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Recruited from the Calder Cannons in Victoria, the skillful left-footer starred in his final junior season, named best and fairest in 2012. Affectionately known as Rat, he was drafted at No. 81 that same year and has since become an established midfielder. Atkins was a member of the AIS-AFL Academy as a 17-year-old, and a few years in Adelaide’s SANFL system helped him to reach his full potential. A knee injury in 2015 delayed the start to his season, but he went on to play eight AFL games after debuting in Showdown 39. The speedster never looked back after his debut, playing in every game through 2016 and 2017, with another 20 appearances each in 2018 and 2019. Atkins recorded a career-best disposal average at 21.6 per game in 2019 and finished first at the Club for inside-50s. Against Gold Coast in Round 17, Atkins notched a season-high 35 touches, two shy of his personal best. He will likely make his 100th appearance in 2020, having ended the year on 97.