Ben Holland

Infobox afl player | firstname = Ben
lastname = Holland


birthdate = birth date|1977|5|10|df=y
birthplace =
originalteam = North Adelaide Football Club (SANFL)
dead = alive
heightweight = 198cm / 100kg
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 3, 13 April 1996
debutteam = Richmond
debutopponent = Brisbane Bears
debutstadium = Gabba
playingteams = Richmond (1996-2003)

125 Games, 124 Goals

Melbourne (2004-2008)

66 Games, 55 Goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = 2007
careerhighlights = Over 100 games for Richmond.

Ben Holland (born 10 May 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.

A South Australian, Holland was drafted in 1994 to the Fitzroy Football Club, a club he refused to play for, and was subsequently traded at the end of the 1994 season playing his first AFL game for the Richmond Football Club in 1996.

He was then traded for picks 16 and 32 to the Richmond Football Club, where he was used as a ruck/forward.

At the Demons, Holland wears guernsey number 4 and is a tall and strong utility player who has been used as a tall forward option alongside David Neitz.

His physical strength has seen him also play in key backline positions, filling in the seniors side in between stints as a reserves player at the Sandringham Football Club in the Victorian Football League.

On 31 August 2008 he played his last AFL game and subsequently retired from football. [cite web |url=http://news.realfooty.com.au/sport/tigers-thrash-melbourne-12141-in-afl-20080831-46bl.html |title=Tigers thrash Melbourne 121-41 in AFL |work=Real Footy |date=2008-08-31 |accessdate=2008-08-31]

Legal action vs. Clinton Casey

On 4 April 2008 it was announced first from The AFL Footy Show and then by various media outlets that Holland would be taking legal action against former Richmond F.C. president Clinton Casey after not receiving a series of verbal promises made to him to urge him to turn down Adelaide's more lucrative offer.

The offer was said to be covering the margin between the two offers; Richmond's $800,000 offer over three years and Adelaide's $1.33 million offer over three years. The base salary was paid however, the following was not:
* Priority access to a $180,000 block of land at a Sandhurst development that he could re-sell for a large profit when it came up for public sale.
* A parcel of shares in a company developing a credit card insurance product that was expected to increase the market price of the company's shares on its release.
* Podiatry work would be made available for him at various aged-care facilities in which Casey was involved.

There were also some other business ventures that Casey was involved in available to him.cite episode | title = Round 3 Preview | episodelink = | series = The Footy Show | serieslink = | airdate = 2008-04-03 | season = 15 | number = 4 ] cite web | last = Edmund | first = Sam | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Former Tiger sues club and Clinton Casey for $530,000 | work = | publisher = Herald Sun | date = 2008-04-04 | url = http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23482354-11088,00.html | format = HTML | doi = | accessdate = 2008-04-04 ] [cite web | last = Arup | first = Thomas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Holland sues over Tiger deal | work = | publisher = The Age | date = 2008-04-04 | url = http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/holland-sues-over-tiger-deal/2008/04/03/1206851113196.html | format = HTML | doi =| accessdate = 2008-04-04 ]

There is a possibility that Richmond will exceed the AFL's salary cap as result of this and may face severe consequences including the possibility of losing draft picks in the future.Footy Show]

On 4 April, the AFL announced they would be talking to all parties involved about the issue as well as the legal confrontation that was to follow.Expanded] AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou announced the next day that if Holland were to win this case and claim what was not given to him that Richmond would be breaching the salary cap.cite web | last = Edmund | first = Sam | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Frawley denies Tigers cap rort | work = | publisher = Herald Sun | date = 2008-04-05 | url = http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23486643-11088,00.html | format = HTML | doi = | accessdate = 2008-04-05 ]

On 5 April, former Richmond coach (current at the time of negotiations) Danny Frawley said that he knew of players that had entered into property agreements with Casey. Frawley also said that whilst he was at the meeting involving said negotiations, no "guarantees" or "agreements" were made, simply that there was an "opportunity" for what was offered. Frawley said that despite these negotiations over property among other things did happen, Richmond did not breach the salary cap.Frawley]

References

External links

*Melbplayer|ref=14351
*AflRleague|ref=B/Ben_Holland.html