Jarrod Lienert facts for kids

Jarrod Lienert is a former professional Australian rules football player. He was born on August 5, 1994. Jarrod played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his first AFL appearance in 2018. This was in Round 18 against the Greater Western Sydney team at Adelaide Oval. Jarrod's father, Brett Lienert, also played football for Sturt.

Jarrod's Early Football Journey

Jarrod Lienert started playing junior football at the Imperial Football Club. This club is located in Murray Bridge, South Australia. Later, he joined the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club, Sturt. He played as a versatile player, meaning he could play in different positions.

Winning a Premiership

In 2016, Jarrod was part of the Sturt team that won the SANFL premiership. This was a big achievement for him and his team. In the same year, he received the SANFL Star Search award. This award is given to promising young talents in the league.

Joining the AFL

Jarrod was chosen by the Port Adelaide team in the 2017 rookie draft. He was pick number 42. At that time, he was also studying to become a teacher. In 2017, he played 21 SANFL games for Port Adelaide. He played as a key defender. His team reached the grand final but lost by just one point. In August 2017, he was moved up to the senior player list.

AFL Debut and Challenges

In 2018, Jarrod was playing very well in the SANFL. However, he had to have surgery on his right knee. This surgery was to fix his meniscus, which is a part of the knee. This injury kept him from playing for two months.

First AFL Game

Before a game against Greater Western Sydney, Jarrod's coach, Ken Hinkley, announced that Jarrod would make his AFL debut. The coach said that Jarrod probably would have played earlier if not for his knee surgery. He added that Jarrod was playing "really strong football." Jarrod made his debut on July 22, 2018.

Moving to St Kilda

After the 2021 AFL season, Port Adelaide decided not to keep Jarrod on their team. However, the St Kilda team picked him up. They signed him during the supplemental selection period (SSP).

Playing for the Saints

Jarrod made his debut for St Kilda in Round 2 of the 2022 season. This was in a game where the Saints won against Fremantle. Jarrod played 11 games for St Kilda during the 2022 season. At the end of that season, he was delisted, meaning he was no longer on the team's list of players.