Bartsch, standing at 196 centimetres (6 ft 5 in)[a] and weighing 89 kilograms (196 lb), was smaller than many others in his position, but his adaptiveness, powerful jump and speed – unusual for a player his size[2] – helped compensate.
[2] He moved to a house across from Richmond Oval, the club's home ground, where he lived with four other players, including Modra and Kieran Sporn.
To help form their inaugural squad, Adelaide was allowed to recruit ten SANFL players listed by other AFL clubs.
[1] He attended the club's pre-season, including their first-ever training session,[7] but stress fractures in his shins prevented him from playing early in the season.
[2] Morris's push ultimately succeeded, with Essendon hoping his personal connection to Bartsch would be enough to persuade the player to make an interstate move.
[8] Two weeks after Bartsch returned to training, Morris called to inform him Essendon were intending to select him in the next day's preseason draft.
The solution he and Essendon worked out was to fly across to Melbourne on Thursdays, stay at Morris's hotel, then return to Adelaide on Sundays.
This injury, together with an AFL decision to reduce the number of players clubs could list, led Essendon to delist Bartsch.
Instead, he opted to spend a year building fitness in the SANFL and seeking attention from AFL teams, particularly hoping to rejoin Essendon.
[2] His recruitment was considered a "bonus" for the club, since another Port ruckman, Brett Chalmers, was set to leave for Adelaide in the AFL.
[9] Bartsch played ten games for Port Adelaide, but suffered back injuries and ultimately retired aged 25.
[10] Richard Hinds, writing for The Age, called Bartsch "the perfect example of how the seemingly clinical drafting process can also be the province of hope, wishful thinking and whimsy".
[1] For Jon Anderson, writing for the Herald Sun, Bartsch exemplified how the AFL draft had been "a case of pick and hope" in its early stages.
[5] Bartsch regretted his unorthodox travel arrangement while at Essendon, believing it cost him opportunities, and endorsed requiring players to nominate themselves for the draft before they could be selected.