FATHER TIME

BY PETER CORNWALL

Adam Hartlett had a feeling. The date for his first game as senior West Adelaide coach was April 1. The due date for his and wife Sarah’s third daughter was March 30.

And the Bloods boss was given an early warning. He almost missed his first trial game as coach, way back on March 4, because it looked like Elkie May was on her way. She wasn’t, but the afternoon before West’s season opener against North at Prospect Sarah “felt like something was happening”. It was. And, as you would expect of a good coach, Hartlett had a Plan B. He decided then and there it was time to go with this option, getting in touch with senior assistant Ryan Anderson, who had known there was the chance he would be stepping up for the clash with the Roosters.

Sarah’s waters broke at 11pm and Elkie was born at 7.55am on April 1.

“She was a long night,” Hartlett laughed. As coach, the 2015 Bloods premiership defender believes his relationships with his players and communicating with them is a major priority, so while he and Sarah were waiting, he got in touch with each player individually, texting positive messages about their coming challenge.

But, in the end, it wasn’t about the footy. “She’s beautiful,” Adam said of Elkie, who was 3.45kg and 50cm at birth, “and our two older girls (Indianna, eight, and Mila, six) are stoked.”

And Sarah was “really great”, going so well the family was back home by mid-afternoon the same day, just missing the start of Westies’ first-up clash. Hartlett naturally watched the game and admitted to flicking a few texts to head of football Paul Streatfield to get some feedback about what was happening outside the stoppages, with the TV not showing the full ground. There’s no way he would be troubling acting coach Anderson, who he had total faith in. “Ryan, he’s brilliant … I had mentally prepared myself not to be there but I have seen Ryan coach the reserves for the past two years and I knew the boys would be in great hands,” Hartlett said. Anderson had been on standby almost a month earlier when West faced South in Hartlett’s first trial game as coach. “Sarah was having a lot of contractions, from midnight until about 3am, and I was preparing for us to go to hospital.”

Now Hartlett, pleased his men “fought it out to the very end” in a 16-point Round 1 loss, is preparing to actually coach his first league game, a huge test against Adelaide. “I’m excited about Friday. I’m looking forward to being there.”

Adam Hartlett with daughter Elkie May and enjoying his role as West Adelaide coach at training.