Michael Hartley will be putting his hand up for senior selection after a strong performance for Essendon VFL this week.

The defender fought off a slow start to finish well playing under constant pressure from the opposition.

Taken with pick 68 in the 2015 draft, the ex-Magpie showed why he was so highly rated at a VFL level.

Hartley was a key player in the backline with his strong marking and read on the play crucial to the team’s ability to rebound 50. 

VFL Coach Matthew Egan believed that Hartley’s ability to work himself back into the game was a positive sign in his development as a defender.

“The ability as a defender to comeback after not the greatest start to the game was really good to see,” said Egan

“His third quarter in particular was good and we saw him begin to back himself, take a lot of intercept marks and really start to use the ball a lot better.”

Hartley was one of the Bombers’  top performers during the NAB Challenge and was considered unlucky to miss out on selection for Round 1.

Coach John Worsfold revealed that it was a tough decision and that Hartley only narrowly missed out on a spot.

“Michael Hartley has been great for us as well, when it comes to crunch time we were really impressed with Mitch Brown’s pre-season, Paddy Ambrose’s pre-season and Jimmy Gwilt,” Worsfold said earlier in the week

“They just edged him out of the side but not through us doubting whether he’s good enough to play AFL.

“I think he’s shown enough to say that he’s going to be a good player for the Essendon Football Club for a fair while.”

Hartley will be pushing for selection this week against Melbourne as Coaches attempt to find the perfect mix in the backline.