Jared Polec Biography

Jared Polec is delisted by the Kangaroos after four seasons with the club and with a year remaining on his contract.

"Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, Jared hasn't been able to recapture the form he showed in his first year at the club," Kangaroos list boss Brady Rawlings said.

"We made the decision to re-draft Jared this time last year after he was initially delisted but things haven't worked out for him or the club since then."

North Melbourne select Jared Polec with pick No.1 in the 2021 Rookie Draft.

North Melbourne delists high-priced recruit Jared Polec, but says it is committed to taking him in the upcoming 2021 AFL Rookie Draft.

Jared Polec is back in North Melbourne's senior side after being overlooked for the club's last three matches.

"He played really well last week in the scratch match and deserves his spot in the side and I'm really happy to have him back. He's a real asset for us and someone who can really help us this week," North Melbourne coach Heath Shaw said.

"We've been having some really open and honest conversations and Jared's really clear on where he sat with me and where he needed to get to."

Jared Polec finds himself on the outer at North Melbourne, having been overlooked for four of the Kangaroos' past six matches despite the Kangaroos' mounting injury toll.

"He's obviously frustrated, but so am I, and so is the team and the club with the position we're in. We've made decisions along the way that we think are in the best interests of our footy team. Jared understands that and understands where I sit on that matter," Kangaroos coach Heath Shaw said.

Port Adelaide forward Brad Ebert says the club holds no grudges against former teammates Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard who will return to Adelaide this week as players for North Melbourne.

"Jasper went for more opportunity and Polly went for other reasons, so it depends on how they take that as players," Ebert said.

"We understand there's that business side to football so we're not holding any grudges against Polly. When you're getting offered those sort of deals, it's hard to say no.

"We're not sitting here going, 'Polly should be still here', or anything like that. We've moved on as a group and they've moved on as players."

North Melbourne secures both Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard in a trade with Port Adelaide.

The Kangaroos sent pick No.11 and a future fourth-round selection to the Power in exchange for the duo, while acquiring this year's pick No.48 from Port.

"Jared is coming off a career-best year. He will no doubt add a tremendous amount of run and class to our list, playing in the midfield and on a wing," North footy boss Cameron Joyce said.

"We're probably thinking that Jasper is that high defender, that running, kicking defender, that we've been looking for."

Jared Polec has reportedly informed his now-former teammates Power teammates that he will be playing with Andrew Gaff at North Melbourne.

Jared Polec officially informs Port Adelaide of his desire to join North Melbourne in the 2018 AFL Trade Period.

North Melbourne has reportedly offered Polec a five-year deal worth more than $3.5 million, $2 million more than the two-year deal offered by the Power.

"It's a weight off my shoulders. Telling the boys and the family was probably a lot easier than telling Kenny (Port coach Ken Hinkley). I was a bit nervous going into Kenny's office," Polec said.

"(North) has got the hard midfield who will definitely make my job a lot easier sitting on the outside, that's for sure."

The Power have put an offer on the table to Jared Polec, but won't match the lucrative financial terms from elsewhere, with North Melbourne reportedly having tabled a $3.5 million, five-year deal.

"The reality is going to be, the offer elsewhere is going to be too big for him to pass up at this point," the Power's general manager of football Chris Davies said.

"We've put an offer to Jared previously that he knows exactly what it is and he's got to make some decisions over the next period of time."

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Jared Polec is replaceable if the winger decides to request a trade at the end of the season.

"That's OK, we'll deal with that if Jared decides to move on, he'll move on and we'll find a replacement," Hinkley said.

"We'll get some young players come to the club and we'll find the next young player."

Port Adelaide will give in-demand winger Jared Polec all the time he needs to make the biggest decision of his career.

The 25-year-old has reportedly been offered a five-year deal by North Melbourne worth $3.5 million, while St Kilda, Carlton and Sydney are also interested in his services.

"Any player this time of the year, when they've got decisions to be made, and quite unique offers by the sound of it, they've got to take time," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"That's a big decision for anyone to deal with, anyone in any job."

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley isn't nervous winger Jared Polec hasn't re-signed for 2019, but concedes the Power won't be able to match North Melbourne's reported $3.5 million, five-year deal.

"They offer a lot more money for a lot of players," Hinkley said of the Kangaroos.

"They can (offer more than the Power), I don't think there's any doubt about that, but there's a decision to be made by the player, what he wants to do.

"We've seen a couple of times over the last little while, that clearly top-end money isn't the only solution."

Jared Polec looks set to wait until deep into the year before making a call on his future as he weighs up interest from Victorian clubs.

It is believed multiple Melbourne clubs are interested in Polec, who is enjoying a strong 2018 season for the Power.

After conceding the controversial free kick that ended Port Adelaide's 2017 season, Jared Polec says he deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts and headed for the surf and sand of the Gold Coast.

"I got out of South Australia and moved to the Gold Coast for a couple of weeks with my partner and just relaxed," Polec said.

"I thought getting off Twitter and Instagram would be the best way to get away from everything at the time and just to really relax and not have contact with anyone but my partner on the Gold Coast."

Jared Polec will miss up to three weeks with a hamstring injury after having to leave the ground deep into the last quarter of the Power's 40-point win against the Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval.

Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff says the Lions failed as a club when they let five first-round draft picks go at the end of 2013.

Jared Polec (Port Adelaide), Elliot Yeo (West Coast), Patrick Karnezis (Collingwood), Billy Longer (St Kilda) and Sam Docherty (Carlton) all asked to leave the club and were traded following the 2013 season.

"Obviously we lost a lot of high draft picks, which is probably our own fault looking back," Rockliff said.

"They all left for different reasons, but if you're a good organisation, a good club, you keep players like that."

Power coach Ken Hinkley says Jared Polec is on notice after the wingman was reinstated into Port Adelaide's side to take on Richmond.

Polec was sent back to the Magpies last week after a disappointing performance against Greater Western Sydney in round four and a terrible five-possession showing against Adelaide in round two.

“Jared wasn’t playing in the form that he needed to be, but he’s got enough quality to play AFL football week-in, week-out and he should never need the reminder," Hinkley said.

“But if he wants me to give him a reminder I’ll give him another one if I have to.”

Jared Polec will play three quarters of Port Adelaide's NAB Challenge opener against the Sydney Swans as he continues his return from a foot injury that almost ended his career.

"We're managing him that way, and then we'll probably play him potentially the next week as well," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"He's coming off a long time out of the game so it's important for him to get some continuity into playing, and making sure we manage his foot as best we can."

Jared Polec has shone in his return to competitive football, accumulating plenty of possessions in the Power's internal trial almost 10 months since he was sidelined with a stress fracture in his foot.

"He got the ball a lot but he made some mistakes … he changes the ball for us a lot and we need that in our team," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"He just needs to get back amongst it a bit more. We've been putting him into quite a bit of training now for some time but there's no footy like contests.

"We've got to be very careful with the way we handle him now."

Jared Polec says he feared his career would be over after consulting with surgeons following an injury to the navicular bone in his foot early in 2015.

"Most of them weren't looking too comfortable with it," Polec said.

"They were really trying to push for surgery – a few of them were talking about fusing it, which means I wouldn't be able to run again.

"There is a chance it can go again, but right now it's looking pretty strong."

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Jared Polec has recovered from the foot injury that derailed his 2015 season.

"The navicular (bone damage in his left foot) has healed; he is right to go,” Hinkley said.

"He needs care, he needs managing but the report is really promising. We’re hopeful we can see him for the whole season – he is like a new recruit."

Jared Polec's recovery from a navicular injury is progressing well, with the Port Adelaide speedster a chance to be fit to play in round one.

"We’re really happy with where he is at the moment, it’s been a deliberately conservative process and it’ll still be that way – really conservative," the Power’s head of high performance Darren Burgess said.

"He’ll continue his running progressions, and hopefully join in full training around mid-to-late January, and hopefully, all going well, should be right for the start of the season."

Jared Polec will miss the remainder of the season to nurse his troublesome foot, but Port Adelaide says the midfielder will resume running duties this week.

"It's a load-bearing bone, so it's going to be a slow process for 'Polly', but the good news for him is that we think it's healing well," Port Adelaide high performance manager Darren Burgess said.

"He's had two scans in the last four weeks … and he's about ready to put some load on to it and run – we'll start that process this week.

"We will continue to take a 'no risk' view of the management of Jared's foot given his age and long-term value to the team."

Jared Polec won't require surgery to fix the fractured navicular bone in his foot, but his return this season remains doubtful.

Scans just before the club's bye last weekend indicated a level of natural healing in the bone and the 22-year-old is now walking unaided.

However, the Power's high performance manager Darren Burgess said the club would take an ultra conservative approach with Polec's recovery, given the dangers of the condition.

"We decided against taking the surgical option immediately and we'll give the bone probably another 4-5 weeks to heal before reviewing again," Burgess said.

"We'll rescan – probably every 2-3 weeks – and see, hopefully, that the healing continues and that we don't need to go in with any kind of surgery, but we just don't know how it will progress, even though the results of these new scans are encouraging."

Jared Polec's battle with a stress fracture in his foot will likely see the Port Adelaide wingman miss the remainder of the 2015 season.

Polec had further scans on his foot to check for healing this week and while coach Ken Hinkley wasn't aware of the results, he said if there was any possibility of aggravating the injury then Polec's season was over.

"I don't think we'll see Jared Polec play much footy this year," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"That's the reality of it all because it's a dangerous bone to take a risk with.

"I'll go as far as saying we'll put a line through Polly soon after the bye if there's any risk.

"You've just got say 'this is significant' in the scheme of eight to 10 years ... I'd love to be picking Jared Polec right now in the team but I also want to pick him for the next six or eight years."

Port Adelaide place Jared Polec on their long-term injury list due to a stress fracture in his foot in a move which Power coach Ken Hinkley says will protect the midfielder's career.

Polec had been carrying the injury for three weeks and would recover after games on crutches before getting himself up for the following match.

"We did what we needed to and we've made the decision to have Jared Polec in the best shape for the next 10 years, not just the next 10 weeks," Hinkley said.

"It's six weeks in a moonboot and see how it goes - we won't take any risks at all.

"Sometimes those injuries turn into long-term ones for a year or two – we don't want that to be the case."

Jared Polec is set to spend two months on the sidelines after scans revealed a "stress response" in the navicular bone in his left foot.

The club had been managing the injury over the past three weeks. With further scans revealing the damage the club made the decision to send Polec for surgery.

Port's head of high performance Darren Burgess said the medical staff had explored all possible treatment options before deciding to rest Polec.

"We identified a stress response in Jared's foot and managed him through the last three weeks effectively," Burgess said.

"We could have attempted to push Jared through the entire season with an aggressive week-to-week approach but we believe the best course of action is to give him a rest and take him off his legs for the next five to six weeks."

Jared Polec signs a two-year contract extension with Port Adelaide that will keep him at the club until the end of 2018.

Tom Rockliff says the Lions will not target Jared Polec when Brisbane take on the Power in round 4.

"I'm sure he'll get a couple of reminders from a few of the boys on the weekend, there's no doubt about that," Rockliff said.

"But to say we're going to go out there and target him, I don't think that's going to be the case."

Port Adelaide skipper Travis Boak says the team will protect former Lion Jared Polec from being targeted by his ex-teammates when the Power take on Brisbane in round 4.

"We know it's there and they'll probably come at him and talk to him and target him a little bit and that's part of footy," Boak said.

"We just need to support him as much as we can and we'll just go out there and play footy."

Jared Polec says the defensive side of his game has stepped up since moving to Port Adelaide from Brisbane.

"I think it's more effort that I've put into it this pre-season, [I'm] a bit more professional, more settled," he said.

"I think I've improved in my defence since being at Port Adelaide, they've been really strong on it.

"Just lining up my inside shoulder and making sure I don't get 'stepped', which I've been trying to work on a lot too and reaction to defence has improved."

Power coach Ken Hinkley says he is impressed with Jared Polec's improvement in the club's time trials since the young midfielder joined the club.

"Outstanding – I think you were all here the fist time that he ran and I won't talk about his actual time, but he was …a minute [better this time] which is a significant improvement," Hinkley said.

"For anyone to improve by a minute is a real positive and a real tick for Jared.

"To say he's made up some significant time, that's impressive, but he also did have some health issues that were holding him back on that day."

Power coach Ken Hinkley says recruit Jared Polec's intensity at training has improved remarkably since arriving at the club.

"I'm sure he'd be the first to admit he got a little bit of a shock when he first turned up and that's not because he left a club that wasn't training hard, he just didn't have the conditioning," Hinkley said.

"He himself admits about 40 per cent of pre-season is all he's been able to do.

"He's had a month with us and you can just see the change in his body, but also the intensity in his body – that's the thing I've noticed the most."

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Jared Polec needs to improve his fitness levels significantly after the recruit had an unspiring opening time-trial.

"He's been crook. He's actually had tonsillitis for the last week so we knew he was going to be a little down this morning," Hinkley said.

"We weren't actually sure he was going to be able to run this morning so I'm pleased he got out there and was able to.

"[I wanted] to make sure he understands that there's a level you have to get to early and, look, he knows that.

"We're lucky - he's working with (Port's fitness coach) Darren Burgess - we expect him to improve quite quickly."

After failing to live up to his potential at Brisbane, Power recruit Jared Polec admits that he needs to work hard under coach Ken Hinkley and high performance manager Darren Burgess to improve as a player.

"[Hinkley] said he was going to give me the tough love which I really need. I need a bit of pushing and he promised that he'd do that and that he'd be honest with me," Polec said.

"From a personal development point of view with my injuries, I've spoken to Burgess and they've planned a real tough pre-season for me. [Lots of] endurance-type running and repeat efforts.

"I haven't been able to do a pre-season which has hurt me over the last three years, hopefully I'll get my first one done this year."

Port Adelaide finally land Jared Polec in a complicated three-way deal involving both the Lions and GWS.

The Giants traded pick No.21 to the Power and No.22 to the Lions, receiving No.14 from Port and No.29 and No.48 in return from the respective clubs.

To finalise the deal, Port Adelaide sent pick No.34 to the Lions in exchange for pick No.45.

Jared Polec nominates Port Adelaide as his club of choice as trade negotiations continue between the Lions and both South Australian clubs.

"Port Adelaide is delighted with this announcement and will now work closely with the Brisbane Lions to work towards a suitable trade for both clubs," the Power said in a statement.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says he will do his best to convince Jared Polec to join the Power and that the club would be willing to offer their first round pick to get the deal done with Brisbane.

"Our club has certainly spoken to him and we look forward to having an opportunity to sit down face to face and chat and show him what Port Adelaide have to offer him," Hinkley said.

"Until you get to the point of talking to the player, finding out whether his commitment is to come and play with us – there's no point going down the other track yet – that's a long way off."

The Lions confirm that Jared Polec has requested a trade from the club after stating a wish to return home to South Australia.

"We're also disappointed he doesn't wish to be a part of a future that has seen Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Matthew Leuenberger, Pearce Hanley, Mitch Golby and Dayne Zorko commit for the long-term," Brisbane general manager of football operations Dean Warren said.

Crows coach Brenton Sanderson confirms Adelaide is keen on free agent Eddie Betts.

"Eddie would definitely make us a better team and he's one guy we're certainly looking at," Sanderson said.

"Eddie's playing for Carlton at the moment, he's in the middle of finals campaign, we'll let him finish that off and we'll be in discussion with his manager."

Sanderson also expresses an interest in Jared Polec who has informed Brisbane of his desire to return home to South Australia,

"I remember that draft, I loved his tapes…he's another one, he's a talent," Sanderson said.

"He's got speed, he's the right height, he's a left footer… I know he wants to come home, so he's one name that's definitely on our list."

Classy Lions midfielder Jared Polec admits that injuries have been the primary cause of a frustrating start to his AFL career thus far.

"When I first did my knee it was very frustrating, I thought the worst of it, but you've got to take it as having a bit of a fresh start and you develop your body a lot more strength-wise, and you come back wanting to play so much more," Polec said.

"It's frustrating when you're in the side and you get injured and you're out and have to get back in, but it makes you want it more."

Adelaide Crows were prepared to cash in and trade Kurt Tippett to Brisbane Lions last year for a boom SA youngster and a draft pick.

"If Polec or Redden was offered to us then Kurt would probably be a Brisbane player now," said a source from the Crows, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Kurt was under contract at the time but we feared we might lose him at the end of this year anyway so we tried to work what we thought would be a good deal for both clubs.

"Jared was certainly keen to come home but unfortunately Brisbane didn't come to the party."

Jared Polec makes his AFL debut for Brisbane at the MCG with 18 disposals (11 kicks and 7 handballs), 6 marks and 2 tackles in a 11-point loss to Melbourne.

Brisbane Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr says it was a toss-up for the Brisbane Lions over taking Jared Polec or Dyson Heppell at the NAB AFL Draft .

"When we had a hard look at our list and looked at what we needed the most, Jared was probably the best fit of the group in terms of the players that were going to be available," Kerr said.

"Jared is going to be able to provide us with plenty of run and carry and really add something to our line up."