Hamish Hartlett is still as capable as he ever has been of putting up monster numbers on his day, as he did last week against the lowly Kangaroos. In the latter stages of his glittering fantasy career, however, his scoring floor has dropped away to the point where he can't even reach the midfielder baseline about once every four games. His scoring is dependent on Port going slowly, which is not always to the benefit of the team which is more built these days on quick ball movement to their star-studded forward line. He's worth a look as your eighth mid, nonetheless.
Hamish Hartlett is still as capable as he ever has been of putting up monster numbers on his day, as he did last week against the lowly Kangaroos. In the latter stages of his glittering fantasy career, however, his scoring floor has dropped away to the point where he can't even reach the midfielder baseline about once every four games. His scoring is dependent on Port going slowly, which is not always to the benefit of the team which is more built these days on quick ball movement to their star-studded forward line. He's worth a look as your eighth mid, nonetheless.
Hamish Hartlett looked to just about be on the AFL scrapheap even while he was still listed, with his second club Port Adelaide blessed with a wide range of flankers and outside runners ahead of him on the depth charts. A series of injuries to the likes of Ryan Burton and Riley Bonner gave him one last chance and he is currently hanging onto it with a death grip, playing a half back flank role and getting plenty of the footy while doing it. Like Trent McKenzie, he may find a niche in the Power back line if he continues his current form, making him a valuable asset in daily fantasy in short term.
Fast beats from Hartlett
It took until round 13 for Hamish Hartlett to return to the senior Port side after an ACL rupture in round 5 of 2018, then he resumed where he had left off in a career mostly spent floating across half back. His mark levels returned to his historical average of four after a spike to eight early in 2018, as Port concentrated on fast ball movement from the back half. The Power plan of fast rebounding was better in concept than execution, as while Port dominated time in opposition half and inside 50s, their forward efficiency was poor. Perhaps Ken Hinkley will slow it down again in 2020, which would mean Hartlett has some upside. If not, he's a low-end starter with some downside due to age and a history of soft tissue injury.
Hamish Hartlett has always had the ability to find the ball and deliver with quality, especially when he shifted from midfield to half back many years ago. His problem, especially for fantasy coaches who want reliability and continuity, is his susceptibility to injury, including countless muscle pulls and a chronically dodgy shoulder that would pop out multiple times per game. His current run is useful on a game-per-game basis and the temptation is to pick him up on the uptick, but there is always the shadow of his injury history hanging over him.
Hartlett needs ticker
Going into his eleventh season at AFL level, Hamish Hartlett has a reputation for silky skills by foot floating off half back... and soft tissue that can not be relied upon from year to year. A knee reconstruction after round 5 last season means he is aiming for round 1 of 2019 but might not get there, as ACLs generally need all of 12 months to fully heal. Hartlett will rejoin a Port half back line in flux, as it farewells Jasper Pittard and tries to fit him and Matthew Broadbent in beside Riley Bonner and Dan Houston. As the most senior and best player of that group, he gets first choice of role, and he should slot back into his old position. Durability is the question for him, and it limits his draft value.
Face turn by Hartlett foundation
Things were looking a bit shaky for Hamish Hartlett early in 2017 when he missed two of the first five games with illness and quad soreness, as he has a history of fitness problems. He suited up for every match on the run home and lifted his ratings by ten points in the second half of his 20 games, though his full season average was his worst since his 2009 debut. Hartlett takes turns with Matthew Broadbent at mopping up the messes Port makes out of opposition attacks that break down at their half forward line, and the deeper he gets into assistant coach Nathan Bassett's defensive system the less he is getting of the footy. Perhaps we can excuse the first half of last season and assume the second half is the norm, which is still startable.
