SainterK wrote:I know we are all supposed to have moved on, but I want to know, once and for all....what happened, why did he go?
Heard so much stuff...
I'll rehash what has been published and not refuted:-
-June/July 2009 - Ball is offered new 3 year deal for 1 million total. He was on a heavily back-ended deal in 2009 at 600-650k.
-July/August 2009 - Greg Denham in The Australian writes articles that Colingwood is interested in Ball and that they are prepared to pay him around 500k per season.
-Ball is 'dropped' a number of times.
-Ball is selected in all 3 finals we played.
- Ball starts GF in the middle but only plays about 50% tog
-Monday of Trade Week - BALL states- I want to go to Collingwood
- No trade is able to be done - Saints want what Pies will not offer.
- Saints reoffer Ball his 3 year deal.
- BALL rejects Saints offer and puts himself into the draft with a price of 500k per season
- Collingwood use Pick 30 on Luke Ball and give him a contracted 500k per season for 2 seasons with a third season to be negotiated.
- Along the way, people associated with Ball (not Luke as he refused to talk to anybody except Collingwood) made allegations about all sorts of reasons he wanted/needed to leave, none of which were Favourable to our Coach.
- Collingwood went out and 'sold their version' of events to their sycophantic media. At one stage Eddy Maguire adn Mick Malthouse both made comments that intimated our Captain was a Liar over this.
- The Luke Ball saga has now become an Urban Myth - he was picked up and forcibly removed from Moorabbin becasue teh Coach hated him.