"It's probably gone beyond amazement because we're just used to it, and they probably are as well," Ball said on Friday.

"Certainly last year there were points when I thought, jeez they're doing a good job because they were under some real heat, but it seems like now they almost use it as a driving force."

Having recovered from the calf injury that sidelined him for last week's narrow loss to the Gold Coast Suns, Ball is acutely aware of the ramifications should the Magpies lose to the Bombers on Sunday, given the sides' respective ladder positions of 6th and 10th.

The 13-year veteran is expecting a brutal contest.

"They are defending really well,'' he said. "Their past month in particular's been really excellent.

"It's going to be tough, it's probably not going to be a pretty game, I'm not sure what the weather's going to bring but it'll probably be a real arm wrestle and we need to try and win the wrestle."

The loss to Gold Coast was seen as especially galling by some given the Suns were restricted to just two interchange rotations in the final quarter, but Ball believed it was wasted opportunities in front of goal (the Pies kicked 10.15) which really cost his side.

"The first half I thought we played really well, didn't take our chances which has a little bit been the story of the year and then left the door open for a really talented young side to run over the top of us in the second half," he said.

Ball would not lay the blame on teammate Clinton Young, whose howler in the dying stages arguably cost Collingwood victory. In fact, according to Ball, Young's dropped mark had barely rated a mention in-house during the week.

"It's an obvious one,'' he said. "He's an experienced player, a premiership player, played in a lot of big games, it really hasn't been spoken about at all. I know he worked pretty hard to get himself into that position which he'd done all day, so he'll make amends for that this week."

Instead it has been another Magpie being consoled this week, with Ball indicating that 20-year-old ruckman Brodie Grundy had been receiving support from teammates after being dropped for the second time in a month.

"He got thrust into it earlier than he might have just because of circumstance and when that happens young guys' expectations can grow really quickly and when they hit a little speed hump you do have to manage it,'' Ball said. "But he's a really, really mature kid, really switched on and got a good balance with life outside of footy as well. He'll go back, it won't hurt him long term. Realistically, to ask a 19-year-old to play 25 games in the ruck for a year is too big an ask."

At the other end of the age spectrum is Ball, who at 30 is no certainty to continue his AFL career in 2015. The former Saint suggested that if he does continue, he will likely do so with a single-year contract extension, but that it was a consideration for later in the year.

"I'm out of contract so we'll sit down at the end of the year and see how I'm going, see how the team's going, and make a decision then. I'm not too fussed at the moment,'' he said.