Polec, the fifth selection in the 2010 National Draft, was touted as
one of the most exciting prospects in the country as he headed to the Brisbane
Lions. Blessed with electrifying speed and the skills to match, he had X-factor
written all over him. However, three years on and he finds himself at a new club
and potential to fulfil.
The 21-year old has come under scrutiny for not applying himself
on the training track and therefore failing to get the best out of himself over
his first three seasons in the AFL ranks. That looks set to change as Port
Adelaide and Ken Hinkley in particular, begin to transform the talented left
footer.
As round 1 draws closer, and the NAB challenge even more so Polec will
define his short term future over the next month as he fights for a position in
the rapidly improved Port Adelaide 22. Polec brings a valuable element to any
side, pace and class. If he can deliver what he has promised Polec is
undoubtedly what is commonly known as a “70 metre player”, utilising his run and
carry and at $172,600, he could be a steal.
Another question surrounding his selection is the enormity of fellow
appealing options around his price range. Dom Tyson, Claye Beams, Viv Michie,
Patrick Karnezis and Xavier Ellis along with a plethora of talented draftees
headlined by Jack Martin. At this point in time, Polec is certainly the least
popular of the aforementioned names, but he is not a name to simply skip over -
rather track his pre-season closely.
While there are many doubters and critics of Polec, I’ll back him in to
have a solid season at his new club and in years to come I think he will be an
extremely damaging player. How fantasy relevant he will be for 2014 remains to
be seen, but there’s no doubting he is an exciting prodigy.
Is Polec on your pre-season radar? Is he worth the risk in 2014?