NTFA presses for rep expansion with men on ice for 2024

The NTFA won’t play a representative men’s match next season, with calls growing for the program to be expanded with a rep ‘tri series’ between the three regions.

NTFA players Cody Lowe and Jack Donnellan before this year’s clash with the NWFL. Picture: Jon Tuxworth

NTFA representative football director Geoff Skeggs has urged stakeholders to embrace rep footy to ensure its viability, with the region’s best male players denied a chance to play on the rep stage next year.

Skeggs has been a long-time advocate of a ‘tri series’ between the NTFA, NWFL and SFL - mirroring that currently played by the women - to ensure regions get at least two games apiece, with the possibility of a final.

The NTFA played NWFL this year in Devonport, won by the hosts by 36 points, but the only men’s rep clash next year will feature the NWFL and SFL.

“This year (2024) there won’t be a game for the men because the south will play the north-west,” Skeggs said.

“We’re trying to get a round robin like the women do, which would be good, but we haven’t got it off the ground yet.

“Hopefully things might change in the near future with the TSL going. Hopefully we get a few more players wanting to do that (play rep series) so it gives them a better look at (getting into) the VFL side.

“We’ve got to get the best players in the association to play. Somehow we need to change the culture to get the best guys to play.”

After this year’s game, NTFA assistant coach Tom Reinmuth threw his support behind an expanded representative schedule.

“Both the NTFA and NWFL would love to see it turn into an annual game,” he said.

“I think with the demise of the TSL (at the end of next season) regional footy, playing the SFL and north-west team once a year - with a state final post the grand final - would be a truly amazing thing for Tassie footy.

“There was a variety of reasons why NTFA didn’t have everyone available. There was a couple of injuries but moving forward once the TSL winds up, regional footy is the way forward to see the highest level of footy.

“I hope it’s on multiple occasions throughout the year, not a once a year thing.”

Given the looming introduction of a Tasmania VFL teams, Skeggs hopes more focus will be placed on providing pathways for players in their young to mid twenties to showcase themselves.

“Do we run a round robin in the under-25 bracket? The 28 to 33 year olds won’t make the VFL side, so we need to start looking at the younger players in the men and women,” he said. “Going forward we need to discuss what we’re going to do to support the VFL, and the younger kids.

“They’re going to open more academies, which is fine for the young kids, but what do we do for the slightly older players who need to have a similar incentive to try and get into the state team.

“We’ve got to stop losing the players to the mainland. Over the last five to ten years we lost so many players, but now the opportunity is going to be in Tassie.”

“It’s a lot of work, and what we work out I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”