Bartlett’s coming of age a little over a week ago heralded his longest uninterrupted run of football since coming to the Brisbane Lions in 2009, and his Mum made a surprise visit north to commemorate the occasion.
But the hard-bodied midfielder spent the night sitting on a restaurant chair rather than a bar stool.
“My 21st was actually pretty low-key; nothing over the top at all,” Bartlett explains.
“Mum came up which was really good, and I just went out for dinner with a few of the boys. It was a Tuesday night so I had to be sweet for training the next day.”
Its maturity and professionalism like this that’s been fundamental to Bartlett overcoming two consecutive knee reconstructions and returning to the football field.
Those injuries saw Bartlett miss two pre-seasons, but he’s benefiting from an uninterrupted summer on the track this year, and says his body’s feeling better than ever.
“I’m doing really well, this is probably as good as I’ve felt since coming to the Club,” he says.
“I’ve done all the hard yards with rehabilitation and spent the hours in the gym building up some strength and size so I’m happy with the way I’m going.”
While he’s grown his frame to a muscular 75kg, and recently showed his upper-body strength in beating Tom Rockliff in a bench press challenge, its growth of another kind which he’s most proud of.
“I had a pretty fair beard going on for about two months; the boys gave me a lot of stick for it!” Bartlett laughs.
“I only recently shaved the beard off. I left it for a couple of months and it came along well, I didn’t really plan it.”
Something Bartlett is now planning on is a senior call-up.
After a consistent year in the ladder-leading Lion’s Reserves side he reckons he’ll be ready if elevated, but acknowledges there are elements of his game he hopes to improve.
“Playing in the top side is obviously what I want; I’ve been here a few years now and haven’t managed to crack a game yet,” Bartlett says.
“I’ll definitely give it my best if I get the call, but I think there are things I need to keep on working on in the seconds like my defensive pressure and endurance.”
While intent on building form and fitness, Bartlett’s also partial to construction in a hands-on sense.
“In my down time I like to relax and play FIFA like a lot of the boys, but recently there’s been a few building projects which have gone well,” he explains.
“I live with Mitch Golby and Ryan Harwood and we’ve been making some things down in the shed of late; we built a bar which is pretty nice, so that might be a career after footy!”
