Ball dropped over 'trademark'

ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt said Luke Ball's recent omission from the senior line up came because the 2005 club best and fairest winner was not adhering to the club's "trademark".

Ball, 25, has not played seniors since round 15 after being dropped from the Saints' side that beat West Coast by 20 points at Subiaco.

Riewoldt said the player-driven trademark influenced the selection of the final 22, and was why Ball had been relegated to play for Sandringham.

"Without getting into specifics, because that's between Luke and Ross [Lyon], there are a few areas of his game he has to improve," he told Foxtel's On the Couch on Monday night.

"It's certainly not a discipline decision, and Luke is one of the most respected players at the club.

"He's been given a few areas to go away, address and work on, and he's in constant consultation with the coach.

"Hopefully we see him back soon."

Riewoldt said the introduction of the trademark had made the players take more ownership of the side's direction.

"I'm not willing to share exactly what it is because that's private and something the playing group came up with," he said.

"Basically, post every game, every player goes away and reviews the club trademark, with respects to how you went about your footy on the day.

"We hold each other accountable to that. We come up with a score every week out of 22, and we know if we get a pretty healthy figure, and the weight of numbers is ticked off the trademark as a yes, then we're going to be competitive in most games."

Riewoldt also said former West Coast ruckman Michael Gardiner, who hasn't played since round 15 due to a corked calf, was one of the main reasons behind the Saints' rapid 2009 improvement.

"He's been fantastic, and I think it's full credit to Michael and the club, which has shown a lot of faith in him since he came across," he said.

"I didn't have [doubts] in him, because the leadership group met with him before he came across and he promised certain things and he's delivered on every word up until now.

"It's been disappointing he's missed the last couple of weeks, but even the way he's gone about his rehab with his professionalism is first-class.

"He's been one of the big factors in our climb up the ladder this year."