Jared Polec says he leaves Port with his teammates’ blessing and will attend club best and fairest
PORT Adelaide wingman Jared Polec is planning for the next five years of his career with North Melbourne but says there is no bad blood between him and his Power teammates — who had been kept in the loop.
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DEPARTING Port Adelaide wingman Jared Polec has revealed his teammates were in the loop when he was first approached by North Melbourne and shared his disappointment in the Power’s inaction.
Polec on Saturday said those closest to him at Alberton had been aware of his situation — frustrated at being without a new deal in his final year of a contract — as early as the bye in the season.
Port’s bye came in Round 11 — at the halfway mark of the season — but it was only this week that he made public his desire to join the Kangaroos on a five-year deal worth an estimated $3.5 million.
As the standstill in negotiations between Polec’s management and the club continued some of his teammates had also been understanding if he made a move to secure his future and make the most of his football career.
“I’ve actually had conversations with them since pretty much the bye,” Polec said. “Rumours started to come … we were joking around at first but then it started to become a bit more of a reality.
“I think they were across it; the guys I was close to knew the situation I was in and they were pretty good with the situation.
“They sometimes (said), ‘You’ve got to take what you can in footy.’
“To a certain extent some players were … a bit disappointed.”
Polec had initially asked for a three-year contract with Port Adelaide which was later trumped by a longer and more lucrative deal with the North Melbourne.
But he said he had not expected the Power to match it for him to stay.
“Towards the end of the season I started to have those feelings (that his future was not with Port Adelaide) and it eventuated that way,” Polec said. “I was disappointed; the whole contract talk was going throughout the year (and) it was the first time that I’d actually been out of contract in that final year.
“It was the first time going through that situation for myself.
“I was keen to get a contract early. If you want to stay at a club you’d like for them to show a bit of faith in you, offering that three-year deal at the start.
“I wasn’t expecting them (Port Adelaide) to match the offer or anything like that.
“A bit in between but they never actually came to the table on that.”
Polec, said there had also been another pull from Melbourne.
His girlfriend, Alison, is from Melbourne and Polec said not only was it his turn to make a sacrifice for her, it was also likely that the pair would end up in Melbourne at the end of his career.
“My partner’s from Melbourne as well,” Poled told Melbourne radio station 3AW. “For her to give up five years to go to Adelaide it’s only fair that I go there as well.
“I think life after footy will probably end up in Melbourne anyway and this was just a great opportunity to move that forward.”
Polec swatted away the notion that there was still ill feeling between him and the club, as much as he conceded he had been “disappointed” during the year.
He had every intention of attending next month’s John Cahill medal count and expected the Power’s compensation for his services would make his trade a positive for both
“I’ll definitely be going to the b and f,” Polec said. “There’s no bad blood.
“I think both parties will come out totally at the better end of the stick.
“Port Adelaide is probably going to get a first-rounder and they need that young depth coming through and hopefully I can fill in a spot that’s missing at North Melbourne.
“I think it’s a win-win situation for both clubs.”