Alarm bells ringing for a Tasmanian football legend over flood of players leaving the state before VFL team and Devils hit the ground
A Tasmanian football legend has been left angered by a player exodus from the home state ahead of the VFL team and AFL Devils pulling on the boots. It comes as the under-18 sides prepare to play less games.
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Tasmanian football legend Robert Shaw has taken aim at football administrators over the unprecedented exodus of players from his former state to competitions in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
The former Fitzroy and Adelaide Crows coach, and architect of Tasmania’s historic win over Victoria in 1990, Shaw said it was detrimental to Tasmania’s hopes of fielding a competitive team in the VFL ahead of the Devils joining the AFL in 2028.
Tasmania’s top competition, the Tasmanian State League, was terminated at the end of the season last year.
That left a gap-year in top-level football before the state’s VFL team is due to come online in 2026.
The now defunct TSL has been replaced by regional football competitions in the north and south.
The impending termination of the TSL over the past two years resulted in at least 30 of the state’s best players heading for greener pastures interstate, creating what Shaw says is a talent vacuum at home.
Alarm bells started ringing for Shaw, who instigated the push for a Tasmanian AFL licence in the early 1990s, after hearing Glenorchy young guns Liam and Connor Ling, the grandsons of Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame player and Magpies legend coach Danny Ling, had left their local club to play in the SANFL.
“First and foremost my concerns were raised after speaking to Danny after his boys (grandsons) moved to South Australia, despite being important components of the Glenorchy rebuild,” Shaw said.
“It is a duty of responsibility for the executive of AFL Tasmania to run a strong and attractive competition to filter into a VFL team and ultimately the Tasmanian Football Club.
“They are failing in that duty quite clearly if over 30 young talents over the past two years do not see local comp as a genuine stepping stone.
“You cannot blame them, or their parents.”
Tasmania’s gap year has been filled with Senior Talent academies for men and women.
They will train throughout the year and play six representative games in 2025, starting with a men’s and women’s clash with SANFL club Norwood at the Twin Ovals on March 2.
Shaw says the $80,000 salary cap for Premier League regional teams is inadequate.
“One of the key performance indicators of any competition leadership is the ability _ through an attractive and viable competition _ to attract and retain both coaches and players,” Shaw said.
“The current salary cap and the competition do neither.”
Shaw believes the Premier League clubs need a salary cap of $250,000 — the SANFL’s salary cap this season is $260,000 and WANFL is $264,000 — and consideration should be given to the regional competitions being run by a Tasmanian Football Commission, similar to the way the WAFL and SANFL are run.
Meanwhile, AFL Tasmania said the decision “was not taken lightly” after successfully requesting their Coates Talent League boys and girls teams play less games this season due to a challenging travel load.
The Devils boys’ games will be reduced from 15 last year to 12 and the girls from 14 to 13, with powerbrokers concerned about the load being placed on their young guns.
Ten of the boys’ 15 matches last year were played on the mainland, while the girls’ fixture was slightly more evenly split with eight of 14 on the road.
AFL Tasmania talent manager Dave O’Sign said the players’ commitments outside football including schooling were taken into account.
“Following consultation with our coaches and wellbeing team, and with the best interest of the players in mind, we have made the decision to play fewer Coates Talent League games in 2025,” O’Sign said in a statement.
“The boys games have been reduced from 15 to 12 and the girls from 14 to 13. However, there is a plan to add one girls under-17 game and one boys under-17 game to play against one of the interstate CTL or Academy under-17 teams.
“This decision was not taken lightly, but we believe the reduction in games will reduce fatigue to optimise performance for the peak period for the athletes.
“Our players travel large distances within our home state while travelling interstate every second week, and many are also completing Year 12 which is an important priority.
“These changes will not affect our eligibility to play finals, as the ladder is decided on a match ratio basis.”
The Coates Talent League fixture is expected to be released later this month.
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