Essendon veteran Mark McVeigh has launched a broadside at former team-mate Adam McPhee, declaring McPhee's reasons for defecting to Fremantle as nothing but a smokescreen.

McPhee formally walked out on the Bombers this week after 142 games in seven seasons with a view to returning to the Dockers, his original club, via the pre-season draft.

While there's a three-year deal on the table for McPhee, the 27-year-old said he was attracted primarily by the prospect of being reunited with former Essendon assistant Mark Harvey.

"It was disappointing," said McVeigh. "It was a real surprise and we would have liked to have known earlier and maybe we could have got something for him, but that's his decision."

"I've read in the papers that he's great mates with Mark Harvey which I find a bit hard to believe."

"Being close to 'Harvs' myself, I felt that was a bit of a smokescreen."

"He will be missed around the football club but he's decided to move on and he's now the enemy and that's the way it is."

Meanwhile, McVeigh urged the club to look closely at acquiring former St Kilda captain Luke Ball through next week's AFL national draft.

Ball's preference is to go to Collingwood whose first pick is not until No.30 overall which leaves the 25-year-old at the mercy of interested clubs with earlier selections including Melbourne and Essendon.

"I certainly would love the club to chat to him and see where he's at," said McVeigh.

"Obviously with injuries to myself and Andrew Welsh last year, Jobe (Watson) had to carry a lot of that inside ball work."

"I think Luke Ball could obviously fit into that role."

"Obviously Essendon has to be a good fit for him and he has to be a good fit for us, but he'd certainly bridge that gap if players were injured."

Essendon chief executive Ian Robson questioned Ball's conduct in refusing to meet with potential suitors including the Bombers.

"For any player who's nominated for the draft to then say he's not willing to talk to any club, I think that's an issue for the AFL to contemplate and manage," Robson said.

"Luke's in the game now and from the moment pick one gets shouted out he could be taken by any particular club."

"The wildcard is the nominated contractual sum and that will obviously rule a lot of clubs out."

"We're certainly very much in that game and we will be continuing our preparations ahead of next week and he certainly features in our thinking."