Entering a third club after landing at Waverley Park via the preseason draft, key defender Michael Hartley will be looking to make the most of his final opportunity. The ex-Magpie and Bomber appeared a mere seven times over the past two seasons and suffered the ignominy of successive droppings. Hartley's arrival is likely to be seen as an insurance policy with upside for the Hawks' decision makers. The club struggled with a lack of healthy key defenders, shoehorning less suited players into stopping roles. The trend continues as key defenders and fantasy points rarely align.
Defib for Hartley
Entering a third club after landing at Waverley Park via the preseason draft, key defender Michael Hartley will be looking to make the most of his final opportunity. The ex-Magpie and Bomber appeared a mere seven times over the past two seasons and suffered the ignominy of successive droppings. Hartley's arrival is likely to be seen as an insurance policy with upside for the Hawks' decision makers. The club struggled with a lack of healthy key defenders, shoehorning less suited players into stopping roles. The trend continues as key defenders and fantasy points rarely align.
Heartbreak for Hartley
After playing 36 of the previous 43 senior games for Essendon, Michael Hartley spent most of last year at VFL level, picked only four times to cover for injury. Hartley was the biggest victim of the decision to shift Cale Hooker to defence, as it left him competing with Patrick Ambrose for one spot. He is not relevant for fantasy.
Beat goes on for Hartley
As expected, Michael Hartley played a key defensive role for Essendon to allow Cale Hooker to return to the forward line in 2017, though he did have two short VFL stints as well. Some fans in red and black may want Hooker to return to defence, but the coaches want Hartley and he does a creditable enough job for the team on much better players. Just not for fantasy.
