It is a feat not seen in more than 60 years and unlikely to be repeated in some time, but Hamish Hartlett is ready to take sibling rivalry to the next level when he and brother Adam coach rival sides in the SANFL in 2024.
Ahead of Port Adelaide’s season opener against Glenelg on Friday, the Hartlett brothers came together to talk about sharing knowledge and considering a wager for whoever performs better across the campaign.
Heading into his second season as West Adelaide coach, older sibling Adam Hartlett is excited to continue the rivalry, which began in their childhood home when they shared a bedroom.
“It’s super exciting,” the older Hartlett said. “We’ve grown up loving football and being super competitive individuals, and that won’t change from a coaching perspective.
“It’s just been so exciting to be on this journey together, transitioning out of playing careers and now into the coaching world.”
Hamish Hartlett has stepped into Port Adelaide’s SANFL Head Coach role this season, having served as an assistant to Tyson Goldsack last year.
Even then, Adam admits, the brothers would talk shop when they got together.
“We’d always debrief on a weekly basis based on the opposition that we’d just played against and anything that we’d picked up so that will continue, I’m sure, throughout the course of this year, except when we’re playing the Maggies,” he smiled.
Despite the four-year age difference, Hamish said the Hartletts were always competing growing up, whether in football, cricket or just about anything else, with the younger brother always driven to outdo his older sibling.
The pair won’t have to wait long to do battle again, with their sides facing off in the Russell Ebert Tribute Match at Waikerie in Round 2 on Sunday, 14 April.
They are now considering a wager on the result.
“Before the game we’ll knock around as best mates and have a good chat,” Hamish said. “But for a two-and-a-half-hour period there’ll be a desire for both of us to want to win the game and we’ll do everything we can as individuals to make sure that our teams get over the line.
“Then after the game it’ll be different. We’ll share a beer. One of us will be happier than the other but we’ll carry on as brothers after that.
“We haven’t really spoken too much to be honest but I’m sure there’ll be something on the line. It might just have to be a dinner – Adam can come around and I’ll cook him dinner if he wins and vice-a-versa… or he could get a tattoo, a (Magpie) on his (bum) perhaps, we’ll figure something out.”
The last time two brothers coached against each other was in the 1960 season when Fos and Glynn Williams led South Adelaide and Sturt respectively.
That year Glynn’s Double Blues finished ahead of Fos’ Panthers, but both missed finals – something the Hartletts will want to avoid.
In 2024 the SANFL is celebrating 70 years of the Premiership team’s colours being displayed on either the Thebarton Brewery chimney stack or more recently the chimney at the Brickworks.
Port Adelaide’s were the first colours on display after beating West in the 1954 SANFL Grand Final.
Hamish Hartlett is hoping to repeat the feat 70 years on, starting with a win over reigning premiers Glenelg in his side’s season opener on Friday evening.
“Come Friday night at Glenelg down at the Bay when there’s 4,000-5,000 people there and plenty of the Magpies’ faithful there at quarter time and three-quarter time, when I’m immersed in that environment, I’ll probably feel the pinch a little bit because the expectations of every Port Adelaide supporter is that we need to be winning all the time,” he said.
“I’m sure there’ll be a little bit of nerves around that sort of stuff but there are certain things I can control and that is making sure that the players are in a good frame of mind and we’re well prepared for Friday night’s game first and foremost and then we’ll ride the wins and losses from there.”
Port Adelaide will open its SANFL season against the reigning premiers at the Bay on Friday from 4:40pm.
