Former Essendon and Hawthorn defender Michael Hartley will coach BFNL club Castlemaine in 2024.
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Hartley will be the third senior coach at the Pies in three years and will take over from Brendan Shepherd.
Hartley moved to Bendigo at the start of the year to take on the role of inaugural competition manager for the new AFL Central Victoria under-18 league.
"When Michael was appointed in his role at AFLCV he went around and met all the clubs and I had a good inkling then that I thought he was the person for us to move forward,'' Castlemaine FNC president Caleb Kuhle said.
Hartley played 49 AFL games with Essendon (44) and Hawthorn (5) as a key defender between 2016 and 2021, while he also spent two years on Collingwood's rookie list in 2012-13.
In 2022 he was a development coach with Collingwood's VFLM and AFLW programs and also has certificates in sports development, player development and fitness and previously spent six years volunteering with Essendon's The Academy program.
READ MORE: AFLCV proposes new league as early as 2024
On the field, the 30-year-old will add some much-needed class and experience to Castlemaine's key position stocks.
He's spent the past season-and-a-half playing with GVFL club Seymour.
While Hartley's football experience will allow him to draw on some quality contacts from a recruiting point of view, Kuhle said the club main's focus would remain on local content.
"We have a strong resolve to local players and we'll maintain that under Michael,'' Kuhle said.
"We have a firm belief that Castlemaine should be Castlemaine.
"I'm not saying we won't have players coming out of Bendigo or Melbourne, we will do that.
"We have done the hard yards of getting a local base and now it's time to support them with some additional experience and talent.
"We feel as though we have a very good base to build from and move our way up the ladder."
READ MORE: Catch up on the latest local sport news
Kuhle said Shepherd, who has led the club to two wins so far in 2023, backed the move to appoint Hartley.
"Shep is supportive of the decision and he's indicated he wants to stay around the club.
"He's local to the area, he's a premiership player at the club, his daughters play netball at the club and we want him around the club.
"We're keen for him to stay involved."
The Magpies host Kyneton at the Camp Reserve on Saturday.
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