North Melbourne coach David Noble is confident Jared Polec can bounce back from a difficult season.

Polec was omitted twice during 2020, but finished the year on a positive note with a 25-disposal haul against West Coast in the last round.

He’d started the season in strong form, with 25 and 23 disposals in rounds one and two respectively, before a dip in form coinciding with the Roos’ poor results on-field.

“I've had a good conversation with Jared. I've come across Jared a few times across my journey, when I was in Adelaide, before he got drafted, and then when he came back to Port Adelaide,” Noble explained.

“He does have to work on his defence, there's no doubt about it, but let's not forget about the strength and the weapon that he's got with his running capacity.

“Maybe he hasn't quite hit that mark that I see him getting to, but if we can re-adjust his defence in a sense of where he might start his offense from, that will actually help us.”

Polec averaged 23 disposals a game in his first season at North, 2019, but found the going tougher this year.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubting the polish and class he brings to the Roos’ team when firing.

“He's (Polec) a really knowledgeable young man,” Noble said.

“He has good football knowledge. I'm going to be encouraging him to have that voice out on the field. I think it's something that we need to encourage.

“We need our smart players to be able to help us set up with structures and understanding what's happening in the game, so I'm excited to work with Jared.

“I think he's got some big upside in regards to the things that he's actually really good at, his run, his ball carry, his delivery inside 50. He can really help us.”