Kevin Sheedy says Tasmania could lose 19th AFL license to a town in NSW

AFL legend Kevin Sheedy has provided a unique perspective on where the AFL’s 19th team could come from if the Devils weren’t to enter the competition. And why he believes it’s a “matter of time” for further growth.

Kevin Sheedy (pictured holding the Anzac Day cup in 2004) thinks the AFL could end up sending the 19th team in the competition to NSW. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

AFL legend Kevin Sheedy has proposed a shock location for the AFL’s 19th team if the Tasmania Devils weren’t to enter the competition.

The Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend said if the Tasmanian government isn’t able to meet the terms of their license for an expansion club, they could find themselves losing it to a town in rugby league heartland.

Under the agreement with the AFL, any proposed stadium at Macquarie Point would need a roof.

“It’s always about population and money. You see there’s half a million people in Tasmania still deciding if they want a roof on the top of their footy ground,” Sheedy told this masthead.

“If they’re not careful, Newcastle could get the team. With a team in west Sydney, and a team in the Gold Coast and Brisbane, we’ve got Newcastle sitting there waiting for their opportunity.

“One day, it’s going to happen. Whether we end up with 20 teams in Australia or 22, it’s just a matter of time, but we will.”

The shock claim comes as Sheedy backed northern Australia as an ideal region for a top-level expansion club.

Sheedy, who spoke ahead of a sportsman’s night with AFL Cairns club Manunda Hawks, said the old rugby league/Aussie rules divide needed to be broken down.

“Everywhere is an AFL part of the world, let’s reset the map,” he said.

“You just never know where the great players are going to come from,” he said.

“One of my champion players Leon Baker came from up here and helped me to win my first ever premiership as a coach.

“We also had Che Cockatoo-Collins play for us, he was a terrific player and was really part of that beginning phase of Indigenous players starting to come through.“

Originally published as Kevin Sheedy says Tasmania could lose 19th AFL license to a town in NSW