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Luke Ball

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Luke Ball
Ball wearing St Kilda colours
Personal information
Full name Luke Patrick Ball
Date of birth (1984-05-25) 25 May 1984 (age 40)
Original team(s) Xavier College, Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 2 (PP), 2001 National Draft, St Kilda
No. 30, 2009 National Draft, Collingwood
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2003–2009 St Kilda 142 (58)
2010–2014 Collingwood 081 (33)
Total 223 (91)
International team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2004 Australia 2
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Luke Patrick Ball (born 25 May 1984) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the St Kilda and Collingwood football clubs in the Australian Football League. From 2003 to 2009 he played 142 games for the St Kilda Football Club where he was captain in 2007 and best and fairest and All-Australian in 2005. He is one of the only players in AFL history to have played in three consecutive grand finals for two clubs; 2009 for St Kilda and 2010 and 2011 for Collingwood.

Early life

Ball is the younger brother of Hawthorn player Matthew Ball, both of whom played for the local football club at Ashburton in their junior years. Both brothers and little sister Sophie grew up with their parents in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Iris, attending St Roch's Primary School. His father, Ray Ball, was also a footballer, who played for Richmond and South Melbourne.

He was drafted to the St Kilda Football Club in 2001 with the priority pick (number 2 overall) in the AFL Draft. The draft that year was known as the "super draft" and Ball was taken behind Luke Hodge and ahead of Chris Judd. He debuted in 2003 after having injury problems and choosing to play football for Xavier College in his final school year. Ball finished his schooling with a VCE ENTER score of 98.8.[1]

AFL career

After missing his initial debut season, Ball was a Rising Star nominee in his debut season of 2003. He played 16 games and averaged 15.8 disposals per game in a solid first season.

2004 season

Ball played in St Kilda's 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side, the club's second pre-season cup win.[2]

2004 was a big year for Ball, coming second in St Kilda's Trevor Barker Award for the club's best and fairest player. In 2004, Ball averaged 20 disposals and 5 tackles per game. He also pushed forward to boot 17 goals for the season.

2005 season

In 2005 Ball won the Trevor Barker Award for St Kilda's best and fairest player, tying with Steven Baker.

Ball was also recognised for his excellent season with selection in the 2005 All-Australian Team as a midfield player, his first All-Australian Team award. He averaged 22 disposals and 5.3 tackles per game.

When Nick Riewoldt was injured in the opening round of the 2005 season (and consequently missed the next five weeks), Ball was appointed as acting captain.

2006 season

In 2006 Ball was announced as the St Kilda captain, succeeding Nick Riewoldt under the Saints' then rotational captaincy policy. Early in the season groin problems kept the young captain from performing at his best, but he was cleared in mid-June of having Osteitis pubis from which many media outlets had claimed he was suffering. Ball's second half of the season saw improvement in his game. He was slightly down on his 2005 form, but still managed to average 21.9 touches and play 21 games in his first season as St Kilda captain.

2007 season

In 2007 Ball was co-captain along with Lenny Hayes and Riewoldt. He played a total of 18 games of the home and away season - picking up 345 disposals, 5 goals and 91 tackles. Although well down on his 2005 form, he played a valuable role in the team and solidified his reputation as a "hard-nut" and core member of St Kilda's midfield.

2008 season

Ball played in St Kilda's 2008 NAB Cup winning side - St Kilda's third pre-season cup win.[3][4]

In 2008 Ball again missed only four games with injury - picking up 392 disposals, 7 goals and 107 tackles. A hamstring tear late in the season caused him to miss the finals series.

2009 season

Ball played in 17 of 22 matches in the 2009 AFL season home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the finals, winning the club's third minor premiership.[5]

St Kilda qualified for the 2009 AFL Grand Final after qualifying and preliminary finals wins. Ball played in the grand final when St Kilda was defeated by 12 points.

At the end of 2009 season Ball requested to be traded to Collingwood. A deal between the two clubs, however, was not settled before the trade week deadline despite mediation from the AFL.[6] On 10 November 2009 he officially left St Kilda and nominated for the national draft. On 26 November 2009 he was drafted to Collingwood with their first pick (number 30 overall).[7]

Ross Lyon described the departure of Ball in early 2010:

"Look, Luke Ball in simple terms is this: Luke had a rich history with St Kilda, but the AFL is a professional sport and expectations are often set and not met by club or player. Clearly, along the line, there has been some expectations not met on both sides of the fence. Luke is a Collingwood player now and that's his future and it's not for me to talk about our expectations. During the year he got dropped, then he matched our expectations (and returned) and then obviously there was some expectations from Luke that we weren't meeting and he moved on. That's where that sits. That (the failed trade to Collingwood) was the decision we made at the time and we stand by that. Did we want nothing for him? No. Let's be clear on this, Luke wasn't traded or delisted. Luke walked out on St Kilda, of which he had a million dollar-plus contract on the table.[8] "

Of the departure, Ball stated that "I guess Collingwood's list and the fact they have been right up there for three or four years is attractive, plus a good blend of youth and experience. I have moved on from St Kilda with no bitterness or resentment. I had eight great years with the club. But after eight years I felt like I needed a fresh start and fresh opportunity. That's a pretty simple way to put it and maybe when the dust settles I'll be able to explain it a bit better.[9] "

2010 season

Ball made his Collingwood debut in the NAB Cup first round, coincidentally against St Kilda, his former club. The Saints won the game by one point after they had been leading by seven goals in the third quarter. His home and away debut came in Round 1 against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. The Magpies won the game by 36 points with Ball having 18 disposals. In the Preliminary Final, Ball left the field during the third quarter with a hamstring cramp. Despite this he was selected in the squad for the grand final.[10]

Collingwood played St Kilda in the 2010 AFL Grand Finals on 25 September, which ended in a draw. The premiership was decided in a rematch on 2 October 2010, that Collingwood won. In his post match interview, Ball was modest in celebrating, citing respect towards his ex-teammates in St Kilda and adding "It was more about trying to restart a career and it’s amazing how it has all turned out." Ball's first season in the black and white saw his love and passion for footy to return, he played 24 games and averaged 21.1 disposals as apart of Collingwoods engine room.

2011 season

Ball had another stellar season in the midfield whilst joining Collingwood's leadership group, he averaged 21.5 disposals and laid 166 tackles (6.9 per game) in 24 matches. He also returned to form in front of goal after having much criticism for his goal kicking, he answered his critics by slotting 18.3 for the season.

During the 2011 season he became one of Collingwood's most important and most consistent players. Grabbing the spotlight in the finals series whilst scoring two clutch goals to seal victories in both the Qualifying final and Preliminary final. The goal in the 2011 prelim would be one of Luke's best highlights, as he snapped a goal on his opposite foot (left) with less than 2 minutes to go, giving Collingwood the win.

His 2011 season ended in disappointment, as Collingwood lost the 2011 Grand Final to the Geelong Cats by 38 points.

2012 season

Ball started off the 2012 season by being elected the President of the AFL players association. He also was appointed acting captain in Collingwood's first NAB cup game.

During Collingwood's Round 3 match against Carlton, Ball suffered a knee injury in the first quarter. After having it strapped, Ball returned to the field but subsequently re-injured his knee just before halftime. Later scans revealed Ball had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), requiring a knee reconstruction & ending his season.

2013 season

Hamstring issues delayed Ball's start to the season and then played in the VFL to get his form back. He recorded 26 possessions and eight clearances on his return against Bendigo during a Friday night VFL fixture at the Queen Elizabeth Oval and was summoned to AFL ranks two weeks later.

Ball returned from a knee reconstruction in round eight against Geelong. In his second game back in round nine Ball managed to notch 28 disposals and nine tackles. He went on to produce a consistent season punctured by three one-week layoffs with calf complaints.

His best game of the season was against Essendon in round 19 when he polled three Brownlow votes owing to his seven tackles, 22 possessions and four clearances.[11] His return season from a knee reconstruction saw Ball play 13 games and averaged 23.4 disposals.

2014 season

At the end of the season, following a back injury which would require surgery to play in 2015, Ball announced his retirement.[12]

Statistics

[13]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2003 St Kilda 14 16 10 6 134 118 252 53 48 0.6 0.4 8.4 7.4 15.8 3.3 3.0
2004 St Kilda 14 25 17 5 280 219 499 95 126 0.7 0.2 11.2 8.8 20.0 3.8 5.0
2005 St Kilda 14 24 12 10 335 193 528 94 126 0.5 0.4 14.0 8.0 22.0 3.9 5.3
2006 St Kilda 14 21 4 6 249 210 459 101 104 0.2 0.3 11.9 10.0 21.9 4.8 5.0
2007 St Kilda 14 18 5 9 190 155 345 80 91 0.3 0.5 10.6 8.6 19.2 4.4 5.1
2008 St Kilda 14 18 7 6 190 202 392 71 107 0.4 0.3 10.6 11.2 21.8 3.9 5.9
2009 St Kilda 14 20 3 7 185 207 392 61 116 0.2 0.4 9.3 10.4 19.6 3.1 5.8
2010 Collingwood 12 24 7 10 246 261 507 100 155 0.3 0.4 10.3 10.9 21.1 4.2 6.5
2011 Collingwood 12 24 18 3 282 235 517 107 166 0.8 0.1 11.8 9.8 21.5 4.5 6.9
2012 Collingwood 12 3 0 1 28 22 50 10 17 0.0 0.3 9.3 7.3 16.7 3.3 5.7
2013 Collingwood 12 13 2 4 148 156 304 41 84 0.2 0.3 11.4 12.0 23.4 3.2 6.5
2014 Collingwood 12 17 6 3 156 153 309 69 83 0.4 0.2 9.2 9.0 18.2 4.1 4.9
Career 223 91 70 2423 2131 4554 882 1223 0.4 0.3 10.9 9.6 20.4 4.0 5.5

Career highlights

Personal life

On his mother Jenny's side of the family, Ball is the grandson of former St Kilda footballer Felix Russo and nephew of former Hawthorn and St Kilda footballer Peter Russo.[14] In addition, Ball is the first cousin of Sydney Swans footballer Josh Kennedy.[15]

References

  1. ^ Jackson, Daniel (7 April 2010). "Football is not the limit of player skills". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  2. ^ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final - Geelong v St Kilda". Slattery Media Group. 13 March 2004. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  3. ^ "St Kilda wins NAB cup". The Age. Melbourne. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Saints are NAB Cup Champions in 2008". Jeld-Wen. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  5. ^ "2009 Season Scores and Results - Ladder". AFL Tables. 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  6. ^ Free agency? Sort out third-party payments first, The Roar, Retrieved on 19 February 2010.
  7. ^ http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87543/default.aspx
  8. ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/saints-deal-with-heartbreak/story-e6frf9if-1225822741933
  9. ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/lost-faith-got-the-ball-rolling/story-e6frf9jf-1225804752085
  10. ^ "Ball, Presti fit and ready to fire". Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  11. ^ Mason, Luke (28 August 2014). "Year-by-year: Ball's career". Collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond.
  12. ^ Rielly, Stephen (28 August 2014). "Luke Ball retires". Collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond.
  13. ^ Luke Ball's player profile at AFL Tables
  14. ^ Baum, Greg (18 June 2004). "Mum's the word as the Ball boys do battle". The Age. p. 14.
  15. ^ Cordy, Neil (1 June 2013). "Josh Kennedy finally steps out of Jobe Watson's shadow". Herald Sun (DailyTelegraph). Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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