Frustrated North Melbourne wingman Jared Polec will miss a third straight match, adding further uncertainty about his future at the AFL club.
Polec was dropped for a second time this season ahead of the round 12 loss to Brisbane and is yet to earn a recall.
Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw confirmed Polec would miss Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
Polec has another three years remaining on his Kangaroos deal, but whispers have surfaced that the 27-year-old might look to join his fourth AFL club at season’s end.
Shaw did his best to shut down talk about Polec’s future when questioned about it on Saturday.
“I’m not going to be talking about Jared’s future or anybody else’s future at our footy club,” Shaw said.
“That’s for internal conversations. We’re really comfortable with where we sit at the moment with our conversations … and Jared is contracted for three years. That’s where it sits at the moment.”
Although Polec missed out on selection against the Suns, he seems a strong chance to return against Port Adelaide next week.
“Jared played yesterday in a scratch match. He played some pretty good footy and kicked three goals and did a pretty good job,” Shaw said.
“He’ll certainly be in the selection frame next week.
“We’ve had our chats over the past few weeks. I know he’s frustrated, but so am I and so is the team and the club with the position we’re in.
“We’ve made decisions along the way that we think is in the best interests of our footy team. Jared understands that and understands where I sit on that matter.”
Shaw said spearhead Ben Brown was making progress in his recovery from a knee injury, but there’s no certainty he will play again this year.
North Melbourne have lost 10 of their past 11 matches, while Gold Coast are winless in their past six.