North Melbourne will be without Ben Brown and Jared Polec for Saturday’s must-win clash with Adelaide at Metricon Stadium.
The Kangaroos, who have lost six games on the trot, are in desperate need of a victory against the bottom-placed Crows but will attempt to win without their leading goal kicker of the last four seasons.
Brown has kicked eight goals in eight matches this year to lead the way alongside Cam Zurhaar, but the 27-year-old has returned just two majors in the last four weeks and will be left out of this weekend’s game.
It has been a tragic week for Brown and his wife Hester after she suffered the loss of an unborn twin.
Joining him on the sidelines is former Port Adelaide wingman Polec despite the fact he’s averaging just over 20 possessions per game and has the third most disposals at the club in 2020.
Coach Rhyce Shaw confirmed the news this afternoon.
“We’ve made a couple of changes due to the position we’re in. Ben Brown and Jared Polec will be left out this weekend,” Shaw told reporters.
“Ben Brown has had a tough period, on and off the field. We really feel for him with what he’s going through, and we think it’s a good time for him to sit out. He’s been really good this week after our chat.
“We think a rest for him will be a circuit breaker and we know he will come back fighting.
“For Jared, his body of work hasn’t been up to what we expect. We’ve had the discussion with him and he knows what he needs to work on.
“Polec is more about his role and playing to that. We have certain standards and behaviours that we judge the team by and everyone stands accountable. Jared’s a great player, and he’ll bounce back. He’ll be involved over the next few weeks.”
In better news for the Roos, Majak Daw will return to the senior side after a lengthy absence.
Shaw: We’ve made a couple of changes due to the position we’re in. Ben Brown and Jared Polec will be left out this weekend.
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) July 31, 2020