Earning his stripes: Graham Polak is thriving away from the Perth spotlight. Picture: Michael KleinPolak: I hope they abuse me
09 June 2007 Herald-Sun
Mike Sheahan
GRAHAM Polak is understandably excited about returning to Perth this weekend, but it would be wrong to automatically assume homesickness.
Nine months after moving to the other side of the continent, Polak is thriving at Richmond, loving Melbourne (the city).
No, he was keen to get back to Perth as part of the visiting team in the cauldron known as Subiaco Oval.
Unlike many players facing their original club for the first time, particularly at the old home, Polak hardly could wait to board the plane yesterday.
"I'm stoked about it, really cannot wait," he said.
"I know I'll be nervous when I get there, but I'll be lapping it up once I'm out there (on the ground).
"I hope I get a bit of abuse, I really do. Once I get out there, I'm probably a different bloke."
Polak, traded by Fremantle to Richmond last year, will line up against his old team for the first time tomorrow afternoon.
The anticipated crowd of 40,000-plus will include his mother, Judy, his three brothers, Troy, Chad and Dion, and the extended family.
Troy was listed at North Melbourne in the early 1990s, but never made a senior appearance, unable to wrest a key forward position from a couple of kids named Carey and Longmire.
The Polaks are half-brothers, sons of the late Don Polak, who played 49 games for East Perth.
He died of a heart attack at 40 when Graham, the youngest of four boys, was 10 and living in Geraldton.
Polak, who turns 23 next week, says he misses the family but is happy at Richmond and in Melbourne.
He says it was time to move after the huge expectations that accompanied him to Freo and an unfulfilled five seasons.
"I didn't think things were going up there, I needed to get out of the state. Not just go to the Eagles; start afresh."
Part of the problem for Polak was the fact he was taken at No. 4 in the 2001 national draft. Behind Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd.
Simplistic though it may be, the kid who followed Hodge, Ball and Judd in the draft simply had to be a star.
Polak knew his time was up at Freo after managing just 11 of a possible 25 games in 2006. Compounding his frustration was the fact he was an emergency eight times in the last 12 weeks and had to watch the preliminary final in Sydney from the grandstand.
Richmond, keen on him for more than 12 months, finally convinced him to move during a meeting in Grand Final week last year.
"They made my decision to leave a lot easier. They were really keen to give me a go," Polak said.
Coach Terry Wallace was adamant Polak needed nothing more than a change of scenery and a show of faith, and he got both.
After 10 games this year, everyone is happy. Polak has played every game and, after Nathan Foley and Joel Bowden, probably has been as good as anyone at Tigerland.
Both Richmond and Carlton had been keen on him, but the enthusiasm of Wallace and football operations manager Paul Armstrong, and the family links with director of football Greg Miller from Troy's time at Arden St, clinched the deal.
"He (Wallace) really seemed like a guy who I wanted to play under," Polak said.
"I just thought it's a really good young list here and I could see us going up. Obviously it hasn't worked out as yet, but I haven't lost any faith; I can still see a bright future.
"I'm loving it here; haven't missed home much at all."
He lives in Prahran with his girlfriend from Perth, Alyce Oksuz.
Polak is happy with his progress. His marking is as sound as ever, his kicking continues to improve. He is proud of a return of 5.3 from his limited time forward and wants to spend more time there in future.
At 193cm and 93kg, with his hands, it's a reasonable aim. Certainly, there's a hole there.
Polak's move also helped give him a fresh start after an occasionally wayward life in Perth.
As one of his mates said: "He could cut loose every now and then."
He is reluctant to look back.
When the subject of "the past" was raised, he said: "I don't want to go into it (nervous chuckle). Everyone mucks up . . . a few people more than others."
He describes himself as a "pretty quiet bloke, pretty shy at times, very friendly, (I) like a good laugh, never really one to put people down."
He is full of praise for Fremantle player welfare manager, former Collingwood player Leigh Walker.
He describes Walker as "one of those guys you can always talk to and they make you feel good. Pick you up when you feel down."
Walker said: "Basically, I just took him under the wing, not only him, but a number of young guys with the programs we put in place. Michael Johnson was one of them.
"I think he was just a quiet kid who was finding his way. He had his challenges in front of him, but he always seemed to try and do the right thing. Like most people, everyone has their flaws."
Perhaps it's no surprise Polak's idols were Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett, and Ablett drew most of the Polak family to Geelong.
"Tucky (teammate Shane Tuck, Ablett's nephew) tells me a few stories about him.
"I played on 'Duck' (Carey) when he first got to Adelaide. It was one of the highlights of my career."
One senses there are few more to come.
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