Collingwood’s NAB Cup campaign gets underway in Western Sydney on Saturday night, and Hartley represents the fourth player to enter the Westpac Centre under the NSW Scholarship Program.
Implemented in late 2005, the program has allowed Scott Reed (0 games) and Tom Young (2 games) spend time on the club’s list after they were tied to the club in their mid-teens.
Hartley and 208cm ruckman Jarrod Witts officially joined the club in late 2011, with Hartley starting his career on the rookie list.
For the 18-year-old Hartley, his unconventional journey to Collingwood is illustrated by his initial impressions of the club.
“Derek Hine (National Recruiting Manager) just introduced himself, and I was like ‘oh, hello’, and he was like ‘I’m from Collingwood’, and I didn’t have a clue what Collingwood was,” the likeable key defender laughed.
“It was a bit awkward at first, but Derek’s a good bloke and once I got to know him it was all sweet.”
It’s hard to comprehend that a sporty teenager wouldn’t know about the organisation touted as the biggest sporting club in the country, but Hartley’s sporting mind was focused elsewhere.
“I didn’t know what Collingwood was.
“Me and my dad went home and checked them out. There were a few names we’d heard before. I saw Eddie McGuire, so I was like, ‘ah, here we go’. It was a bit weird at first.”
Recruited from Sydney University via the Penrith Swans, Hartley’s unassuming approach meant that he was wide-eyed upon his first visit to the Westpac Centre as a 14-year-old in 2008.
“I was so nervous when I first got here. It was nothing like I thought it would be,” he admitted to collingwoodfc.com.au.
“I thought it would just be all cruisy and stuff like that but they’re all pretty professional and all very serious about everything. It was definitely a punch in the face, that’s for sure.
Hartley made the decision to play Australian Rules at the age of 13, but says the culture of his rugby league-dominated school meant he was on his own in picking up a Sherrin.
“I just thought I’d try it for school when I was in year seven. I just thought ‘I haven’t tried AFL’, so I gave it a go.
“I went to a rugby league school in NSW so no one tried out for AFL, so I thought I’d give it a go. I played rugby league for a little bit, but not that much.”
He has excelled in several sports, including cricket and basketball, but most notably high jump where he was ranked third in Australia at the age of 12.
“I didn’t actually watch much AFL. I knew about the Sydney Swans but I didn’t really watch it that much.”
The move from Sydney’s western suburbs hasn’t been easy, particularly for his parents and three siblings, but Hartley has settled in well. He is living with fellow interstate recruits Jarrod Witts and Peter Yagmoor and is quietly enjoying the lifestyle in his new abode.
“It’s been pretty hard. Mum calls every second day, that’s pretty tough. My family are all pretty happy about the move. It’s good to get rid of me!
“The boys are all pretty chilled. The house is pretty amazing, and it’s got a big pool as well so we’re all pretty chilled. We keep to ourselves mostly but they’re all good guys. It’s all sweet.”
Hartley wore the No. 52 guernsey in four of the final five matches of the season for Collingwood’s VFL team. He didn’t look out of place at centre half back, and says that his best performance came opposed to Essendon’s Scott Gumbleton in the round 20 loss to Bendigo.
But the performance that caught the eye was his effort against Greater Western Sydney’s No. 1 draft pick Jonathon Patton in the Under-18 National Championships. He restricted the 197cm Giant to only one goal in Vic Metro’s 80-point win.
“I actually only got two touches on him. He’s a bit of a monster so it’s hard to control him.
“He was a bit bigger than me so I tried not to muscle him. I tried to sit off him and I was probably a bit quicker than him so I just tried to catch him in the end and get a fist in.”
He is still in the process of blunting the rough edges in his game, such as his kicking, which he says is receiving attention from development coaches Craig McRae and Anthony Rocca.
But Hartley’s natural spring means he has the potential to hold down a key position at 196cm.
“I’ve got a pretty good leap, coming from high jump. When I get to the ball I’ve got a pretty good punch.”
He’s never spoken to champion full back Simon Prestigiacomo, but with an attitude like that, it’s safe to assume that ‘Presti’ would be proud.
