Kick in the guts for the TSL with Burnie Dockers ‘unlikely’ to return to statewide footy
BURNIE Dockers coach Brent Plant says the club may never return to the TSL, in another blow to top level football in Tasmania.
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BURNIE Dockers coach Brent Plant says the club may never return to the TSL, in another blow to top level football in Tasmania.
It was revealed on Wednesday night that Burnie will join the North West Football League this season after bowing out of the TSL because of a lack of players.
Plant, who returned to the Dockers ahead of this year after coaching the club to its last premiership in 2012, said it was very unlikely Burnie would be involved in the State League soon.
“We are 100 per cent committed to developing a long future in the NWFL,” Plant said.
“Through discussions with the NWFL administration we’ve felt that we were made to feel welcome, and that’s been evident from the unanimous votes from club delegates, and executives to vote us into the league.
“Burnie won’t return to the TSL in the foreseeable future, and if the foreseeable future is 20 years then so be it.”
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Plant said the level of travel involved in continuing with the TSL for this year and beyond would be untenable for the North-West club.
“I think the TSL could have handled their preparation and performance better,” Plant said.
“The 2018 TSL fixture scheduled us for nine games on the road, and had Lauderdale listed with three games away from Hobart.
“I think the spread could have been more consistent.”
The news came as Tasmanian AFL player and former Lauderdale midfielder Mitch Robinson weighed in over the AFL’s treatment of Tasmanian football.
“I still remember clear as day the words that former AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said during a visit to my previous club when expansion into southeast Queensland and Greater Western Sydney was being discussed,” said Robinson, who plays for Brisbane.
“I asked this question: ‘Why isn’t Tasmania in discussions for an AFL team during these upcoming expansions?’
“The words that stuck with me from his reply were: ‘Tasmanians already watch AFL’.
“That’s when it truly hit me the state I love wouldn’t be having their own team anytime soon.”
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