Jared Polec reveals how Stevie J inspired his unique kick, Jed Anderson reveals lockdown baby drama
It caught opponents and commentators by surprise but North Melbourne’s Jared Polec says his crazy sideways kick against GWS was no fluke. Plus Jed Anderson reveals his AFL lockdown baby drama.
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It was Jared Polec’s Stevie J moment.
Having spotted the trickery of the former Cat in years gone by, Polec did the homework to ensure when faced with the test, he’d pass with flying colours.
It came last Sunday.
With 10 minutes remaining and North Melbourne nine points to the good over Greater Western Sydney, a stoppage saw the ball spill out with Polec running onto his right foot.
With his eyes on the goals, he ran towards the boundary, with all predictions for a quick right-foot kick.
That’d be too obvious.
“I knew what I was doing – I had practised that kick,” Polec said of the outside-left-boot number, labelled “unreal” by commentator David King.
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“I’d seen Steve Johnson – he pulled it off in one game and I’d seen him do it and I thought, ‘It looks bloody fantastic and why couldn’t I practice that?’.
“I practised it for a while and the situation came. It was probably a bit more on the angle than I’d first thought – I didn’t realise I’d pulled it that far across, but I just felt that was the only kick that would be able to hit that target at the time.
“I felt if I went on my right, it was too easy to read and could be cut off or smothered. It was just on at the time and I took it and it was good that it came off.”
We asked Jared Polec to prove "that kick" in Sunday's game against GWS was no fluke 🎯 pic.twitter.com/DRq17yXrwz
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) June 16, 2020
Teammate Bailey Scott marked the Sherrin and kicked the goal to ice the game, another sign of the big strides being made at Arden St.
“We’ve missed those kicks in the past and the young boys have really stepped up,” Polec said.
“It’s something I think I’ll put away now for a little while.”
The shift has been vast, according to Polec, with the Roos off to a 2-0 flyer to sit second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s clash against Sydney.
And Rhyce is the word.
“I’d say the place is in a very positive way, led by Shawry (coach Rhyce Shaw),” he said.
“There’s a real belief starting to build and we’ve just got to continue with the momentum and just keep building. We just can’t get complacent.”
A “why not us?” mentality is in full force.
The Roos last made finals in 2016, eliminated by Adelaide with a heavy 10-goal blow.
And Polec, who moved from Port Adelaide at the end of 2018, is adamant a new story is being written.
“We’re sick of being a middle-placed team and we want to challenge the top teams. Why not us – that’s the question that has been thrown around from Shawry. Why couldn’t it be us?.”
Shaw is “a little bit different”, and while he wouldn’t reveal the details, Polec said last weekend’s pre-game speech was something special. It’s a forte, he said, for one of the competition’s newest senior coaches.
There’s trust, both on and off the field, too.
“There’s definitely been a shift in the way the boys are starting to open up and be their real selves … every player has told a story about themselves and put themselves in a vulnerable position,” Polec said, although he is yet to share his.
“But all players have listened, too.
“We’re definitely a lot tighter as a group and a lot more accepting of the boys’ different personalities and traits that they can bring to the team, which brings flair and excitement to our group. We’ve got a good balance and it’s a good time to be at North at the moment.”
DAD ANDERSON’S MAD DASH TO ROUND 2
Jon Ralph
As the weeks counted down to an AFL resumption, North Melbourne midfielder Jed Anderson and his family were stuck in Darwin with problems mounting by the day.
His wife Nicky was due to give birth in late May, he wasn’t sure how he would get back to Melbourne, and would he be fit enough even if he did get back?
Last Sunday, just 14 days after returning to Melbourne and nearly two weeks after his teammates started training, Anderson barely missed a beat against GWS.
His 16-disposal, seven-tackle game that included six score involvements was full of exactly the kind of moments that are seeing him developing a cult following with Roos fans.
And while Anderson took care of business despite only a handful of training sessions, it belied a frantic few months where so much was up in the air for him and his family.
A blessed period spending time with family eventually saw Nicky give birth to daughter Katerinah, the family including sons Elijah and Jasiah only arriving back in Melbourne in the first days of June.
Given only 24 hours to get back to Darwin because of interstate borders shutting with the season was shut down, the chaos of those months eventually turned into a blessing in disguise.
“After Round 1 when everything happened I spoke to Shawy (Rhyce) and the club and Nicky was pregnant at the time, and we said if we head back to Darwin we won’t be able to come back until she gives birth. They were really supportive, they said go back and be with your family and take the next steps when we get an idea about a return.
“There were a couple of weeks when there was all the talk of the season returning, but I got pretty nervous. I had phone calls back and forth with Shawy and Brady (Rawlings) and they just said, “Get yourself as fit as you can”.
Nicky gave birth on May 21, and just over a week later the Andersons flew back to Melbourne via Brisbane.
“Everything went to plan. It was a very special moment for me and my two boys and Nicky. She has recovered well and everything is really good,” he said of Katerinah’s arrival.
“I needed to have two negative COVID tests before I returned to the club and then I had a Sunday training session with Shawy to see how I had returned.
“I missed a week and a half of training but in Darwin I had my older brother Joe training with me and we did some gruelling sessions on Saturdays. He has played AFL footy (for Carlton) so I knew what to do to come back in the best possible shape.
“It was a pretty intense session and the guys had played a game on the previous Friday so I knew what was ahead of me but I knew I had everything right in Darwin to prepare and it was a really solid session with a lot of short, sharp midfield pattern running and ball work and I pulled up really well so Shawy and the coaches were really happy.”
A proud indigenous man, Anderson says the weekend’s events only reinforced why taking a knee for AFL players was so important.
“It showed that not only the club but the whole of the AFL supports what we are trying to achieve and I think once we get out there and educate people we can change the way we are perceived. But it was very sad to see after a big weekend there was another case (of racial abuse) with Eddie Betts.
“It is gut-wrenching. Growing up you see it up close, not only myself but family members. Seeing it happen to other footballers still, seeing my kids growing up I don’t want it happening to them. The quicker we get it out of society, I want to achieve that for my kids.”
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Still only 26, Anderson is quickly repaying the faith of a North Melbourne outfit that secured him from Hawthorn for a swap that included pick 15 at the end of 2015.
After an injury-prone start at his new home, the uncontracted tough nut is in no hurry to go anywhere else despite his last round of contract talks taking some time to be finalised.
“I feel pretty content here and I will keep playing footy and then it will do the talking. I am not sure if the AFL has opened up negotiations yet but I am happy at North Melbourne and I have to get out there and keep playing good footy.”