Jared Polec

[charles202]

I find this thread right up there with we should have drafted xx over xxxx.

Has there ever been any reports of Polec being homesick??

Given the comments that were made about him before the draft and his 'so called arrogance' he would hardly seem like the home sick type (not saying that he is however it was commented on at BF).

On that note, how do you do 'due dilelgence' for homesickness????

If we drafted kids with this being a huge factor we would never have drafted Karni (or a bunch of others from interstate).

The club doesnt know how these kids (I sometimes think that people forget that what they are) will react to living away from home until they have to do it.

Facts are that Polec was the youngest kid on our list this year and got knocked around with injuries. Not every first round pick is going to play like Daniel Rich out of the gates.

I also fail to understand the comments regarding he was a gun in SA and has been 'average' here, implying that he must have regressed.

In SA he wouldnt have had to worry about being tagged (im sure that there are plenty of mature age players who would love the bragging rights of getting the kids scalp).

I'm really looking forward to watching Polec play for the next 10 years

 

[Hollow Knight]

Can't be that homesick given he was happy to extend his contract halfway during his first year

This.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

In SA he wouldnt have had to worry about being tagged (im sure that there are plenty of mature age players who would love the bragging rights of getting the kids scalp).

I'm really looking forward to watching Polec play for the next 10 years

He was the best player in his team in SA, I think its certain he would've been tagged. And with the quality of footy higher down there, it would've been much harder for him.

Don't take this at all as a negative opinion of him though. I think he'll be an absolute star and can't wait for it. I'm just a little worried that perhaps he hasn't slotted in to the club too well. Sure he signed a new deal, and had some injury issues, but for a number 5 draft pick you'd expect maybe a few more senior games. He will come good, and by 'good' I mean very good, but it just feels like there may be something non-footy related behind a few of his struggles this year.

Nonetheless, I think he will burst into next year and play the majority of the season, rendering this discussion pretty much irrelevant.

 

[Brisbane Bare]

Jared is lots of things but homesick is not one of them.

Don't worry he will be a star. You don't lose your talent.

 

[mehow2g]

Lions made a huge mistake not taking Heppell. Massive oops on that one! So much for dodgie ankles!

win some you lose some..this one is a big mistake!

I disagree Heppell will be solid A grader, Polec has the potential to be a superstar.

 

[cotter101]

I disagree Heppell will be solid A grader, Polec has the potential to be a superstar.

Agree. Some people on our board think all players drafted need to play 22 games and have an immediate impact in their first seas or they will say we made a big mistake taking him ahead of him.

 

[blynd_freddie]

Lions made a huge mistake not taking Heppell. Massive oops on that one! So much for dodgie ankles!

win some you lose some..this one is a big mistake!

I can just see it now... you plant some seeds in your veggie patch water them - then on inspection the next morning complain that nothing has grown, turn the sod over and head off down to the supermarket to buy some vegetables in a can.

Each to their own I suppose but I cannot agree with you.

 

[blackpowerlappin]

I'm happy to assess Polec and Heppel in a few years time. Happy with Polec. Brisbane had a choice between and Beams and Redden a couple years. Whats the verdict now?

 

[pauldrc]

I'm happy to assess Polec and Heppel in a few years time. Happy with Polec. Brisbane had a choice between and Beams and Redden a couple years. Whats the verdict now?

Yeah, that's true...probably agree as Beams looked better early on, causing some 'why did we draft that Redden guy" moments, and hmmmm, look now....wouldn't swap the two for anything.

 

[POBT]

Hopefully, we'll be making Heppell v Polec comparisons for years to come. Heppell is already a very good footballer and is going to be A-grade, no question. What I've seen from Polec suggests that he will be very special, if he puts it together. Not suggesting that they are similar types, but I see it similar to comparing Gibbs to Yarran. One does everything right. The other one provides magic. Carlton fans would hate to have to choose between the two and I don't think one is a more valuable footballer than the other. Another comparison would be Goodwin v McLeod. One is just super efficient. The other one turns heads. To go back a little further, Aker v Lappin is another similar comparison. In the 2001-2004 era, I would have hated to choose between those two.

If Heppell turns out to be a slightly better footballer, I won't care too much. I would see it as similar to the fact that Judd is probably a superior footballer to Hodge. I bet Hawks fans wouldn't swap Hodgey for anyone and we'll feel the same way about Polec if the same situation arises. What we don't want is for Heppell to become a bona fide superstar with Polec just an above average footballer. That would hurt and the queries on the drafting of Polec would be legitimate.

We also need to be mindful that the draft is, in many ways, of no consequence now. I mean, if Polec plays 250 games and wins a couple of B&Fs, he'd be a successful top 5 draft pick IMO. Whether Heppell never becomes more than a solid HBF, or if he becomes the reincarnation of James Hird, if we get really good service out of Polec, we shouldn't be too concerned about Heppell. Human nature suggests that we'll always keep an eye on what is happening on the other side of the fence, potentially with a little jealousy if Heppell does turn out to be the best player of his draft year. But if Polec meets or exceeds our expectations, we should be pretty happy with the draft outcome, even if hnidsight suggests another player might have been a better choice.

 

[Dylan12]

Unfortunately and probably unfairly, but for the same reasons POBT stated, I will always compare Darling and Karnezis throughout their careers.

I suppose it should be highlighted, and for whatever it is worth, both our boys Polec and Karnezis had to leave their home states to pursue their careers, whereas both Heppell and Darling were able to remain in their home state and both play for the club's they supported...not saying that means anything, but it probably helps with settling in etc.

 

[cotter101]

Hopefully, we'll be making Heppell v Polec comparisons for years to come. Heppell is already a very good footballer and is going to be A-grade, no question. What I've seen from Polec suggests that he will be very special, if he puts it together. Not suggesting that they are similar types, but I see it similar to comparing Gibbs to Yarran. One does everything right. The other one provides magic. Carlton fans would hate to have to choose between the two and I don't think one is a more valuable footballer than the other. Another comparison would be Goodwin v McLeod. One is just super efficient. The other one turns heads. To go back a little further, Aker v Lappin is another similar comparison. In the 2001-2004 era, I would have hated to choose between those two.

If Heppell turns out to be a slightly better footballer, I won't care too much. I would see it as similar to the fact that Judd is probably a superior footballer to Hodge. I bet Hawks fans wouldn't swap Hodgey for anyone and we'll feel the same way about Polec if the same situation arises. What we don't want is for Heppell to become a bona fide superstar with Polec just an above average footballer. That would hurt and the queries on the drafting of Polec would be legitimate.

We also need to be mindful that the draft is, in many ways, of no consequence now. I mean, if Polec plays 250 games and wins a couple of B&Fs, he'd be a successful top 5 draft pick IMO. Whether Heppell never becomes more than a solid HBF, or if he becomes the reincarnation of James Hird, if we get really good service out of Polec, we shouldn't be too concerned about Heppell. Human nature suggests that we'll always keep an eye on what is happening on the other side of the fence, potentially with a little jealousy if Heppell does turn out to be the best player of his draft year. But if Polec meets or exceeds our expectations, we should be pretty happy with the draft outcome, even if hnidsight suggests another player might have been a better choice.

Agree 100% great post POBT

 

[Jorgo]

Agree 100% great post POBT

Seconded.

 

[knaf]

In my view it is far too early to make a call on Polec. I have only seen him live once and my immediate conclusion was that we would need to be patience. He obviously has talent and class but given his immature body, it will be a couple of years before we will know if we get a return on our investment.

I havent seen enough of Heppell to make a judgement but obviously a number of good judges think he will be a good player.

Taking a more matured body player will mean we get to see a players potential earlier. But for the sake of the discussion who would you have preferred the club to pick 08 - Rich or Shuey?

Rich has given us good value in the last three years, but has he reached his ceiling? Shuey appears to still have an up-side, but how much?

I am still not convinced Rich was the absolute right choice at the time, but I there is no way you could argue that Rich was a bad choice.

I think it will pretty much be the same with Polec in three years time.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Unfortunately and probably unfairly, but for the same reasons POBT stated, I will always compare Darling and Karnezis throughout their careers.

I suppose it should be highlighted, and for whatever it is worth, both our boys Polec and Karnezis had to leave their home states to pursue their careers, whereas both Heppell and Darling were able to remain in their home state and both play for the club's they supported...not saying that means anything, but it probably helps with settling in etc.

Yeah, poor Jack Darling will unfortunately be compared to Karnezis who averages more goals per game.

 

[blackpowerlappin]

In my view it is far too early to make a call on Polec. I have only seen him live once and my immediate conclusion was that we would need to be patience. He obviously has talent and class but given his immature body, it will be a couple of years before we will know if we get a return on our investment.

I havent seen enough of Heppell to make a judgement but obviously a number of good judges think he will be a good player.

Taking a more matured body player will mean we get to see a players potential earlier. But for the sake of the discussion who would you have preferred the club to pick 08 - Rich or Shuey?

Rich has given us good value in the last three years, but has he reached his ceiling? Shuey appears to still have an up-side, but how much?

I am still not convinced Rich was the absolute right choice at the time, but I there is no way you could argue that Rich was a bad choice.

I think it will pretty much be the same with Polec in three years time.

Shuey is special don't you worry about that, but so is Rich. He has plenty upside don't worry about that. By the way I see Polec as being a Shuey like footballer. Just watch Shuey against us in rd 20 whatever. He has nous and motors from traffic. Then watch Blynd Freddys thing showing Polec against Essendon. The kids gonna be alright, let him learn the craft in the twos. Its better in the long run.

 

[Grimreepah]

Human nature suggests that we'll always keep an eye on what is happening on the other side of the fence, potentially with a little jealousy if Heppell does turn out to be the best player of his draft year. But if Polec meets or exceeds our expectations, we should be pretty happy with the draft outcome, even if hnidsight suggests another player might have been a better choice.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of using perfection as a baseline. Because if you do it will mean you see 99% of things as being a failure. Celebrate the wins, even if bigger wins were theoretically possible.

 

[BrisbaneLion9636]

Going to be exciting to watch him next season. Hopefully, he cracks into the 2012 Round 1 team.

 

[Grimreepah]

Caroline Finch, director of Monash University's Centre For Research Into Sports Injury Prevention

The results were an eye-opener into the potential dangers of thrusting an AFL workload on still-developing musculoskeletal systems. "I would say that's a very sensible way to approach it," Finch said, when told of the Suns' plans for O'Meara.
"From our research we know a first-year player is seven times more likely to get injured than a player who has been in the AFL for three or more years.
"Their bodies are still developing and some of them have injuries or residual tiredness that are there before they got drafted.
"And that's not including the mental side of things. Moving away from home, increased attention on them, perhaps trying to fit in some university studies - they really are kids thrown into an adult world."

Perhaps a bit of an insight into why Brisbane took a cautious approach with Polec in his first year.

 

[Swanny10]

I don't know why we are even discussing this.

Rockliff didn't play a game in his first season and is now the best player at the club 2 seasons on.

Give the kid a chance! It's ridiculous to make these comparisons at this early stage of their careers.

 

[_Gin]

Rockcliff was a speculative draft pick and played 1 game late in his first season. Showed him the pace of AFL footy- which is when he decided to do his intense preseason.

Polec is a high draft pick - and we were all spoiled by the impact Rich had in his first year. We should still discuss Polec , but I do think he passed his first year based on reasonable expectations - especially considering his injury mid season.

 

[chopperduck]

Doesn't matter how talented a kid is when they are drafted, they need to be developed in the right way to reach their full potential. It's essential that we don't expect too much on first year players, and that they are given time to adjust, settle in and get themselves up to speed with everything, this is especially the case for interstate players.

 

[Banana Boots]

"Did anyone see the play he did in one of the early rounds where the ball was on the ground between him and his opponent and he kinda spun in sideways and pivoted out in one move. Vague description, but if anyone knows when I'm talking about, it was very skillful"

Yeh I remember that, it was "poetry in motion".I would actually prefer to see bartlett play round 1 instead of polec, just watching him on the youtube makes me excited. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLxiAD9Knjw

 

[Tiger Titus]

Over on the Tiges board there are people lamenting the fact that we picked Conca over Heppell. Good to see we aren't the only club wracked with self doubt.

As folks seem to be saying - it's too early to really make a call about these kids. I know I was pretty cut up when I realised you guys were going to take Polec (I was really into him for pick 6). His left boot is just an absolute weapon. I reckon he'll turn out to be an absolute beauty - the comment earlier in the thread about putting $10 on him for next years rising star isn't bad advice.

 

[Swanny10]

Rockcliff was a speculative draft pick and played 1 game late in his first season. Showed him the pace of AFL footy- which is when he decided to do his intense preseason.

Polec is a high draft pick - and we were all spoiled by the impact Rich had in his first year. We should still discuss Polec , but I do think he passed his first year based on reasonable expectations - especially considering his injury mid season.

I think many are getting confused here. Polec was a high pick due to his level of talent. This doesn't automatically suggest he should be able to make a big contribution immediately.
In 3 or 4 years time we will be able to review his career against his draft class and make a call as to how he fared. In the meantime we are just being unfair on the kid by comparing him to Heppell and co.