Tears as AFL’s Tasmania team falls apart over state government plot

There are fears the AFL’s newest club is finished before it even began with chaos unfolding in Tasmania on Wednesday.

The Tasmania Devils are fighting for their survival with political chaos rocking the entire state on Wednesday.

The AFL’s 19th franchise has gone public to make a plea to state government figures after Tasmanian Labor on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

The extraordinary development means Tasmanians could be heading back to the polls if another election is called.

The move comes after ongoing allegations the Rockliff Government has mismanaged the Apple Isle’s budget and bungled key infrastructure projects, including the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium — the venue the Devils hope to call home when they enter the AFL in 2028.

Rockliff has been one of the emerging football club’s strongest supporters — even in a climate where there has been widespread anger towards the planned $1b stadium.

Kath McCann, the Devils’ general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact, on Wednesday broke down in tears at a press conference.

“This club is powered by future generations,” she said after stepping away from microphones to compose herself.

You can watch the emotional moment in the video above

Kath McCann was in tears. Photo X and @brentcostelloe.

“I’ve got 50 students out here in my sight line, they power us every single day and they will keep doing that.

“We’re going to play on. We want to see this team become a reality because our young people deserve it.”

The football club has also released a media statement confessing the political turbulence threatened the club’s survival.

“The political uncertainty that is currently unfolding in the Tasmanian Parliament is of great concern to Tasmania Football Club,” the football club said.

“Like the rest of the community, we are unsure what will happen today and what the impacts of any actions taken might be. What we do know is that uncertainty presents a serious risk for jobs, investment and growth, and for the future of Tasmania Football Club.

“Tasmania Football Club remains steadfast on building a Club for all Tasmanians. We are also steadfast on staying out of politics. We ask that our political leaders understand the implications of their actions and decisions on the future of our state for all Tasmanians, a future which we know Tasmania Football Club can play a significant part.”

McCann said the optics for Tasmania pulling the pin were “really bad”.

“What this looks like is uncertainty, what this looks like is a risk to invest, what this looks like is a state that isn’t unified,” she said.

“I think we’re better than that and our leaders need to think about the consequences of their actions.”

Hobart's proposed AFL stadium at Macquarie Point. Picture: Macquarie Point Development Corporation

New renders of Hobart's proposed Macquarie Point AFL Stadium. Picture: Macquarie Point Development Corporation

Leading Tasmanian sport journalist Brent Costelloe on Tuesday night told Channel 9 it is a “giant mess”.

The ABC’s Chris Rowbottom has also written on X, describing the precarious position the club finds itself in.

“Tasmania’s AFL license hangs by the barest of threads,” Rowbottom posted.

“There’s an acceptance that an early election spells the end of any stadium, including alternate proposals, and the Devils.”

He earlier reported there was a widely held view the “Devils will be dead” if a state election is called.

The AFL has always held a policy that a Tasmanian team entering the AFL was dependant on a new stadium being built in Hobart.

The Macquarie Point project has been highly divisive right from the start and that was before estimated costs first began to blow out from an initial value of $755 million.

It was revealed last month the total cost of the project has blown out to at least $945 million.

The Tasmanian state government has pledged $375 million towards the roofed, harbour-front stadium, while the federal government has committed to $240 million. The AFL body’s $15 million contribution has also been made public, leaving more than over $300m remaining to be funded through state borrowings.

Leading figures in the state, including recently re-elected independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, have criticised the AFL for its demands for a new stadium in the state capital.

Lambie said in January the project “is not viable”.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is facing a no-confidence vote. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“The state government needs to go and tell the AFL where to stick it right now and tell them it’s not going to play the game,” she said.

She called for the government to “tell AFL Australia that quite frankly the deal is a dud, and that’s it”.

Leading football reporter Sam Edmund on Wednesday told SEN: “Jeremy Rockliff looks doomed as Tasmania premier. Doesn’t have the numbers to withstand the current vote of no confidence.

“The stadium — and therefore the Devils licence - now on very thin ice. There’s a world where both major parties take a pro-stadium approach to another election, but given it’s so hard to get a majority down there they’ll have to cut deals with independents & Greens and the first thing to negotiate will almost certainly be the stadium that most of them despise.

“That’s the source of the uncertainty given stadium is yet to go to a vote.”

Economist Nicholas Gruen has warned the proposed stadium leaves “Tasmanians at risk of paying too much for too little,” generating just 44 cents of benefit for each dollar of cost.

Tuesday’s no-confidence bombshell came just under 15 months since Tasmania’s last election.

The Liberals secured 14 of the 35 lower house seats in the 2024 state vote, giving Mr Rockliff a tenuous minority government.

Labor last month resisted calls from the Greens to back a no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff.

But opposition leader Dean Winter dramatically changed his tune on Tuesday during his budget-reply address and now all bets are off.

Originally published as Tears as AFL’s Tasmania team falls apart over state government plot