Key defender Hartley was picked up by the Bombers at pick 68 in Tuesday night's national draft, having previously spent two years on Collingwood's rookie list.

Hartley was luckless during his two years at the Pies. In 2012 he underwent three separate shoulder surgeries: two on his right, and one of his left. The following year both of his shoulders needed bone grafts. As a result he was limited to just five VFL games over his time at Collingwood.

Yet despite his misfortune, Hartley argues he could have done more to make it. "I'd probably do everything differently. I was pretty young then, pretty immature," Hartley said.

"I reckon I'd do it all differently. I'd probably work a bit harder, on rehab and all that sort of stuff and try to work a bit harder to get back out there instead of just feeling sorry for myself I suppose. I was pretty flat, most of the time. It was real tough."

He conceded that there was a stage when he didn't know whether he'd get back to the premier competition. But having been encouraged to join VFL club Coburg at the start of last season, Hartley thrived.

Hartley said that coach Peter German and general manager Craig Lees had promised him the chance to play regularly on AFL-listed key forwards. "They said 'if you want to try and get back in the AFL this is the club to be. We're not going to be the best club going around, so you'll play every game. You'll get an opportunity."

The 198cm backman didn't let the Lions down, and was in the mix to be re-drafted last year. Another strong campaign in 2015 – one in which he made the VFL team of the year and claimed Coburg's best and fairest – was enough to tempt Bombers recruiter Adrian Dodoro.

This won't however be Hartley's first taste at Essendon. The New South Welshman had been in contention to be one of the top-up players used by Essendon during this year's NAB Challenge, as the Dons tried to fill a team with a host of players provisionally suspended pending the AFL anti-doping tribunal. But after a medical at the club, Hartley missed out on being selected for the pre-season series.

Hartley said that legal concerns were one of the reasons behind Essendon's reticence. "They're going to be liable if anything does happen. They didn't want to take the risk, which was pretty understandable. They've got to take care of themselves before they take care of me."

But the Dons initial interest proved to be a good sign. Hartley tried to explain what Dodoro saw in him. "He sort of just said [I'm] a mature-age body, and they're just looking for a bit of height and to re-stock the big man brigade.

"[I'm] a bit older, me and Mitch Brown, and we're ready to roll straight away."

Oddly enough, ex-Geelong tall Brown was one of the Dons' top-up players, himself impressing in the NAB Challenge before starring for Sandringham in the state competition.

Hartley claimed that while he thought he could be picked up in last Friday's rookie draft, that he went three days earlier in Adelaide came as a shock.

Not that he minded. "I was pretty rapt. I didn't know what to think of it. It was a bit overwhelming really. Obviously there was a bit of traffic on the phone and that. I was over the moon."