Luke Ball's performance against St Kilda

[Falchoon]

Collingwood actually fielded a younger side than St. Kilda.

St Kilda actually fielded a better side than Collingwood

 

[Haydos]

I thought he was top 5 on the ground.

 

[Spook]

Efficiency stats can be misleading.

You put your body on the line in a tough scramble in the centre square and manage to win the clearance with a rushed kick into your forward 50 and you get marked with a negative efficiency rating if it doesn't hit a forward on the chest.

Meanwhile a half back flanker takes an uncontested mark and chips sideways 15m. For that gamebusting piece of play he gets a positive efficiency rating.

Which one is more valuable to their team?

Then how come other inside mids have heaps better efficiency? The likes of Ling, Mitchell, Ablett, Kerr, Black and even lesser lights have high efficiency, thats why they play midfield, you put your best players were they are going to get the most ball.

The thing is you should never just slap it on your boot, because that most of the time is a turn over. If you win the ball you work the ball by hand to someone who has time and space to deliver the ball well.
Freo have a huge issue with efficiency, Pavlich would be considered o a great forward if he got some efficient ball. I like Freo but geez they butcher the ball once they win it. There is no place for a player who turns the ball over these days and ball is a bit to close to one of those. But hey he can improve or learn to give of to someone who has time and space and maintain ownership of the ball.

 

[sainter35]

Collingwood actually fielded a younger side than St. Kilda.

I see yet no Collingwood player who played were yet to play an AFL game while St Kilda had 3 or 4?????

So Collingwood's "best" side (minus Jack whats his name their fwd....) came up short against St Kilda's B team?

Future looks good.....

 

[damochandler]

people should only give a rats about his pefformances in the home and away season. preseason form isn't a great form guide

 

[Zahki]

Ball did pretty well. Did what he was supposed to, he should only improve as he gels with the rest of the midfield over the season. I hope he's advised to not attempt any more snaps from 40 out though

 

[Gone Critical]

Ha ha, it must be awesome reminiscing about all of that Collingwood success before you were born. Last year was so disappointing for us, but beating Pies in the finals two years in a row was so much fun...

Ball will be a good serviceable player for the Pies. Always has a dip, but cause of so much frustration with his disposal and inability to make the distance when having a shot from 30m time and time again... We just loathe him now because he walked away from the chance to have another red hot tilt at the flag, something that the core of our group have been working towards for years. He would have been on the fringes of our best 22 and was offered a reasonable deal, but chose to take the easy option and walk away (no doubt nursing a bruised ego because he was offered a realistic deal rather than the ludicrous 600k per annum that GT gifted him) instead of knuckling down and busting his gut to give himself every chance to be on the park if we do indeed get the chance to seek redemption for last year on the last Saturday in September...

And don't foget that we showed a lot of faith in him by drafting him when he couldn't play that first year because he was still at school, because we had him earmarked as a long term player at the club. Clearly this loyalty wasn't reciprocated. This has nothing to do with his game time last year, that was purely on ability and competition, different to loyalty...

That and he chose to go to Collingwood...

And that closes the case for the prosecution

 

[Buddy Goes Bang]

If NAB Rd 1 was any indication, we can safely say two things:

St Kilda won't suffer much from losing him.

Collingwood will gain much from getting him.

 

[St DAC]

If NAB Rd 1 was any indication, we can safely say two things:

St Kilda won't suffer much from losing him.

Collingwood will gain much from getting him.

Spot on. I wish him well at the Pies, one of my favourites when at the Saints. Sadly, I doubt he'll ever reach his initially expected level due to the battering his body has taken over the years, but there's no doubt he'll give absolutely everything to his team's effort.

Good pickup for the Pies, and the Saints get to give Steven and Armo a chance.

Time to move on ...

 

[darkstranger]

Unfortunately that was the best he was able to muster in a long time.

Thats because he now plays for the PIES and not the sinners

 

[Lazyboy]

Set up a nice goal, kicked a goal then gave one away... 6 tackles, threw himself into the packs, great value for pick 30

 

[rose jam]

Ball is a depth player, not expecting him to be anything else. As long as he has good clearance games and uses his hands more than feet we'll be OK with that. See him as a replacement for O'Bree whose in his last year or 2.

 

[Falchoon]

Ball is a depth player, not expecting him to be anything else.

wow, we pay our depth players 100k

 

[The Fireman]

wow, we pay our depth players 100k

haha was thinking the same thing, he has gone from savior to a highly paid depth player in the matter of a few weeks

 

[the woodsmen2010]

wow, we pay our depth players 100k

100k,jesus atleast be realistic...talk about tit for tat,he did well,will help pies,no loss to saints,there the facts who cares about all the other bulls#$t!!!!!

 

[sainter35]

100k,jesus atleast be realistic...talk about tit for tat,he did well,will help pies,no loss to saints,there the facts who cares about all the other bulls#$t!!!!!

up until Pie fans got a close look at his clangers the other night...he was the saviour.....now he is depth?

amazing.

Maybe Lyon knew something? and Luke did too?

 

[Nathan Q Brown]

up until Pie fans got a close look at his clangers the other night...he was the saviour.....now he is depth?

amazing.

Maybe Lyon knew something? and Luke did too?

until Ball told the Saints to jam their 500k he was "required" - now "he never was"

 

[krusden]

I will make my call
on luke ball
in the regular season
that is all.

seriously do not see how people can judge his pie contribution in a meaningless game played on a sandpit.

 

[Ricmel]

seriously do not see how people can judge his pie contribution in a meaningless game played on a sandpit.

Probably because it was exactly the same game as he has churned out for StKilda the past 2 years. Ball is Ball. You know what you are going to get.

 

[iGNITER]

I will make my call
on luke ball
in the regular season
that is all.

seriously do not see how people can judge his pie contribution in a meaningless game played on a sandpit.

Spot on mate.

Wait until the regular season when the serious business begins.

Not a meaningless scratch match in the pre-season.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Ball was good, but Armitage was better. It could end up being a win/win.

I think that's the truth of why Ball left.
It was time for Armitage to take the spot in the team. Ross Lyon still wanted Luke Ball, but he wanted him to be the depth player (VFL most weeks ).
Under the circumstances I dont blame him for wanting to leave, though I'm not to happy with how he ( or his agent ) tried to orchestrate the whole thing.

 

[The Spike]

When the real games start & the pace hots up, don't look for Luke to help on the defensive side of the game. Was potentially a very good player when he started, but will be a GOP these days.....sad, but at least he will now get a big fat pay cheque each week, and he will again be regarded as a hero, so he will be happy.

But for the future:

Jack Steven>Armitage>>>Ball.....

 

[robertg22]

Thought Ball was solid without being spectacular. Certainly wasn't disappointing - good first effort with his new club. His performance was certainly much better than that of McLean's vs Sydney.. and he didn't cost us a first round pick...

 

[UpTheGuts]

thoughts?

His endeavor and hardness are EXACTLY what we needed

Ball goes well in hardness until a second/ third effort is required.

If you want to freak him out, stand a jam tin in front of him and tell him to kick over it.

Decent game, but not the answer. Friday showed precisely why Lyon tore up his contract in front of him (saying "it's not a parachute mate" when Ball was equivocal as to whther he wanted to stay at the Saints).

Polar opposite of Jack Anthony - who is a great kick but bloody hopeless at getting it.

 

[UpTheGuts]

Thought Ball was solid without being spectacular. Certainly wasn't disappointing - good first effort with his new club. His performance was certainly much better than that of McLean's vs Sydney.. and he didn't cost us a first round pick...

Yep, can't argue with that. McLean was crap