Port Adelaide’s Hamish Hartlett reveals how close he came to joining Richmond

Hamish Hartlett has revealed how close he came to being part of Richmond’s breakthrough 2017 premiership team after the Tigers showed interest in the Power star during the previous year’s trade period.

Richmond was “very keen” to lure Port Adelaide vice-captain Hamish Hartlett the year before it claimed its droughtbreaking premiership.

The Power halfback was linked with the Tigers and Essendon during the 2016 trade period despite signing a five-year contract extension in 2015.

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Hartlett said his relationship with Richmond’s recruiting boss Blair Hartley instigated talks which could have led to him becoming a Tigers premiership hero.

Dustin Martin fends off Port Adelaide’s Hamish Hartlett, who could have been his teammate had a trade eventuated.

“Blair and I have always had a pretty good relationship and they were really keen,” he said. “But I just sort of said, ‘nah, look I want to honour my contract here at Port Adelaide, I want to turn into the player I think I can become and I want to have team success with this football club and football team.

“That was where it sort of ended.”

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Hartlett said his Power teammates enjoyed reminding him of how close he came to being part of Richmond’s 2017 flag.

“The boys get stuck into me a little bit about it. They often say, ‘you could potentially be a two-time premiership player’,” he said on SEN SA.

“Then I always come back and say, ‘maybe in the VFL’, because I reckon I’d struggle to get in that team at the moment.”

Hamish Hartlett says he’d proud he stayed at Port Adelaide despite interest from Richmond.

A “proud Port Adelaide man”, Hartlett said he was glad he stayed in Adelaide despite missing out on the possibility of being part of Richmond’s two premierships in the past three seasons.

“There was a period of time where I had to explore things because my career at Port Adelaide at the time probably wasn’t going the way I wanted it to and the way the club wanted to either,” he said.

“It was always going to be difficult for me to leave Adelaide. I’m a pretty loyal guy to the footy club and obviously my friends and family here as well.”