Michael Polley is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played for Melbourne Football Club

Melbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (AFL).

Early life

Originally from Hadfield Football Club

Hadfield Football Club

Hadfield Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 14 km north of Melbourne in the suburb of Hadfield. The Hadfield Community Youth Club was founded in 1961 and played at Reddish Reserve and wore green and gold....

 in the Essendon District Football League

Essendon District Football League

The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade...

, Polley was selected to play for TAC Cup

TAC Cup

The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....

 side, Northern Knights

Northern Knights

The Northern Knights are an Australian rules football club playing in the TAC Cup, an under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. They are based in Preston, representing the northern suburban area of Melbourne....

. Along with playing for the Knights, in 1994 Polley also played six games for Prahran Football Club

Prahran Football Club

Prahran Football Club, nicknamed The Two Blues, is an Australian rules football club based at Toorak Park in Orrong Road between High Street and Malvern Road, Armadale, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 2007, the club has competed in D1 Section of the Victorian Amateur Football Association...

 in the Victorian Football Association. In the lead-up to the 1994 National Draft

1994 AFL Draft

The 1994 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 1994 there...

, Melbourne coach Neil Balme

Neil Balme

Neil Allen Balme is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1969 and 1979 for the Richmond Football Club.-Playing career:...

 stated the Demons were looking for "the best available but with a bit of an emphasis on speed and midfield players". Polley, a midfielder known for his speed, was subsequently draft by Melbourne with the 34th selection in the draft.

AFL career

An 18-year-old at the time he was drafted, Polley spent his first season with Melbourne developing in the reserves. For the last match of the 1995 home and away season, Polley was named as an emergency in the squad, but was not required to play. After a season's development, Polley was one of several young players at Melbourne that were expected to "take the next step" in 1996. Due to the Demons need for pace, Polley was named to make his AFL debut in the second round of the season, but was ultimately not selected. After being suspended for one week and injuring his hand in May, Polley finally made his AFL debut against Essendon

Essendon Football Club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 in round 9. Despite having 15 disposals, Polley was dropped back to the reserves the following week. He was recalled for Melbourne's round 12 clash with the Brisbane Bears

Brisbane Bears

The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...

 and retained his place in the side for four consecutive matches, until a poor performance against Richmond

Richmond Football Club

The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...

. Polley failed to play another senior match for the rest of the year and, at season's end, he was delisted by Melbourne.

After being delisted, Polley trained with Essendon in the hope of being drafted by the Bombers. Instead, it was Collingwood

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 that selected Polley with the 54th selection in the 1997 Rookie Draft

1996 AFL Draft

The 1996 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1996 Australian Football League season.The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.Clubs receive picks based...

. Polley was unable to break into Collingwood's senior team and was delisted by the Magpies after only one season at the club.

External links

• Michael Polley's profile at the Official AFL Website of the Melbourne Football Club