Power midfielder Brad Ebert says the players would understand if Polec takes big Kangas offer
JARED Polec’s mooted big-money departure to North Melbourne would not cause the angst Tom Lynch’s impending move did at the Gold Coast, with senior teammate Brad Ebert suggesting the Port Adelaide players would understand his decision.
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PORT Adelaide midfielder Brad Ebert has indicated teammate Jared Polec will leave with the Power players’ support and understanding if he accepts a reported bumper offer from North Melbourne.
Polec, 25, has reportedly been offered $3.5 million over five years by the cashed-up Kangaroos — who have been scouring the competition for a marquee recruit for years.
The offer is understood to be a gulf away from the Power’s market — and salary-cap — based offer of around $500,000 per year over the next three seasons.
It would add up to a guaranteed difference of around $2 million as well as the guarantee of being signed until Polec is in his 30s.
Ebert conceded it might be impossible to hang on to Polec, who has indicated his preference is to stay, and said a possible departure would not lead to a messy breakup like that surrounding Tom Lynch’s decision to leave Gold Coast.
“I don’t think they (Port Adelaide) can actually match $725,000 — that’s a lot of money,” Ebert told Triple M on Thursday. “And for someone like Polly … if we’re sitting there and ‘Polly’ says yes, I’m going to go, you can’t blame that.
“The security of that extra two years and he’s coming out of is as a 31-year-old and can be pretty well set.
“I guess ‘Polly’ has got a bit of a decision to make.
“I haven’t actually spoken to him personally about it.
“He’s a ripper fellow and he’s been really good to have around the club and we don’t want to lose him.
“But when it comes to an extra $2 million …”
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Originally published as Power midfielder Brad Ebert says the players would understand if Polec takes big Kangas offer