Luke Ball’s manager says the former St Kilda skipper was made to endure “six weeks of agony” before finally getting his wish to join rival AFL club Collingwood through the national draft.
While Victorian 18-year-old midfielder Tom Scully earned the night’s honoured position of being taken with the No.1 pick, ahead of South Australia’s Jack Trengove – both joining Melbourne – it was Ball’s recruitment at pick No.30 that was the big talking point.
The 25-year-old former Saints best and fairest initially tried to join the Magpies during trade week at the start of October, an ambition that was denied when the two clubs could not agree on a deal.
It prompted him to enter the draft and put an asking price of almost $1 million over two years on his head in what has proved a successful gamble to win his way through to his chosen club.
“It’s a big thrill, six weeks of agony and tonight a really satisfying result for Luke,” his manager Paul Connors said.
Collingwood were able to snare the gutsy midfielder with their first pick, No.30 overall, after fears that Melbourne or Essendon, who had a combined seven selections between them before that point, might swoop earlier proved unfounded.
“You’re never confident because there were 29 picks before us,” Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said.
“… We were happy to get him at 30, but never confident.”
The Magpies ended up giving up less than they offered during trade week, having put on the table picks 25 and 62, or pick 30 and a player.
But Walsh said they would certainly have preferred the earlier route.
“If we had have traded for him, he would have been training for three or four weeks,” he said.
But Saints coach Ross Lyon had no regrets, despite his club’s refusal to trade meaning they got nothing in return, when Ball’s eventual draft position showed Collingwood’s offer had been better than market value.
“We certainly have no regrets, we wish Luke personally all the best,” Lyon said.
He said there was no ill feeling between himself and Ball, but he had not cared whether he reached the Magpies or not.
“I walked through the door knowing Luke Ball was going to get picked up by an AFL club, who that is doesn’t concern me,” Lyon said.
Five other AFL-experienced players also found new homes, including 99-game Saints defender Matt Maguire, snared by Brisbane.
The Saints picked up highly talented, but injury-prone ex-North Melbourne 23-year-old Jesse Smith and discarded Richmond ruckman Adam Pattison, while Hawthorn nabbed speedy ex-Brisbane forward Rhan Hooper and the Magpies drafted former Demon Simon Buckley.
Meanwhile, Demons coach Dean Bailey said it had been almost impossible to split Scully, a hard-working, prolific ball-winner who captained Vic Metro at this year’s under 18 championships, from Trengove.
Trengove impressed playing senior football for SANFL side Sturt this year, including a best afield 29-touch performance to lift the side to a preliminary final win.
“Unfortunately we were required to call them one by one, if it was up to me we would have called them out together,” Bailey said.
Two of the more notable names drafted were Nicholas Winmar, drafted by St Kilda, where his relative Nicky Winmar made that name famous, while Essendon took Anthony Long, the nephew of their former club great Michael Long.
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