Tasmania Devils captain Tom Beaumont on minor premiership and finals goals

Fresh off claiming the Coates Talent League minor premiership, Tasmania Devils captain Tom Beaumont is hungry for the ultimate success.

Tasmania Devils captain Tom Beaumont is hungry to achieve the ultimate success in the Coates Talent League after claiming the minor premiership on Saturday. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Tasmania Devils captain Tom Beaumont believes his side is in as good a position as any to challenge for the Coates Talent League premiership but understands they won’t be gifted anything after claiming the minor premiership.

The Devils produced a gritty 22-point win over Dandenong on Saturday to become the first Tasmanian side to finish atop the under 18 ladder and be named minor premiers.

Tom Beaumont is in his second year in the Devils program. Picture: Linda Higginson/AFL Tasmania

While the win was an important one in the context of their season – giving them the first week of finals off – it was also a small measure of revenge with the Stingrays beating the Devils by one-point in last year’s heartbreaking preliminary final.

Beaumont, who finished the Saturday’s contest with 16 disposals and four tackles, said he was incredibly pleased with the season the group had put together in order to give themselves a shot at going one step further than they did in 2022.

“I’m really proud of the year we’ve put together,” Beaumont said.

“We’ve had to overcome a lot of challenges, as a team from Tasmania that travels interstate most weeks, and just the professionalism that the boys have shown has been enormous.

“We have a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouths about last year so to be able to knock them (Dandenong) off was certainly really nice but ‘Jez’ (coach Jeromey Webberley) is exceptional and he keeps us pretty level headed.

“We know where we want to get too so it’s not over and with the way the finals falls, you don’t have a second chance.

Tasmania Devils coach Jeromey Webberley has lead his team to a preliminary final and minor premiership in his first two seasons in charge. Picture: Linda Higginson/Solstice Digital

“We finished on top and yes, we get the week off, but does it really mean a whole lot? Probably not. We understand we need to be at our best if we want to achieve something special.”

The win was arguably even more impressive given the omission of potential top five draft pick Colby McKercher who suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win over the Calder Cannons.

Beaumont said McKercher was now into his rehab program but wasn’t sure if he would recover in-time for their first final.

Now into his second season in the Devils system, Beaumont has thrived in 2023 after being named captain.

After an injury to his knee prior to last season hampered his 2022 campaign, the 18 year-old’s numbers in all KPI’s have skyrocketed this season.

His disposals average per game have jumped from 16 to 23 while he has also been able to hit the scoreboard on a more regular basis.

But the ever-humble and incredibly level-headed teenager doesn’t put his consistent season this year down to just his own form.

Colby McKercher injured his ankle during the game against the Calder Cannons at KGV Oval last week. Picture: Chris Kidd

“I can’t complain too much about the year I’ve had but a lot of that comes down to the support I’ve had around me,” he said.

“Overcoming that injury last year and getting the body right allowed me to get a full pre-season in this year and that’s really helped but the coaching group has to take a lot of credit for it.”