FOR A long while, Hartung has known he wanted to be an AFL footballer. As a 15-year-old he quit cricket to take up triathlons over summer, so he could grow his running ability. He worked so hard on improving his left-foot kick (he is naturally a right-footer), that the left side almost became his preferred option.
After playing four games for Vic Country last year, Hartung had some challenges early in 2013. Off-season finger surgery sidelined the small midfielder at the start of the season but he returned for the championships and was named an All Australian after playing four games on the wing. Against South Australia he had a tight-checking role on highly touted midfielder James Aish before moving into a more freewheeling second half, running up and down the ground in possession of the ball.
After the carnival he started to get tagged himself when playing for the Stingrays, so moved to half-back, where his kicking and vision helped set up the play as Dandenong progressed to the TAC Cup Grand Final.
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STRENGTHS
We'll start with the foot skills. Hartung has the rare ability to kick precisely – over short and long distances – while running at top gear. He has the deft touch in his foot, is good at kicking long goals like he did in the Grand Final, and hitting a moving target. Hartung backs himself to use his traits, too. He has the pace in his legs to see a gap between players and then zip through it, and the elite endurance to do it again and again. At the NAB AFL Draft Combine last month, Hartung did the best beep test in combine history, breaking the record with a 16.6 run. Few players possess the same blend of aerobic capacity and speed, which showed against South Australia when he made two or three blinding runs down the wing. Even fewer complement the athleticism with the footy smarts.
WEAKNESSES
At about 177cm, Hartung isn't a big guy. He's also pretty lightly framed, although he did stack on some muscle at the end of last season before his surgery. With his skillset, Hartung is probably always going to be best suited to playing outside footy. His statistics for the Stingrays and Vic Country this year show about 75 per cent of his disposals are uncontested, so he can even that ratio up.
STRENGTHS
We'll start with the foot skills. Hartung has the rare ability to kick precisely – over short and long distances – while running at top gear. He has the deft touch in his foot, is good at kicking long goals like he did in the Grand Final, and hitting a moving target. Hartung backs himself to use his traits, too. He has the pace in his legs to see a gap between players and then zip through it, and the elite endurance to do it again and again. At the NAB AFL Draft Combine last month, Hartung did the best beep test in combine history, breaking the record with a 16.6 run. Few players possess the same blend of aerobic capacity and speed, which showed against South Australia when he made two or three blinding runs down the wing. Even fewer complement the athleticism with the footy smarts.
WEAKNESSES
At about 177cm, Hartung isn't a big guy. He's also pretty lightly framed, although he did stack on some muscle at the end of last season before his surgery. With his skillset, Hartung is probably always going to be best suited to playing outside footy. His statistics for the Stingrays and Vic Country this year show about 75 per cent of his disposals are uncontested, so he can even that ratio up.
PLAYS LIKE
He isn't as tall as Hawthorn's Isaac Smith, but Hartung does play in a similar way. He's a long-kicking, big-running midfielder whose perfect role is on the wing.
Hartung is placed in the 12-30 draft range, and should be picked somewhere in that grouping.
BOTTOM LINE
The draft gets a shot of excitement with Hartung, who should fit a need for a number of clubs. Fleet-footed, changes direction quickly and makes the play. He knows how to use his weapons.
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