Kyle Hartigan joins Queenscliff for 2024 season

Queenscliff’s senior coach has revealed how the Coutas lured a former Hawthorn and Adelaide defender to the club for the 2024 BFNL season.

With mutual friends and a shared value and importance of a “family club”, new Queenscliff coach Heath Jamieson was well poised to snare the signature of former Adelaide and Hawthorn defender Kyle Hartigan.

The club announced on Thursday morning it had acquired the 32-year-old, 135-game defender ahead of the 2024 BFNL season.

Hartigan, who was delisted by the Hawks in 2022, is shifting into the world of player management as a career.

However, a move to Ocean Grove alerted Jamieson’s attention, with the multiple GFNL premiership coach looking to add some experience to a green Coutas outfit.

“We were aware he’d moved into the area and I’ve got a couple of mutual friends with Kyle,” Jamieson said, who coached a Bellarine flag in 2011 with Queenscliff.

“They mentioned that he was moving down to the area and he might be on the hunt for a local club.

“Once that was known I gave him a buzz, I was pretty impressed with the way he conducted himself.

“He was saying all the right things.”

Kyle Hartigan has signed with Queenscliff.

However, Hartigan’s commitment, both on and off the field, is still to be ironed out.

“We’ve still got a few things we’ve got to work through, he may be looking at doing some coaching next year, he doesn’t know yet,” Jamieson said.

“If we could have him for 18 rounds, that’s fantastic, if it’s less than that, we’re happy with that as well.

“He’s obviously going to be above the level.”

He said Queenscliff’s position in the Bellarine as a “family club” also appealed to Hartigan, a father of two.

“We pride ourselves on being a family club,” he said.

Heath Jamieson and Ben Capra celebrate St Joseph’s’ GFL premiership in 2018. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“He wanted a club where his kids could grow up and play at.

“We always recruit the person, football comes second.”

The club has also recently added some youth in the returning Max Scott, Jonas Seecamp (Newtown & Chilwell) and Lachie McKane (Lara).

However, Jamieson said the Coutas were still actively recruiting, targeting some more “seasoned players” who could help turn the club into a finals contender after finishing seventh in 2023.

“We’re still in the game with a couple of players we think can come in and have an impact straight away that are older, which is probably the age demographic that we need,” he said.

“We’ve probably got enough of the younger brigade now.

“We’ve got a good young group, Rory’s been able to get some games into our younger players,

“We just need to add a little bit of experience.

“We’re probably going to go really young or really old with our recruits.”

Originally published as Kyle Hartigan joins Queenscliff for 2024 season