Polak 'settled in' at centre half-back
The Age
May 5, 2007 - 3:24PM
Graham Polak represents the future of the Richmond AFL backline.
The Tigers this week farewelled Darren Gaspar into retirement after 207 games in 12 seasons at the club with coach Terry Wallace making it clear his preference lay with youth.
Wallace is adamant the Tigers' defence will be much stronger with Polak now permanently stationed there.
Richmond's defence will likely be one for the future against Geelong at Telstra Dome on Sunday, when Polak and Luke McGuane, 20, about to play his eighth game, take the two key defensive posts.
Wallace recruited Polak from Fremantle in the off-season to hold down centre half-back, but injuries meant he was used elsewhere, rucking around the ground and at times in the forward line.
But Polak has finally settled at centre half-back and played his best game for the Tigers last Saturday with 12 marks and 21 possessions in the loss to West Coast.
After that loss, Wallace was clearly excited by the thought of having Polak, 22, the No.4 pick in the 2001 national draft, as a strong-marking defender for a long time.
Wallace this week said Polak's "magnificent hands" were the best he had seen as a coach and would be a real asset in defence.
"I know a lot of the other backmen were rapt," Wallace said.
"It allows them to be able to run out of the back end with a bit of confidence when you've got someone like Graham marking the ball so regularly.
"It's been a while since they've had someone just turning the ball back around in the manner in which it was turned around on the weekend."
While Polak has been thrown into a variety of positions in the first month of the season, Wallace said centre half-back would be his home from now on.
"For us to advance and start to get to where we wanted to go in a structure of our side we needed to be able to get him back to centre half-back," Wallace said.
"I thought it clearly showed that that's where he belongs in our side at this point in his career."
Polak, who played 73 games for the Dockers after being recruited from East Fremantle, said moving to Melbourne had been a big change, but one he had really enjoyed.
"I'm loving Melbourne," Polak said.
"They've embraced me really well and they've showed a lot of faith in me getting me over so I want to repay that faith and play some good footy.
Richmond are still chasing their first win of the season, but midfielder Nathan Foley, another good performer this season, said the Tigers remained upbeat.
"(Richmond's VFL affiliate) Coburg (won) the last three games and we've had eight or nine of the Richmond-listed players playing really good footy at Coburg so they are obviously upbeat," Foley said.
"Their confidence is high and they are bringing that to the club."
Wallace said pushing last year's grand finalists Sydney (in round two) and West Coast showed the side was capable of playing good football.
"If you spoke to West Coast or Sydney about playing the Richmond footy club they would say they are a pretty competitive unit at the moment," Wallace said.
"I don't think that from a spectator point of view they've gone along and seen efforts that were below par or below standard.
"Last year we probably played in five games where you could have packed the thermos flask up after 20 minutes and said 'This game's over'."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Polak-settled-in-at-centre-halfback/2007/05/05/1177788453903.html
