Mixed score on Gillon McLachlan’s game plan for Tassie football

THE final piece of the AFL’s steering committee jigsaw has put in place, and chief executive Gillon McLachlan is set to unveil the committee’s solution to Tasmania’s footy crisis.

AFL Tasmania CEL Trisha Squires. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THE final piece of the AFL’s steering committee jigsaw has been put in place and chief executive Gillon McLachlan will arrive in Hobart on Tuesday to unveil the committee’s solution to Tasmania’s footy crisis.

The steering committee and the TSL clubs have reached an in-principle agreement assuring the future of the competition with a slight increase in funding.

It is understood Mr McLachlan did not want to head to Hobart until the question of the TSL’s future was resolved.

EDITORIAL: FOOTY SAFE, MORE TO DO

After announcing the creation of the steering committee on March 21 — chaired by Mr McLachlan and made up of Carlton coach Brendon Bolton, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, former Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt, AFL game development manager Rob Auld, AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires and AFL state league manager Simon Laughton — the AFL chief had hoped to announce the findings this morning, but rescheduled at the last minute.

It is believed a VFL side and talent pathway will be the major focus, with the increase of the state’s under-18s program, the Mariners, to be included in the first half of the TAC Cup before the academy series and the national championships. And it may not only be boys getting benefits, with the girls to join the under-18s equivalent in Victoria.

VFL clubs have been told a Tasmanian team will join the competition, most likely in 2021.

MORE: AFL TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARDS TEAM IN TASSIE

Momentum is growing to persuade the AFL to finally deliver Tasmania its own AFL team, moving on from the fly-in, fly-out models used by Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

The Devils were in the VFL competition from 2001 to 2009 before being withdrawn by AFL Tasmania to recreate the state league.

TSL clubds are set to receive an increase in funding under the new terms. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

Five of the seven clubs have agreed to terms with AFL Tasmania over the future of the competition, with negotiations continuing with North Launceston and Glenorchy.

The clubs received about $88,000 a year before jumping to $107,000 this season after reallocation of funding following the withdrawal of Burnie and Devonport. It is believed clubs will now receive $110,000, with the money linked to a set of key performance indicators yet to be agreed upon.

Some clubs had asked for a much bigger increase in funding, but those speaking at a press conference on Thursday were happy with the slight rise in the cash flow from AFL House. The controversial “one fails the KPIs, they all fail” clause proposed just last week has been removed.

Ms Squires said AFL Tasmania would take over development of the North-West Coast and an eighth club — whether it be on the Coast, Launceston or somewhere else — was on the future agenda.

“We were really open and there were options that did not include the TSL but I’m really happy to be sitting here today saying we are going forward with the TSL,” Ms Squires said.

“I think it plays an important part in the footy in Tasmania and I really value my relationships with the TSL clubs.”

North Launceston president Thane Brady said because of the legal strength of the existing licence agreements, he did not believe the competition was in doubt. But he said the steering committee had missed an opportunity to improve the league in all facets.

“We wanted to see a much improved TSL, we wanted to see plans in place to grow the competition, to lift its standard, to put it in a position where Tasmanians could play in the TSL and be drafted from it and clear plans on how the North-West Coast would be represented,” Mr Brady said.

“We are very disappointed because effectively we’ve gone through all this review and are back to where we started.

“We wanted to work with the AFL on increasing the overall standard of the TSL, the one thing holding us back is money and resources, the AFL has those things. With no clear growth strategy, our view is there is no real joy in this.”

AFL Tasmania CEO, second from left, at Blundstone Arena with TSL club presidents, from left, Paul Gadomski (Tigers, Julie Kay (Lauderdale) and Roger Viney (Clarence). Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

It is a view shared by Glenorchy.

“We think there was an opportunity missed to give the TSL a boost to make it the important league we think it should be to underpin any future VFL side and a logical extension of the Mariners program,” Magpies president John McCann said.

“However, the process is ongoing and there are a lot more details to be discussed but we weren’t in a position to provide our sign-off to what we think is an incomplete process.”

Lauderdale president Julie Kay said she feared for the future of the state league only weeks ago, but now the competition could proceed with confidence.

“The most important thing is the state league has been recognised by the AFL as a tier one competition rather than comparing it to a regional competition in Victoria,” Ms Kay said.

“That’s why it is really important for us to have the TSL recognised as the best football being played in Tasmania and they have chosen to fund that. We are pretty positive, there is devil in the detail of course and that is going to be sorted out because we agreed on those details to be discussed.”

Central to the club’s resolve had been the existing licences set up under the Dominic Baker-Scott Wade administration, Clarence president Roger Viney said.

“They have proven to be fundamental to our very existence,” Mr Viney said.

“It’s a very important document and that’s why they will remain in place unchanged, unfettered for the remaining five years until we are ready to negotiate on the next 10 years.”

He said if the state was to one day have an AFL team, it had to have underpinning structures such as the TSL.