Billy Hartung leaves St Bedes Mentone to join St Kilda City

Billy Hartung’s arrival at St Bedes Mentone this year was met with much fanfare, but after only seven games for the VAFA side the former Hawthorn and North Melbourne player is on the move.

Billy Hartung has walked out on St Bedes Mentone halfway through the season. Picture: Getty Images

He was a prize recruit for VAFA Premier B club St Bedes Mentone Tigers this season, but former AFL speedster Billy Hartung will play out the rest of 2019 with St Kilda City in the Southern league.

Swooping before the June 30 clearance cut-off, City confirmed this afternoon it had secured 24-year-old Hartung.

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His transfer is listed as “pending’’ on the SFNL clearance register but City president Rodney Gamlin indicated it had been approved.

Fellow St Bedes Mentone Tiger Jordan Tabakman is also crossing to the Division 1 SFNL club as it builds for a tilt at the finals.

City is eighth on the Division 1 ladder with four wins and five losses, but is only a game away from fifth-placed Mordialloc.

St Bedes Mentone was bubbling earlier in the year after locking in Hartung, who played 13 matches for North Melbourne last year, only to be delisted after one season at Arden St.

He also played 63 matches for Hawthorn from 2014-17.

When the Tigers lodged registration papers for Hartung ahead of the season, Tigers coach Michael Hazell told Leader: “He’s a local boy. He’s got connections to the club and he’s in the process of trying to transition out of the AFL and St Bedes was a good fit for him.

Hartung played 13 games for North Melbourne before being delisted last year. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“The boys are really comfortable around him. They love him. He’s a really humble guy. He’s on board with my theory that the 70th bloke on the list is just as important as the first.

“From my perspective it’s about him getting back to enjoying footy again. It’s about making it fun for him again, having a nice formula which doesn’t involve putting GPSs on backs.’’

Hartung debuted for the Tigers against Parkdale Vultures and was best-afield.

In seven games he was named in the best four times. He did not play last week owing to a groin injury.

Utility Tabakman is a former Ormond junior and popped up on Coburg’s VFL list in 2015, with the Burgers asserting he was “viewed by state-level and AFL clubs as one of the most promising local-level talents in the state and was in discussions with two AFL sides over a potential rookie spot’’.

He later had a stint at Chelsea.

The Tigers have approved his transfer.

Contacted at 5.15pm, Hazell sent Leader a statement that read: “St Bedes Mentone Tigers would like to announce that Billy Hartung and Jordan Tabakman have left the club to play football at St Kilda City in (SFNL) for the remainder of the season.

“Billy and Jordan have been valuable contributors to our club in 2019 and we wish them all the best at their new club.’’

A third St Bedes Mentone Tiger has left the club to play in Southern Division 1, with former Sandringham Dragon and Sandringham Zebra Robert Iudica cleared to Cheltenham.

Iudica played three senior VFL games.