Past Callum Bartlett (2009-2013)

[Dylan12]

If he could get and keep his fitness up and were to be kept on for another year, I'd be giving him a heap of Kieran Jack and Luke Power dvd's to watch over the off season and aspire to a similar role (albeit very high ones).

 

[Haso]

Reserves cross-conference champions
22 Sep, 2012
Sam Canavan

Cal Bartlett stamped himself on the contest with a brace of second quarter six-pointers, including a freakish checkside banana from the boundary line.

 

[kharis]

waiting... struggling with patience (know how you feel Cal)
still uncontracted
still on the list.
For me the result of the Lions trading ... how many we get and who we get will decide Cal's fate.
Don't think they will trade him but if they delist him I figure he will be picked up by someone.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

I think Ace is more of a chance to leave than Cal, just because we'd get more for him in a trade. But that may be wishful thinking. If we keep Cal, when he makes his debut next year we need to commemorate it in some special way on the board. It'll be monumental.

 

[mpal6]

Want him to stay. He'll be so driven to prove himself, worst time to lose him.
He's already had a good run in reserves, sign him up Lions.

 

[Panthera]

Can't see why he's even being mentioned as not being a Lion in some capacity in 2013

 

[LION UP]

Can't see why he's even being mentioned as not being a Lion in some capacity in 2013

That might be because they haven't offered him a contract and it's trade 3 weeks, soon to be followed by national draft!

 

[chopperduck]

Pretty sure Kerr or someone said that both Bartlett and Ace are yet to sign new contracts, but that they will be getting offered one.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Pretty sure Kerr or someone said that both Bartlett and Ace are yet to sign new contracts, but that they will be getting offered one.

According to Whiting of AFL.com, Kerr was a bit more bullish, saying "out-of-contract youngsters Aaron Cornelius and Callum Bartlett were close to re-signing".

 

[Hollow Knight]

Yeah I thought Whiting put an overly positive spin on it.

Yeah Kerr said they were close to re-signing but he also said that they were currently unsigned to give the club flexibility during trade week.

That reads pretty clear to me. The club either views them as tradeable or even potentially delistable if better options are obtained in the trade period.

 

[whatboutbob]

Yeah I thought Whiting put an overly positive spin on it.

Yeah Kerr said they were close to re-signing but he also said that they were currently unsigned to give the club flexibility during trade week.

That reads pretty clear to me. The club either views them as tradeable or even potentially delistable if better options are obtained in the trade period.

That was my immediate take on it, listening to the comments on radio.

 

[Vipertooth]

Yeah I thought Whiting put an overly positive spin on it.

Yeah Kerr said they were close to re-signing but he also said that they were currently unsigned to give the club flexibility during trade week.

That reads pretty clear to me. The club either views them as tradeable or even potentially delistable if better options are obtained in the trade period.

Bartlett gone once we have signed Moloney? I hope not!

 

[kharis]

Bartlett gone once we have signed Moloney? I hope not!

Probably not. I figure Cal has got more pace than Moloney and Kerr has said "we also lack a little in our ability to move quickly from a contest" so I think he may still be in the mix. Besides he seems to be playing either as a defensive small forward/wing or a tagging player in the 2s at the moment. Or maybe it is just wishful thinking

 

[Happy_Neale]

Hmmm Moloney and Bartlett do seem to be similar types of players...

If Bartlett is to get de-listed, it would have to be the biggest de-listing of a non-debutant ever at our club.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

Yeah I thought Whiting put an overly positive spin on it.

Yeah Kerr said they were close to re-signing but he also said that they were currently unsigned to give the club flexibility during trade week.

That reads pretty clear to me. The club either views them as tradeable or even potentially delistable if better options are obtained in the trade period.

I completely admit that I'm probably just being optimistic, but my interpretation of those comments was that we need to keep flexibility in the salary cap, and hence can't sign off on a $150, 000 one year deal for Ace if we may need $25, 000 of that for another deal.

 

[karix]

I completely admit that I'm probably just being optimistic, but my interpretation of those comments was that we need to keep flexibility in the salary cap, and hence can't sign off on a $150, 000 one year deal for Ace if we may need $25, 000 of that for another deal.

I agree, especially if they think they still might snare Tippett it could be something as simple as how they front end / back end a few contracts to make sure it all fits this year.

 

[chopperduck]

Probably worth noting that neither of them seem to worried about it either. Both have been off on holidays. If they thought they were on the chopping block they would be asking for a trade, not off having fun without a care in the world. Obviously they have been told their contracts will be sorted after the club is finished with the trade/FA period.

 

[dlanod]

I had a dream that Barlett had re-signed.

Apparently not the case as yet.

 

[texdog]

Hi I really hope for my 2nd cousins sake(Callum Bartlett) he gets a contract. He will turn out a gun player that specialises in pressure acts and has a bit of X-factor. What more do you want in a player. He can kick goals, he plays for the team, he will give you something in every contest and has a good head on his shoulders. For me I would love if he went to the doggies but I hope he gets a new contract at the lions.

 

[irel]

Hi I really hope for my 2nd cousins sake(Callum Bartlett) he gets a contract. He will turn out a gun player that specialises in pressure acts and has a bit of X-factor. What more do you want in a player. He can kick goals, he plays for the team, he will give you something in every contest and has a good head on his shoulders. For me I would love if he went to the doggies but I hope he gets a new contract at the lions.

You're not a very good cousin ayyy? Shouldn't you be supporting Bartlett and the team he plays for?

 

[texdog]

You're not a very good cousin ayyy? Shouldn't you be supporting Bartlett and the team he plays for?

I already barracked for the doggies before he was drafted and I am loyal to the dogs. Even though they won't have much success in the near future

 

[BlairForceOne]

Surely we will keep him on. Moloney will only be around for a few years, by that time hopefully Cal will be playing some good hard footy and be ready to take the reins from someone like Moloney.

 

[Haso]

Callum Bartlett 2012 End of Season Review
by kharis

2011 review

Senior games: 0
Dreamteam: 0
Supercoach: 0
Goals: 0
Club Best and Fairest votes: 0
Listed in Bests, Lions Reserves: 7

Image (2012 NEAFL Northern Conference Grand Final) courtesy of Jorgo

Summary of his season:
Patient, a little reminder I need patience!?!?! #ivelostit #waitinggame #implayingit #docs/Physios where's my head at? 23 Jul via Twitter for iPhone@calbartlett13 (Callum Bartlett)

This to me was the mantra for Callum and the other keen Cal followers this season - including me!

Cal started the pre season behind the rest of the group in fitness due to having a little clean out of his knee that limited his running. However this was the first pre-season in 3 years where he was able to complete all of the activities, how be it with a great deal of effort. We were treated with Cal's Tweets that gave us insight to his tough progress.

He was not involved in the NAB games due to his fitness base being low. However on the 11 March he played his 15th match in 3 years for the reserves. Cal's comments showed us where he was coming from: "Playing my 15th game in 3 yrs today! pulled up really well, played pretty average but taking the positive out of it! Another game under the belt!!"

Highlights of his NEAFL Season
He started his 2012 NEAFL Season in Round 2 vs Broadbeach and spent a bit of time in the midfield.
Nathan Clarke: “Callum Bartlett also spent a bit more time in the midfield and showed some real improvements. He still just needs continuity in his game and regain his speed and agility off the mark.” “But like all players coming back from serious injury, that just takes time.”

NEAFL Round 3 vs UWS Giants
Cal was among the Lions’ best players with a midfield tagging job.
Nathan Clarke: “Cal did a great run-with role and shut-down young Miles from the Giants, I think Gary O’Donnell summed him up perfectly when he labelled Bartlett as being a bit*‘feisty’.”

NEAFL Round 4 vs Northern Territory Thunder
Cal continued his recent improvement in a tagging role and starts to show the sort of form he displayed prior to the knee problems.
Nathan Clarke: “Callum Bartlett was probably close to our best midfielder. He’s improving every week and is looking more agile.”

Rested Round 6

The general consensus of those watching Cal plat was that he shows plenty of promise but is still rusty. His form is improving, but is still a way off being dominant. There is absolutely no doubt about his appetite for the contest.

NEAFL round 9 vs UWS Giants
Nathan Clarke: “Cal Bartlett also got back to his feisty little self. We set him a task to play on a couple of their really good midfielders including James McDonald. He got back on track with the defensive side of his game and, along with Richie Newell, was one of the unsung heroes. They epitomised the way that we wanted to stick to our roles for the entire match, and allowed us to kick such a big score.”

NEAFL Round 16 vs Labrador 16 July 2012
Cal was used in a new role across half forward and not as a tagger and was among a lot of good players for the Lions.
Nathan Clarke: “His decision-making was a real feature ... When others were trying to invent new ways to turn it over by handball Cal was just playing the percentages. For a young fella he’s got a good head on his shoulders and he showed good voice and leadership.”

After this game, Cal's 11th NEAFL game of the season (including 4 best player), the Lions website published an article called "Next In Line" (19 Jul, 2012) which got everyone excited that Cal was going to make his seniors debut shortly:
“Bartlett has endured the longest wait, having overcome two knee reconstructions in each of his first two seasons in Brisbane. But the Geelong Falcons recruit has so far enjoyed an uninterrupted 2012 season in the NEAFL, which has helped him regain valuable match fitness and get confidence back in his body. Fresh from a best-on-ground performance against Labrador last Saturday, Bartlett is now building towards his chance at senior level."

It didn't happen.

Cal played the last 5 Home and Away NEAFL games for 7 goals.

Final series:
In the 4 games of the final series Cal was used more as a half forward/wingman rather than a midfielder and scored 10 goals. He also applied plenty of forward defensive pressure with fierce tackling.

In the Qualifying Final against Southport Cal kicked 2 goals.

In the Preliminary Final against NT Thunder Cal was lively throughout and mixed fierce tackling pressure and clever ball use with three important goals.

In the NEAFL Grand Final against NT Thunder Cal scored two goals in a minute for the Lions.

In the NEAFL Championship match in the second quarter Cal kicked two goals including a freakish checkside banana from the boundary line. He finished the match with three.

Having watched the last three games via streaming it seemed obvious to me that Cal was being used as a defensive forward. And as is usual with this role the player can often go unnoticed for large portions of the game but plays the team role and is rewarded by the coaching staff to the dismay of other onlookers. Cal had clear flashes of influence in the games and his tackling pressure and goal kicking was influential in the outcomes.

Conclusion:
The season ended and we the onlookers, who had often struggled with patience waiting for Cal's senior debut, were at a loss as to what now? Cal hadn't set the footy world on fire. He had not made the senior team when many others had. Although he played the team role as a defensive forward in the last part of the season, he was not noticable like other, such as Amon Buchanan or Sam Michael.

Suddenly his age and lack of senior games became a liability.
Would he be delisted?
Had he done/showed enough?
The onlookers seem to be divided pretty evenly into both camps.

In writing this at the beginning of October Cal still has not got a contract but has not been delisted.
What does that mean?
I hope it means that the Lions are deciding how many years to offer him.
However I have a uneasy feeling that Cal's future will hang on who the Lions get in the trade period.

As one who has been waiting 3 years to see Cal deliver on his potential, sadly it may not be as a Lion.

 

[Haso]

Excellent job kharis. I myself am an unabashed Cal fanboy, but I found your review to be wonderfully balanced. I want nothing more than to see him debut in Rd 1, 2013.

 

[PTizzle]

Yeah, very nice review.

Would be shattered if we lost Bartlett - I really see this as a Shuey-type situation (work through the issues, reap the rewards).