HARTLEY, Michael

Originally from Sydney, Michael Hartley represented NSW in the 2011 Under 18 National Championships and was drafted by Collingwood with pick 87 in the 2012 Rookie Draft. He played a few VFL games in 2012 then suffered a serious shoulder injury and missed the rest of the year. He needed further surgery on both shoulders, causing him to miss the entire 2013 season, and he was delisted at the end of the year.

He then played with Coburg in the VFA in 2014 and 2015, where he won the Best and Fairest award in 2015 and was selected in the VFA Team of the Year.

Essendon selected him with pick 68 in the 2015 National Draft. It was a fortunate selection as he was a ready-made replacement when 34 Essendon players and officials were suspended due to the Supplements saga.

A solid and reliable defender, he had two consistent years, but struggled to gain regular selection when his role changed as established players returned from suspension. He was offered a one-year contract at the end of 2019, but opted to try his luck elsewhere. He was picked up by Hawthorn and given a two-year deal but only managed five games in that time and was delisted at the end of 2021.

Draft history: #87 (2012 Rookie Draft) (Collingwood)

#68 (2015 National Draft) (Essendon)

#2 (2020 Pre-season Draft) (Hawthorn)