Red Hill lays down the welcome mat for its former junior Billy Hartung

RED Hill is making a bid to recruit former Hawthorn and North Melbourne player Billy Hartung.

Billy Hartung playing for Hawthorn against Richmond at the MCG in 2016. Picture: Robert Cianflone

RED Hill would love to welcome home its one-time junior, former Hawthorn and North Melbourne player Billy Hartung.

While the 23-year-old running machine is undoubtedly a man in demand, the Hillmen hope a touch of “romance’’ will sway him.

Hartung is a Red Hill boy, having played juniors at the club — he famously kicked 20 goals straight in an under-14s game in 2009.

A decade on, could he make a return to the Hill?

“Like everybody else we would love to speak to him but that hasn’t happened,’’ Red Hill coach Jamie Mollo said.

In 2009, Billy Hartung kicked 20 goals straight in a game for Red Hill’s under-14s.

“He’s a Red Hill boy. He obviously played juniors at Red Hill. The romance is there, we’d love to get him to come back and play but the reality is he is a highly sought after player.’’

Hartung was part of a famous Hawthorn era, playing 63 games in four years at the Hawks between 2013-16 but missing out on the premierships.

In 2015, he played 20 games including the preliminary final win over Fremantle, but was dropped for the grand final (for Jack Gunston, who was returning from an ankle injury).

Delisted by the Hawks at the end of 2017, Hartung was drafted by North Melbourne and played 13 games for the Kangaroos this year before being delisted in August.