Ball unlikely to be outsmarted by rivals
CALUM Ball could well be the brightest player on the field when he makes his Super Under-20s Championship debut today.
While several of Bond University’s rugby young guns have received sports scholarships – including Queensland Reds under-20s teammates Angus Blyth and Gavin Luka, winners of the John Eales Scholarship – Ball’s move to Bond was purely academic.
Ball last year earned a ViceChancellor’s Elite Scholarship to cover his study of a degree in law and international rela- tions. This will be his second year in the course likely to span three-and-a-half years in total but he’s yet to determine his exact dream job in the field.
“It’s good, I’m really enjoying it,” he told the Bulletin.
“It’s a fair bit of work … they’re quite accommodating with all our training in Brisbane and stuff so it works well.”
Ball, 19, has spent the preseason travelling to Brisbane for Reds training four times a week and is looking forward to putting that hard work into practice against the Melbourne Rebels under-20s today.
A product of The Southport School, Ball captained Bond to within a whisker of a premier colts title last year. The flanker was born in Brisbane and started playing rugby at a young age in Canberra.
Among his idols growing up was All Blacks forward Brad Thorn, who is now his Reds under-20s head coach.
Ahead of their seasonopener against the Rebels, Ball declared there was no pressure on his team to defend the premiership glory of last year’s side.
“It’s a whole new season so all of that is in the past,” he said. “We’re not banking on that in any way, just doing our own thing this year.”
Bond has a history of producing well-educated footballers, with Western Force and former Wallabies prop Ben Daley having graduated with a law degree.