122 games, 55 goals
- St. Kilda Pre-season Cup Winning side 2008, 2004
- Captain St. Kilda Football Club 2006
- St. Kilda Football Club Best and Fairest - Trevor Barker Award 2005 (equal)
- All Australian Team 2005
- International Rules 2004
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 25 May 1984 |
| Recruited from | Xavier College/Sandringham U18 (TAC Cup) |
| Height and weight | 183cm / 84kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 1, 29 March 2003, St Kilda vs. Kangaroos, at MCG |
| Team(s) | St Kilda (2003-)
122 games, 55 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of Round 20, 2008 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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Luke Patrick Ball (born 25 May 1984) is an Australian rules footballer. The younger brother of Hawthorn player Matthew Ball, who, along with his brother, played for Ashburton in junior years. Both brothers and little sister Sophie, grew up with their parents in Melbourne suburb of Glen Iris, attending St Rochs Primary School. Luke was drafted to the St Kilda Football Club in 2001 with the priority pick (no 2 overall) in the AFL Draft. The draft that season 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.
He was a Rising Star nominee in 2003, with Sam Mitchell winning the award that season.
2004 was a big year for Ball, coming 2nd in St Kilda's best and fairest award, playing in the International Rules series against Ireland and playing in St. Kilda's pre-season premiership cup side.
Ball won the Best and Fairest award, tying with fellow teammate Steven Baker in 2005.
When Nick Riewoldt was injured in the opening round of the 2005 season (and consequently missed the next five weeks), Ball was handed the captaincy.
In 2006, Ball was announced as the captain of the St Kilda Football Club, succeeding Nick Riewoldt under the Saint's 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 the dreaded Osteitis pubis, from which many media outlets had claimed he was suffering. Ball's second half of season 2006 saw improvement in his game.
In 2007, Ball 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, Ball played a valuable role in the team and solidified his reputation as a "hard-nut" and core member of St Kilda's midfield.
In 2008 Ball again missed only 4 games with injury - picking up 392 disposals, 7 goals and 107 tackles. A hamstring tear late in the season caused Ball to miss the finals series.
Luke Ball has gained significant respect thus far over his short career, always putting his body on the line for his team and often coming from the ground under duress - the sight of Ball's ubiquitous bandaging is familiar to Saints fans. He has displayed leadership and commitment whilst performing at an elite level.
On the Saints official website, Ball can be seen in the main frame with fellow co-captains Lenny Hayes, Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke. They have been dubbed the "Young Saints", mainly because of their relatively young ages.
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2007) |
Luke Ball's statistics from AFL Tables
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