Bring back Mariners to give Tassie kids hope, says Fagan

YOUNG Tasmanian footballers are devoid of aspiration after the demise of the full-time Mariners, says Brisbane’s Tasmanian coach Chris Fagan.

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan (centre) says a return of the Tassie Mariners to the TAC Cup would help save the state’s football crisis. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

YOUNG Tasmanian footballers are devoid of aspiration after the demise of the full-time Mariners, says Brisbane’s Tasmanian coach Chris Fagan.

Fagan was the Mariners inaugural coach from 1995-97, with the elite under-18s program withdrawing from the TAC Cup in 2002 when the Devils entered the VFL.

With the TSL in crisis after Burnie and Devonport’s exit, Fagan believes now is the time to reintroduce Tasmania to the TAC Cup again, which would have positive flow-on effects to the state league.

Devonport’s Mark Baker and Chris Fagan do a lap of honour with the cup after the 1988 grand final between Devonport and Glenorchy at North Hobart.

“Tasmanians are a proud people and they embrace the opportunity to represent their state,” Fagan, 56, said.

“It brings out the best in them.

“I witnessed that first hand when I coached the Mariners.”

Now was the time to give Tasmanian footballers hopes and dreams, something that has been missing in recent years.

“The end of the TAC Cup has resulted in a loss of aspiration,” he said.

“If there was a system like the Mariners where the kids had an opportunity in an elite competition every week there would be a natural improvement in the 18-year-olds coming through and the ones that didn’t get drafted would become good state league players or coaches down the track because of that exposure.

“That has all stopped.”

Chris Fagan playing for Sandy Bay in the TFL State Wide League.

During his time in charge of the Mariners, Fagan coached Brendon Bolton, who — while never drafted — became a North Launceston premiership player, coached North Hobart and Clarence and is now running Carlton.

Fagan said while participation rates were important, regular access to elite competitions would also result in a significant number of juniors taking up the sport.

“That is the same all around the world — you’ve got to have something to aim for,” he said.

“If you asked a young Tassie player now, what would he say he was aiming for?

“I don’t know what they would say.

“I know 20 years ago when I was lucky enough to coach the Mariners if you asked them what they were aiming for, they’d say, ‘I want to make the young Mariners, I want to make the Mariners, I want to try and get drafted.’

“You’d run trials and there would be kids everywhere, you’d be wondering how you were going to sort them all out.

“That’s how they improve, if they have got something to aim for, they improve. That’s now missing.”

Tasmanian Mariners side in 1996.

After being a premiership player with Devonport and coach of Sandy Bay in the original statewide league, Fagan said he had never seen Tasmanian football so low and it would only have a detrimental effect on the state’s aspirations to have its own AFL side.

“I worked in Tassie and played in Tassie when playing footy meant something,” Fagan said.

“It was good, it was healthy and it was great grounding and preparation if you wanted to go on to other things in footy.

“I met so many people through it and I’ve still got mates from there and playing in the state league was a good thing to do and you had some status.

“It doesn’t seem to be like that now, it seems aimless. It needs to have something at the top that people can aim for.”