When Kyle Hartigan’s AFL career ended in 2021, he refused to get swept up in the rat race of another career.

Instead, the former Crow and Hawk defender decided to slow down and take some time away with his young family.

Hartigan, his wife Emily and their two children - Henley, who was three at the time and Hazel, who was one - jumped in a caravan and spent nine months travelling around Australia.

“That was a great experience, having the ability to connect, make a really strong relationship with our kids while they’re young,” Hartigan said.

“You can’t get back time, so we wanted to do things and have great experiences with the kids while we were able to and you never know what’s around the corner.

“We travelled around South Australia, spent four months in WA, went right up the top to Darwin and Cape York (North Queensland) and then down the east coast.

“There’s not too many times where you hit 30 and you have to completely change your career path, so we thought it was a great opportunity to take a gap year. It was fantastic.”

Despite switching off from the footy world for a while, it didn’t take Hartigan long to return to the game.

In an almost full-circle moment, the now 33-year-old is working where it all started for him - at Werribee Football Club - after taking on the role of football manager ahead of the 2025 VFL season.

“I was actually drafted from Werribee when I was 21 and it was a club that helped develop me and prepare me for AFL, so when I finished up I knew that it was a place I wanted to give back to,” Hartigan said.

“I went back as a coach last year, the CEO gave me a call and asked if I would be interested in coaching their backline, so I went back there.

“Then the footy manager role came up, and I decided to jump at that. It’s a club that I am very passionate about and helped me get my start, guiding me on my journey, so I am hoping to do the same for our guys out at Werribee.

“I want to continue the great work that the people before me have done for the footy club.”

Speaking to AFC Media, Hartigan said easing back into the footy world didn’t start with a return to Werribee but began with a move into player management.

It was a job offer from W Sports Media that led to his family returning home to Victoria after the nine-month trip around the country.

“I ended up working for the company that Garry Winter and Dimitris Parhas founded - they looked after me when I was playing footy and did a great job,” Hartigan said.

“I met Garry through the Adelaide Crows Foundation when I was playing and we built a really strong relationship.

“They were looking to have someone in Melbourne that they had never had before, so they reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in coming on board.

“Having been through the industry, and having different managers throughout my career, I thought I might be able to pass on some things to the players who might be going through the things I did in my career.”

Hartigan, who played 135 AFL games (113 for the Crows and 22 for Hawthorn, said working as a player manager had many “ups and downs”.

But he was glad he spent one-and-a-half years working in the field.

“You've got players going on and having success, and then you’ve got de-listings where you’ve got to pick up the pieces,” Hartigan said.

“There were definitely ups and downs but for the most part it was really rewarding.

“As a player you don’t realise the conversations that are happening with clubs as much, and with sponsors as well - to get endorsement deals and opportunities for your players.

“In those conversations you don’t realise some of the blockers and how competitive it is for guys to get players and that sort of stuff. It was definitely interesting and it was a great learning experience for me.”

The former key defender’s AFL career began when he was selected by Adelaide as a rookie in 2012, and made his debut against Fremantle in Round 18, 2013.

He then went on to feature in 112 more games for the Crows, before requesting a trade to Hawthorn at the end of the 2020 season.

Hartigan spent two seasons on the Hawks’ list but was delisted at the end of the 2022 campaign.

He said it did not come as a shock and understood during the campaign that his career would be over at the season’s end.

“I went to Hawthorn and sort of knew towards the backend of my career that my body wasn’t holding up as well as I would’ve liked and I sort of transitioned a little bit into coaching,” Hartigan said.

“Being in and out of the team in my last year and Sam Mitchell was pretty upfront, we had some really great conversations towards the end.

“I knew it was coming, which was great because I was able to prepare for life after footy and put things in place, so it didn’t come as a shock walking into the meeting at the end of the year.

“To be honest I didn’t really think about footy that much after I finished. It’s a high-pressure environment and that’s great when you’re in it, but after 10 years, it was time for me to move on and I was content with that.”

Hartigan said he had many fond memories of his time at the Crows and was grateful for all the friendships he forged along the way.

“The Western Bulldogs final we played in 2015 was the first time I played finals and it was a great game at the MCG,” Hartigan said.

“We played finals in 2016 and 2017 and made the Grand Final - although it was a disappointing end, it was still a great year and we had a lot of fun.

“Then on a personal note, kicking a goal and the boys getting around me - the one and only I kicked in my career - in 2016 against Essendon.

“I don’t take it for granted that I was able to build those friendships through the Adelaide Football Club, being a part of Brodie Smith’s wedding last year after having left the state, and to still have those connections built through footy are the special things I cherish.”