No AFL path for North-West’s talented kids, says AFL Hall of Fame member Matthew Richardson

FORMER Richmond legend and AFL Hall of Fame member Matthew Richardson says there is now no opportunity on the State’s North-West for footballers to reach their AFL dreams.

Tasmanian AFL great Matthew Richardson says the AFL needs to put more money into fooball in Tasmania.

FORMER Richmond legend and AFL Hall of Fame member Matthew Richardson says there is now no opportunity on the state’s North-West for Tasmania’s young footballers to reach their AFL dreams.

Once regarded as one of Tasmania’s football heartlands, the region now has no State League representation with Burnie and Devonport pulling out of the competition ahead of the 2018 season.

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Richardson, who played 282 games for the Tigers after being drafted from Devonport in 1992, said the once rich breeding-ground for talent now appears to have evaporated.

“For me, there was clearly more opportunity on Tasmania’s North-West in my junior years than there is now,” Richardson said.

“At Devonport in the early 1990s we had a strong development program that invited teenagers from all over the region from Latrobe to Ulverstone.

“I look at it now and there’s no State League team, the Mariners program appears lost — there’s effectively no pathway for players. Every avenue seems to have gone.”

Proud North-West Coaster Matthew Richardson laments the decline of football in the state.

Burnie and Devonport will now compete in the North West Football League, with Burnie players 18 and under as of January 1 rezoned to play with TSL club Launceston, while Devonport players of the same age have been rezoned to North Launceston.

Richardson said it was imperative that players entering their draft year were playing top level football.

“These young guys need to be playing State League football to improve their draft chances,” he said.

“You’re not going to get drafted from the NWFL — the competition just isn’t strong enough.”

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The 13-time Richmond leading goal-kicker and three-time All Australian believed Tasmania’s North-West needed to focus more on growing grassroots football in the region.

“Junior development has got to be invested in,” said Richardson.

“As a young player on the North-West in the early ’90s, I had a good clear pathway to show my talent.

“Looking at it now 25 years later, it seems pretty wrong.”

The North-West Coast now faces a long road back to ever reproducing another AFL Hall of Fame member, and while AFL boss Gillon McLachlan last week said football in Tasmania was improving, Richardson believes the North-West needs more funding if it is to recover.

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“It’s important that we don’t neglect one of Australia’s football heartlands — which has been a great breeding ground over the years,” Richardson said.

“At the end of the day the AFL is where the money comes from.

“It’s clear there’s money there to support Tasmanian football, as we’ve seen plenty of money going into other areas.”

Richardson conceded that the lack of TSL players on the North-West was not entirely a football issue.

“We’ve got to realise that there is that problem of young men leaving the area for a number of reasons,” he said.

“It’s the facts of life that guys often leave areas for work and other opportunities.”

The release of the 2018 TSL fixture is expected within the next fortnight.