PORT ADELAIDE defender Jarrod Lienert and forward Boyd Woodcock have agreed to terms on respective contract extensions which will see them remain at Alberton until the end of 2021.
Lienert arrived at Port Adelaide as a mature-age rookie via the 2017 Rookie Draft after being part of Sturt’s 2016 SANFL premiership team.
He made his AFL debut against Greater Western Sydney in Round 18, 2018, and has now played a total of 18 AFL games across three seasons.
The 26-year-old is excited about extending his time at Port Adelaide for another year.
“I have loved my four years at Port Adelaide and I am grateful that the club has given me the opportunity to stay and extend my career,” Lienert said.
“I want to continue to work hard and make the most of my opportunities at AFL level.
“We are a tight and connected group of boys and I love being a part of it.
“We have set ourselves up for a real chance at success and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
Lienert played five games in 2020 and General Manager – Football, Chris Davies said the defender had performed strongly on each occasion.
“Jarrod gives us extra versatility in defence because of his ability to play both tall and small,” Davies said.
“He has been unlucky to come in and out of the side a bit this year but has contributed whenever he has played.
“It is sometimes easy to forget he is still relatively inexperienced at AFL level, such is his composure and game sense, and we know he is a reliable person of great character who is well liked among our playing and coaching group.”
Woodcock made his AFL debut in 2020, featuring in five games in total.
Initially selected at pick 76 in the 2018 AFL National Draft, the 20-year-old’s first season at the club yielded 22 goals in 21 SANFL games and an average of 17 disposals per game.
He was delisted at the end of 2019 then re-claimed as a rookie, and worked hard on the track to build his running capacity, eventually forcing his way into the side for the Round 10 game against the Western Bulldogs.
“It was obviously a bit of a different path than what some of the other boys have taken,” Woodcock said.
“But I’ve always had a pretty strong self-belief and stepped up to every challenge that’s been presented to me so I took it in my stride, everything that happened, and did whatever I could to get myself into a position to play AFL and now that I’ve done that I want to keep playing consistently.
“It’s really exciting to be able to stick around. It’s a great club full of great people and I’m looking forward to a big pre-season and building on last year.”
Davies said Woodcock had earned his contract extension through hard work and persistence.
“Boyd has always had a good footy brain, clean hands and a nose for goal, but he really took his game to another level this year,” said Davies.
“He has shown incredible development already so far in his short career and we look forward to his continued improvement.”
Woodcock is a 2018 North Adelaide Premiership player and won the 2017 McCallum Tomkins Medal as the best player in the SANFL under-18 competition.
Lienert and Woodcock join defenders Martin Frederick, Trent McKenzie and Jake Pasini, midfielder Willem Drew and forwards Charlie Dixon and Sam Powell-Pepper in recommitting to the club in recent times.
