Sam Siggins says AFL Tasmania on right track with its boost in interstate games to prepare players for VFL in 2026

TSL star Sam Siggins has declared “it’s super-important to engage the best players from around the state” after the plan for Tasmania to play six VFL games next year was revealed. Here’s what he said.

Sam Siggins celebrates the winning goal. Tasmania V Queensland. Picture: Linda Higginson

Tasmanian football star Sam Siggins has backed AFL Tasmania’s plan to triple interstate representative matches next year and says regional training hubs would be a huge boost to the state’s best young players and likely to entice other top talent home to play in the Devils VFL team in 2026.

AFL Tasmania is working on an “exciting” plan for Tasmania’s top talent in 2025 _ nicknamed the “gap year” because it falls between the end of the Tasmanian State League at the finish of this season and start of the Tasmanian VFL team in 2026.

Siggins, a three-time winner of the Alastair Lynch Medal as the TSL’s best player, has backed the plan to expose the best Tasmanian players to higher level football to potentially play in the VFL in the 2026 season.

Tasmania win the State Game against Queensland. Sam Siggins of Lauderdale won player of the match. Picture: Linda Higginson

The details are to be announced in the next few weeks.

“No one knows exactly what’s going on but it’s going to have to be something like that – you can’t just go from not having something like that, straight into the VFL,” he said.

Siggins was a star in Tasmania’s seven point win over Queensland at North Hobart Oval last year and played a key role in the state’s 46-point demolition of the Maroons on the Gold Coast two weeks ago.

Sam Siggins of Lauderdale in the team huddle. Tasmanian State League. Round One, Friday 29th March 2024. Lauderdale vs Clarence at Lauderdale Oval. Picture: Linda Higginson

Siggins, who would jump at the chance to play for Tassie in the VFL, says standards must remain high as the VFL Devils join the Tasmanian football landscape.

“It’s super-important to engage the best players from around the state,” Siggins said.

“It’s going to be a different make-up with no TSL next year.

“Having the best players able to train at a higher level and how that looks I’m not too sure.

“But they need to be training together throughout the season and playing a lot more representative football, or if it’s an academy-type thing for senior players to be able to train at the highest standard they can, while still playing for their local club.

“I think it’s going to be massive for their development and also important for next year with the VFL coming in the year after that we start preparing now we don’t wait until the end of next season.

“I certainly AFL Tasmania is putting things in place to make sure we are prepared for the VFL in 2026.

“It’s really exciting for the young guys around the state to have the opportunity to be able to prepare for something like that and hopefully it will entice some guys back from interstate as well knowing there is a VFL side on the horizon.”

AFL Tasmania CEO Damian Gill said plans were in the pipeline.

“We have learned a lot through that process, we’ve spoken to players about what they would like to see and we are hopeful of having an announcement in the coming weeks.”