Hamish Hartlett is a source of frustration for many Supercoach teams. Like Port Adelaide the Hammer started the season off on fire with scores of 123, 38, 118, 144 and 140 over the first five games. Many coaches traded him in at this point expecting a breakout year from the talented midfielder only to be let down with scores of 53, 29 and 77. As expected Hartlett has copped heavy tags from opposition sides and thus far he hasn't been able to break them. As a result he has dropped by $100,000 in price, leaving many coaches regretting their decision to get him.
The question is do we keep Hartlett or trade him out?
My advice is to keep him. If you brought Hartlett in after his fast start at $538K and you've endured the poor scores and price drop what would you profit by trading him out three weeks later? You might as well stick with him and enjoy the big scores which are bound to come sooner or later. I think sooner. Take last year for example. Hartlett similarly had three average games with scores of 70, 71 and 90 (rounds 7-9) before smashing out a 153 against the Blues at AAMI Stadium a week later. That's exactly why the Hammer is a potential Supercoach star. He has a high ceiling and is capable of producing some huge scores. Remember also that last year Hartlett was plagued by injuries, never fully fit and playing in a bad side. This year he is injury free, fitter and part of a much improved outfit.
On the weekend against the Blues Hartlett was again tagged and showed signs of frustration during the game. But unlike Grant Birchall, Hartlett showed some fight and worked hard to finish with 14 possessions (10 contested) and 7 tackles. That's enough to suggest some good form is not far away.
The Power return home to face the Cats at AAMI Staduim this Saturday. Although the Cats like to strangle teams they usually back themselves to win the ball and resist tagging heavily. After the Cats, the Power play the Western Bulldogs then after the bye they have the GWS Giants. Both are games the Power should win and I expect Hartlett to bounce back against these sides.
So for now stick with him. You picked Hartlett for a reason and the time has come to back in your judgement. Don't let a few bad games deter you. Keep the faith and before you know it...it will be Hammer time again!
