We at BPL really like Luke Ball. As a footballer and as a bloke. He is, what my dear, departed grandmother would call, a mensch (that's Yiddish for fine upstanding man, not to be confused with the former Geelong footballer).

But the young man's image is being tarnished ever so slightly by the appearance of draft tampering - reportedly discouraging certain clubs from calling his name at next week's AFL national draft.

At 25 and with question marks over his football longevity, this is Ball's last real chance to shape his career and to find a footy club that ticks most of his boxes, which presumably in his case, starts and ends with prospects of a premiership some time in the next few seasons.

But because we like the young man, we're going to give Ball a leg-up and offer him some sort of guide as to the pros and cons of each of the clubs that are considering calling his name next week.

MELBOURNE: Ball would be a coup for Melbourne and there are many who believe that the club is so bloated with young kids and high draft selections that it can afford to take him with pick 11 or 18 on Thursday. Ball would offer much-needed experience and guidance for the kids at Demonland and you would have to think that 14 games at the MCG would suit his sometimes-fragile body better than a similar number of games at Etihad. Of course, the downside is that it is Melbourne and that the chances of a flag sometime in the next five years would be slim at best.

PORT ADELAIDE: Port has declared itself out of the running to draft Ball but Mark Williams has a cunning streak and it would not surprise one bit if he selected Ball. We would welcome that if only for the fact that it was Ball's manager, Paul Connors, who declared during trade week that "No one wants to play at Port Adelaide." Ball would add some steel to a side replete with downhill skiers, but you'd have to wonder whether his heart would be gladdened by the prospect of the next few years at Alberton.

ESSENDON: This is the most intriguing. From all reports, Ball has refused all entreaties from Windy Hill until now, so it would be a humbling experience should he have to join the club and commit to the cause for the next few seasons. The Dons are still a work in progress and could do with an experienced player such as Ball, if only to take some of the pressure off Jobe Watson, a similarly hard-at-it midfielder who gets sat upon by the opposition every week. The downside is 10 games at the less-forgiving Etihad Stadium and a flag that is still at least three years away.

BRISBANE: Probably a long shot, but Michael Voss is collecting retreads with the same enthusiasm as Tiger Woods collects golf trophies. So why not add Ball to his foreign legion? Playing alongside Simon Black and Luke Power in the midfield feeding the ball to Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola would surely have some appeal. As would going to a club that has clearly rolled the dice in the bid to win a flag in the next two years. If the Lions were a Melbourne-based club, Ball would have to be seriously tempted.

COLLINGWOOD: Ball to the Collingwood midfield frees up the likes of Dale Thomas and Leon Davis to spend more time in the forward line, where they're most dangerous. 14 games at the MCG suits as does the reality that the Pies are well placed for a serious assault on the 2010. Big club and big games, it all makes sense for a player who is leaving a club to which he has a strong emotional attachment in search of greener pastures.

But the Pies are traditionally loath to pay market values during trade week, and thus missed out on securing Ball when they an opportunity to last month and it may come back to bite them on the bum next Thursday because as it stands, there are too many clubs ahead of them in the queue for whom the opportunity to draft Ball will be too tempting to ignore.