Hawthorn's failed bid to poach Richmond list guru
By Sam Edmund
Richmond list architect Blair Hartley is staying loyal to the Tigers after Hawthorn became the latest club to try and poach him.
Hartley, a central figure in the assembly of Richmond’s three premiership sides between 2017-2020, has been the subject of widespread interest around the competition.
The Hawks were recently the latest club to mount a serious push for Hartley – the general manager of football talent at Punt Road – in a bid to strengthen their list management team.
But the Tigers, desperate to have him oversee their rebuild under Adem Yze, have convinced him to stay.
Hartley will attempt to help build the Richmond list back up to premiership contention when so many key Richmond figures have left.
President Peggy O’Neal, coach Damien Hardwick and chief executive Brendon Gale have all departed the club in the last two-and-a-bit years.
Hartley has also been linked to Hardwick’s Gold Coast Suns and Gale’s Tasmania Devils, while the likes of Carlton and North Melbourne have also made approaches in the last four years.
Hawthorn has proven to be increasingly aggressive in its pursuit of rival players in recent times and some at the club were convinced they were going to prize highly-rated staffer Hartley out of Richmond.
The Hawks last year revealed they were determined to bolster their list management and recruiting team in support of Mark McKenzie (national recruitment and list manager) and Jarryd Roughead (player acquisition manager).
“The club is committed to further enhancing the recruiting and list department by adding additional resources within the next 12 months that will strengthen our ability to deliver on our club strategy,” Hawks football manager Rob McCartney said.
“Skilled resources in specific roles will be important to us as we continue to build and maximise our list through the mechanisms available in draft, trade and free agency.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/03/09/hawthorns-failed-bid-to-poach-richmond-list-guru
