Port Adelaide defender Alipate Carlilehas signed a four-year deal with the club. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser
PORT Adelaide has defended its decision to hand full back Alipate Carlile a whopping four-year contract, saying he is critical to its on-field success for the rest of the decade.
Former Essendon star Matthew Lloyd slammed the deal, questioning Carlile's talent and commitment after he was dropped to the SANFL last year when his weight ballooned.
But the Power insists Carlile - who would have been eligible for free agency at the end of the season - is a changed man who would have been offered big dollars from rival clubs to leave Alberton.
"We see Alipate as a very important player in the rebuild of our football team," said Port coaching and strategy director Alan Richardson.
"We are trying to build a side which can contend every year and ultimately win a premiership and Bobby (Carlile) is a very important part of that.
"Big, strong full backs like him don't fall off trees and the level of interest expressed in him from other clubs, through player managers, has been very strong.
"Throw all of that into the mix and we felt we needed to tie Bobby down to our club as long as we possibly could.
"So we think it's a good deal for him and it's a good deal for us."
Carlile, 25, was one of Port's Four Core of Victorians it re-signed on Monday, along with his key defensive sidekick Jackson Trengove, key forward John Butcher and midfielder Andrew Moore.
But the length of Carlile's deal - understood to be worth about $1.8 milllion over four years - doubled that of the other three and ties him to the Power until the end of the 2017 season.
Richardson said Fijiian-born Carlile, who has played 111 games in seven seasons, had already ``taken some big scalps'' and that his best football is in front of him.
"Bobby will continue to get better," Richardson said, stressing his fitness levels under new head fitness coach Darren Burgess were at an all-time high.
"Full back is a difficult position to play and he's still learning the caper but he's maturing all the time.
"We've been really pleased with his pre-season and his leadership.
"He's not only a very good footballer but he's also a good character, which is something that Ken is very strong on."
Hinkley described Carlile - an AFL multicultural ambassador - as "an outstanding key defender".
"Key defenders are really hard to find in AFL football and you need to make sure you keep the strong ones that you've got,'' he said.
"We've got two outstanding key defenders and Bobby is the most senior of those two boys and we were keen to make sure we secured his future here at Port Adelaide.
"He's had a great pre-season, embraced every challenge we've thrown at him and is in great shape to enter the next period of his career."
Carlile said he had thrived under Hinkley's leadership.
"Kenny has been great for me," he said.
"He's shown me some direction, set me goals to achieve and he's really pushed me hard, which I've enjoyed."
Richardson said he hoped Carlile - taken at pick 44 at the 2005 national draft from Murray Bushrangers' Under-18s - would finish his career at Port.
"This is not the last contract that we expect Bobby to sign with us," he said.
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