ONE is the younger brother of a North Melbourne speedster, the other is the son of a Sturt Reserves best and fairest winner, but both Joe
Atley came to Port Adelaide via pick 32 in the 2016 AFL Draft from Bendigo Under 18s and is the brother of Kangaroos midfielder Shaun Atley.
Renowned for his strength in the contest, speed and ability to find the ball, he made his AFL debut in Round 16, 2017 against West Coast and played three games that season.
A back injury limited him to ten SANFL games in 2018, but the 20-year-old still averaged 22 disposals, five tackles and three marks.
“Unfortunately Joe’s 2018 season was significantly hampered through injury but as our people would know, he has shown promise in both the SANFL and AFL competitions since being drafted to the club before the 2017 season,” said Port Adelaide General Manager – Football, Chris Davies.
“We’re pleased he’s chosen to stay and look forward to his body giving him the opportunity to continue to progress over the next two years.”
Lienert made his AFL debut in Round 18 against Greater Western Sydney and he kept his spot for the last five games of the season.
A composed presence despite his inexperience, the 24-year-old also possesses an uncanny ability to play both tall and small because of his agility, speed and game sense.
“Jarrod had a break-out year in 2018, earning his AFL debut after some really consistent SANFL form,” Davies said.
“His contract extension comes after showing real composure with the ball at AFL level, and we believe he will continue to develop after coming into the club as a mature age rookie.”
Lienert arrived at Port Adelaide via the 2017 Rookie Draft after being part of Sturt’s 2016 SANFL premiership team.
He is the son of Brett Lienert who played 134 games and kicked 33 goals in 8 seasons at Sturt, winning the Reserves Best and Fairest award in 1988 and finishing runner-up to John Paynter for the P.T. Morton Medal in 1989.
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