On the Thursday night before his opening game of the season, Bartlett destroyed his anterior cruciate ligament but the 18-year-old onballer remained unfazed.
The former Geelong Falcon got stuck into his rehabilitation and was taken as the Lions’ first pick at No. 27 overall in the NAB AFL Draft last week.
Described as a quick and agile midfielder with good ball-winning ability, Bartlett said he never had time to dwell on his bad luck.
“I was pretty lucky, I had good people around me at the Falcons,” he said.
“I kept ahead of schedule the whole way so it wasn’t as negative as I thought. I didn’t have time to mope because of how quickly I was put into rehab."
Bartlett also had the option of returning to next year's draft so he knew last Thursday's call was not the be-all and end-all of his AFL ambitions.
Still, there was a palpable sense of relief when the 27th pick came around and he heard the Lions read his name.
“I really just wanted to get on a list so I’m 'happy as' with Brisbane.”
Bartlett joined the Lions' other draftees at their first training session on Monday and said he was in the final stage of rehab.
“I’m running, kicking, doing agility and just not doing competitive work at the moment. The knee is basically right, we just need to check it structurally.”
While he admitted to be “starstruck” after a congratulatory phone call from Lions skipper Jonathan Brown last week, Bartlett is trying to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
“I have to get through the last phase of my rehab then I’ll think about trying to get a senior game. But I think it’s a bit early to say.
“It’s obviously pretty exciting going into something I’ve never experienced before."
He is uncomfortable with making comparisons, but in a self assessment of his ability prior to the draft, Bartlett coincidentally compared himself to two Lions - Luke Power and Daniel Rich.
He has a penetrating left boot and a good work ethic.
