Jason Ball

[Benevolent Ert]

Are people still calling for Jason to retire at seasons end??
I think his presence can not be underestimated
By going into the ruck, he frees up Goodes to be so much more damaging - and when he goes forward he often takes very good contested marks.
I don't think it's any coincidence that our return to form has coincided with the return to form of Jason Ball

[sfan]

agree with you. It allows Goodes to play a more ruck rover style of game where at the moment he has no peer.

[CureTheSane]

Well our form has come back with more than Ball.
Cressa back, and Goodes' continuted form, and O'Loughlin's resurgence.
I suppose it's more a team effort.
I think they are going into the games with a better attitude, which is a huge advantage for us

[robbieando]

Look I think Jason has just turned 30, so there is no reason why he should retire at seasons end, except of course if injuries hit him again like they did last season. He really has come on well so far this year and it has really allowed Goodes to go Free like he has.

[jude_boltons_babe]

jason has been playing great

jason said he wants to play for ages he loves it

[Dpw]

Hope Ball has a few years ahead of him. Hard to believe it is the same Ball I had seen for all those years at Westcoast he was the player the fans loved to hate like a wharfe, frosty and so on. Played only as a CHF kicked 75 goals in his second year of league footy and signed a long term contract which saw him the highest paid Eagle at the time he was traded to us. Interesting they never tried him in the ruck did not want to leave at the time but seems to love it at sydney, he always dominated in lesser company at swan district always againist my boys and holds the record for most marks in a home and away game and the most in a final (15). Goodluck Jason.

[chammond]

Interesting they never tried him in the ruck

Do you mean for West Coast?

He certainly played in the ruck for WCE. I've got tapes of him rucking against the Swans.

My recall is far from perfect, but my impression was that he spent more time in the ruck than he did on the forward-line.

[penga]

it was so annoying last year when he was trying to get back! i badly wanted to see him playing last year and this year i got my wish

[Dpw]

Originally posted by chammond
Do you mean for West Coast?

He certainly played in the ruck for WCE. I've got tapes of him rucking against the Swans.

My recall is far from perfect, but my impression was that he spent more time in the ruck than he did on the forward-line.

To the best of my memory he was never given first ruck duties he always rucked the foward 50 and sometimes he would go into the middle to help out but Westcoast would normaly take a specialist ruckman he of course covered injurys. My point was he never lined up just as there ruckman even at Swan Districts he started in the pocket or centre half foward.

[penga]

IMO, he still isnt the answer to our ruck problems... he would be a great backup and would be good roaming around the forward/back line as an extra tall with a specialist ruckman going hard at it in the centre, winning the taps to our midfielders... this of course would mean that goodes would be third string which would be better as well... IMO we still need a specialist ruckman... doyle IMO (again) is another ball where he is better as a tall in the forward line than being an allout ruckman... in fact id love to see him playing at FF, with hall at CHF... therefore our hopes lie on doyle, meiklejohn and maybe lrt improving their ruck skills before we can be satisfied

IMO we need to take a ruckman with our second round pick in this draft

[Plugger46]

Re: Jason Ball

Originally posted by Ert
Are people still calling for Jason to retire at seasons end??
I think his presence can not be underestimated
By going into the ruck, he frees up Goodes to be so much more damaging - and when he goes forward he often takes very good contested marks.
I don't think it's any coincidence that our return to form has coincided with the return to form of Jason Ball

Couldn't agree with you more.
I was pretty unhappy when the swans offloaded a 21 yr old, in Ricky Mott, to keep an injury prone Jason Ball on the list. However Ball has proved me wrong, and whilst it still might have been a mistake to de-list Mott, Ball is playing a major roll in the team.

My main Criticism of Jason Ball before this year was the physical side to his game, i thought he wasn't strong and hard enough in the contest, he couldn't take a contested mark. Ball, this year seems to have worked on that side of his game, and IMO is playing better for it.

Excellent work Jason.

[penga]

mott is too slow for roosy's game plan, end of story IMO i was shocked by his delistment but we have to move on

[TheMase]

Originally posted by penga
mott is too slow for roosy's game plan, end of story IMO i was shocked by his delistment but we have to move on

Spot On!

[penga]

IMO, we need to recruit (via drafting/trading) the next white, gardiner, biglands/clarke for our ruck and not the next allen, king, primus...

i am of course contrasting the style of player, i would love to have the next primus however... but as far as our style goes, a white would be the answer

[TheMase]

Originally posted by penga
IMO, we need to recruit (via drafting/trading) the next white, gardiner, biglands/clarke for our ruck and not the next allen, king, primus...

i am of course contrasting the style of player, i would love to have the next primus however... but as far as our style goes, a white would be the answer

Got this from Bigfooty ....

"Michael Griffiths from Glenelg is a HUGE kid. 19, 207cm, very mobile for his height and can play up forward."