Brodie Jay Atkinson (born 31 July 1972) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL) and the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL). Atkinson joined the North Adelaide Football Club in 1990 from

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. Port Pirie is the largest city and the main retail centre of the Mid North region of South Australia. The city has an ex ...

club Risdon who formerly competed in the

Spencer Gulf Football League The Spencer Gulf Football League is an Australian rules football competition based at the head of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League. The Spencer Gulf Football League ...

. He played League and Reserves football for North, winning the Reserves Magarey Medal in 1991 and being one of North's best in the 1991 SANFL Grand Final. At the end of the 1992 season the tough midfielder was drafted by St Kilda at pick 16 in the 1992 AFL Draft. In his debut match at age 20 for St Kilda in Round 11

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

he had 25 touches and earned an AFL Rising Star nomination and two Brownlow Medal votes, but was dropped after one more match despite being among the best once more. In a shock decision, he was delisted at the end of the season. Atkinson returned to North Adelaide and played from 1994 to 1996, before moving to Sturt in 1997. Atkinson would play 98 games and kick 112 goals for North. After a standout season in 1997 for Sturt, Atkinson was joint winner of the

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willi ...

, awarded for the best and fairest player in the SANFL competition. Atkinson shared the award with

Andrew Jarman Andrew Newton Jarman (born 14 January 1966) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the North Adelaide Football Club and Norwood Football Club i ...

. In an interesting turn on events he was selected in the 1998 AFL Draft by

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

after trading Chad Rintoul to West Coast for pick 80. At age 26, and out of AFL for several years, his SANFL form with the

Sturt Football Club The Sturt Football Club, nicknamed The Double Blues, is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in the suburb of Unley, South Australia, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. Founded in 1901 by the Stur ...

was enough to get him re-drafted. Hampered by groin injuries, he played only five games in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

before being delisted once again. He continued to play for Sturt, primarily as a midfielder until 2002, when he moved to the forward pocket. In his 124th and last game for the club they won the 2002 SANFL Grand Final over Central District. On 24 October 2000, Atkinson was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...

for being a recipient of the highest individual honour in South Australian Football. At age 30 Atkinson captain-coached Portland to a Western Border Football League premiership in 2003. He went on the coach Portland for three years in the Western Border Football League.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Brodie St Kilda Football Club players North Adelaide Football Club players Adelaide Football Club players Sturt Football Club players Portland Football Club players Magarey Medal winners 1972 births Living people Sportspeople from Port Pirie Australian rules footballers from South Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal