Post Game Parley-2019 AFL Rd 2: Carlton vs Port Adelaide:

[Jack Burton]

I think the issue for young Cam Polson is that we tend to judge him on a black or white basis.
If we're not convinced about his value we tend to look for the bad.
If we like the things he does we look for the good.
I watched him pretty closely today, trying pretty much to be unbiased
He had a good first quarter.
It was significant that the  commentators mentioned in the second that the 'small forwards' pressure had dropped off, possibly one of the reasons we struggled in that quarter.

As the game progressed there were some Polson blues.....The goal attempt after the Walsh free kick (had it gone through perhaps a different story)....a couple of other misdirected kicks. Costly errors
On the positive side.... He kicked a goal and by my reckoning was in the chain that resulted in three others.

Now watching on the television doesn't give you the same perspective as watching live so maybe this isn't as significant as I believe it to be....but what I noticed is that he is a good judge of shutting down options. He has the speed to do it. He'll run to cover players while the opposition kicker is looking for targets causing a slow down in play and a rethink of where to send the ball. He'll run and chase and maybe not necessarily target the ball carrier (If that player is being covered) but the player that the ball is likely to go to, once again cutting off an option. He's never out of the contest...some may argue he gets in the way sometimes.

Look he's a fringe player....and arguably he will have to improve considerably as the rest of the squad progresses or he'll fall by the wayside. But just for now I kind of understand the reason he's being played.

I wasn't there today but this sums up very well what I have seen of Polson. Similar to what Plowman does in the backline. I'd be playing those two well before a lot of higher profile others