at the Junction Oval (an oval I've played a number of VAFA games on) were superior to Victoria Park. Prior to 1987, every club played each other twice, so there goes your facilities & draw theory.

History didn't start 51 years ago, over a much shorter journey, we've been quite a more successful club than yours with less resources.

Who do you go for?

History didn't start 51 years ago, over a much shorter journey, we've been quite a more successful club than yours with less resources.

That is an absurd statement. For goodness sake teach one of your other supporters to read and write so that you can argue with him about things you understand like the big game temperament of Leon Davis or the benefits of holidays in the grand canyon

The demonland match review panel would like to warn posters of harsh beer penalties for those who engage with TOX.

Don't forget: Never argue with idiots - they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Like 1858 said, Judd already had a premiership when he decided to move. Big, big difference.

Still doesn't take away from the fact that it's a good reason why a player should want to come to an emerging club with lots of emerging talent.

Nor does it take away from the fact that Ball doesn't want to take up the challenge.

Let's face it, taking up the challenge of coming to a young club and helping it rebuild is not the easy option. It's a tough and arduous task. It requires a person who is strong both physically and mentally. There are huge question marks about Ball's physical state and his own stance vindicates to some extent the concerns I have about whether he's up to the challenge. It also highlights the huge gap in standing as a footballer between Judd and Ball.

Through his conduct to date, it appears that Ball is childish and unprofessional.

Ball may think the Dees are a mile off a flag (perhaps we are), but it's clear to most rational observers that Ball, through his conduct to date, is not yet wise beyond his years. He doesn't appear to have tested the waters at all, and his conduct to date suggests that he's incapable of adopting a measured, considered approach, which would involve hearing and assessing what the respective clubs actually have to say.

I've seen graduates in the professions and the business world (similar age) who seemingly demonstrate far greater maturity and level-headedness than Ball.

He may be a great leader of 18 year olds at a footy club, but he appears to be a mile off the pace in terms of the degree of professionalism required in the professional or business world.

Still seems to be a boy.

And for a St Kilda player or fan to criticise the MFC about not having a "winning ethos/culture" is laughable in the extreme.

what he said ^^^^