Port Adelaide wingman Jared Polec cannot turn down North Melbourne’s ‘godfather offer’
PORT Adelaide wingman will leave the Power in trade week, nominating North Melbourne as his AFL club of choice after scoring a “godfather” offer from the Kangaroos.
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PORT Adelaide wingman Jared Polec has nominated North Melbourne as his AFL club of choice in next month’s trade period.
The Kangaroos’ “godfather offer” — a five-year deal worth $3.5 million — is, notes Polec, too good to turn down.
And there will be no path-changing response from the Power that will not add to its original three-year, $1.8 million proposal — either in extra money or in a longer term at Alberton.
Polec told Channel Ten news the gap between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide’s offers was “quite substantial in the end”.
However, Polec admits a four-year deal from the Power would have made him “question a lot more” the Kangaroos’ option.
Polec admitted he was “a bit nervous” walking into senior coach Ken Hinkley’s office to detail his inevitable move to North Melbourne.
“We always had talks throughout the year ... finally leading to (everyone) being able to accept I was leaving,” Polec said. “It was a weight off my shoulders (telling Hinkley of the decision) to move on.”
Port Adelaide on Thursday confirmed “contract talks (with Polec’s management) have reached an impasse”.
“Jared has indicated to the club his preference is to be traded to a Victorian club if a new agreement at Port Adelaide cannot be reached,” the club said in a statement.
“Port Adelaide will continue discussions with Jared and his management team in the lead up to next month’s AFL exchange period.”
Polec’s move to the Kangaroos has been on the cards for more than two months. North Melbourne has beaten Polec’s original preferred club St Kilda and bidders from Sydney and Carlton to the claim the 25-year-old South Australian.
The Kangaroos will now have to appease Port Adelaide that will expect a first-round draft pick when trade talks open at Etihad Stadium on Monday, October 8.
North Melbourne football chief Cameron Joyce is keen to meet before the trade period.
“We’ll sit down with Port Adelaide in the coming weeks and hopefully agree to a mutually beneficial trade,” he said.
“If everything pans out, as we expect, we’d be delighted to have Jared as he will add some elite qualities to our team.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been aggressively pursuing midfielders in particular. We know Jared will complement our current players and will add some real depth to our group.”
There is speculation that North Melbourne might seek to roll Polec into a double-trade at Port Adelaide to claim novice midfielder Joe Atley who has his older brother Shaun in the Kangaroos system.
A second-round draftee (No. 32) in 2016, 20-year-old Joe Atley has played just three AFL games — all in Season 2017.
Polec will leave Alberton after five seasons and 90 AFL games with Port Adelaide after originally starting his national league career as a first-round draftee with Brisbane in 2011.
His move to a club that plays on the concrete deck at the Melbourne Docklands also will carry a long-term interest considering Polec having his career put in doubt by serious left-foot injury early in the 2015 AFL season.
Polec will headline Port Adelaide’s trade plays that will also feature defenders Matthew Broadbent, Jasper Pittard and Jack Hombsch — and might create moves on contracted midfielder-forward Chad Wingard who becomes a free agent at the end of next year.
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au