It was tough to establish a spot on the crowded half back line for Port last year. After a preseason knee injury, Jarrod Lienert strung seven senior games together from round 6 on and then was dropped after a loss away to Fremantle, despite hitting the top ten in the league for metres gained at an impressive efficiency of 81%. Lienert has a powerful one-wood in his bag, but perhaps it's the defensive side of his game that needs more work as his tackle counts can be a little low. He may need to wait for the end of Hamish Hartlett's career to see his job security rise high enough to attract fantasy interest. As it is, he's unlikely to be drafted in your league.
Blurred lines for Lienert
It was tough to establish a spot on the crowded half back line for Port last year. After a preseason knee injury, Jarrod Lienert strung seven senior games together from round 6 on and then was dropped after a loss away to Fremantle, despite hitting the top ten in the league for metres gained at an impressive efficiency of 81%. Lienert has a powerful one-wood in his bag, but perhaps it's the defensive side of his game that needs more work as his tackle counts can be a little low. He may need to wait for the end of Hamish Hartlett's career to see his job security rise high enough to attract fantasy interest. As it is, he's unlikely to be drafted in your league.
Lienert hones his art
Like a throwback from a bygone era, Jarrod Lienert had to pay his dues and then some with a long SANFL career before a call-up in round 18. He looked at home in the ones, and played the last six games. As befits the Power's freewheeling style, he had almost as many inside 50s as rebound 50s. Despite his size, he wasn't given any lockdown responsibilities and often competed with smalls. Lienert will be competing for spots in a crowded half back line with Dan Houston and Ryan Burton, and if metres gained counts for anything, he has a significant advantage on that score. He will have to emulate Houston's trick from last season of securing a best 22 spot from the rookie list. This will be a positional battle worth watching in preseason, as the winners will be startable in the Port system.
Fine line for Lienert
Specialising in intercepts and long rebound kicks, Jarrod Lienert was one of the reasons the Port Magpies made the SANFL grand final, with a high of 37 possessions and regular trips to the 20s. He was upgraded from the rookie list last August without making the senior side. Lienert had to watch as Dan Houston debuted before him and earned a spot in the senior Port defence. He will have to hope that there's still a spot left, possibly the one previously occupied by Jack Hombsch. He has a chance in the JLT to make a case for 2018.
