Ball pick to create history

LUKE Ball looks set to break a nine-year record by becoming the recycled player taken with the highest pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft.

The former St Kilda captain is not expected to last beyond pick 30, which would break the trend of clubs opting for untried talent with their early picks.

The last time a club used a second-round selection on a recycled player was in 2000 when North Melbourne took former Magpie Saverio Rocca with pick 30. Two picks later the Brisbane Lions took a chance on Kangaroo discard Martin Pike.

The gambles paid off for both clubs. Rocca won North Melbourne’s goalkicking three times while Pike played in the Lions’ three premierships.

Ball’s wish has been to go to Collingwood (the club's first pick is No.30), but Essendon are said to be considering using picks 24 or 26 on Ball and Melbourne is considering using picks 11 or 18.

If the Demons do pick Ball at 11 he would be the first recycled player to be taken in the first round since 1996 when former Fitzroy player John Rombotis was drafted by the AFL’s newest club Port Adelaide.

The previous year Hawthorn drafted Fremantle discard Brendan Krummel with the fifth overall pick and Footscray took former Melbourne forward Allen Jakovich at nine.

One of the least successful cases of drafting a recycled player with an early draft pick came in 1993, when St Kilda used pick eight on former Bulldog Michael Frost.

Brad Johnson, Chris Scott, Adam Simpson, Fraser Gehrig, Angelo Lekkas and Simon Beaumont were all taken within the next 10 draft picks.

Frost played just 11 games for the Saints and was delisted after one season.

Log on to afl.com.au on D-day, Thursday, November 26, for the most comprehensive coverage of the 2009 NAB AFL Draft. We’ll have live chats, live audio streams, in-depth player profiles, club reaction and our famous afl.com.au Draft Tracker.