[1] Of Polish descent, Polec was an outside midfielder who, prior to being drafted, played senior football with Woodville West Torrens and was a key player in their 2010 finals series.

Woodville-West Torrens coach Michael Godden described Polec as being "as good a junior as I've seen come through the system" and praised him for his skill, composure and work ethic.

[2] Polec missed games for both Port Adelaide and North Melbourne due to a recurrent injury to his foot.

In September 2013, Polec requested a trade to a South Australian team,[7] and in October, he nominated Port Adelaide as his preferred club of destination.

[9] Polec had an immediate impact at Port Adelaide, achieving a career-high thirty disposals in round 7 against Greater Western Sydney.