The country club that kicked in to produced the AFL Devils new iconic woollen Tassie Map jumper

A tiny country footy club and inter-generational merino farmers have played a key role in the Tasmania Devils woollen footy jumper they hope will become iconic. Here is the story behind it.

The Tasmania Devils have released traditional woolen Tassie Map footy jumpers with wool provided by Oatlands farmers. Picture TFC

The president of one of Tasmania’s oldest football competitions is beaming with pride after a 99-year-old country club played a key role in the development of Tasmania Devils’ newly-released heritage woollen “Map” Guernsey.

Oatlands District Football Association boss Brian O’Reilly said a great deal of work had gone into producing the video that captured some of his players, from Mount Pleasant Football Club, at work on their farms and then preparing for action on game-day.

“We are very proud to be involved in the project,” O’Reilly said.

“At Mount Pleasant we have wool farmers and wool classers and buyers every Saturday, and it’s my club so I’m very biased.

“I reckon Mount Pleasant ground is the second-most iconic ground in Tasmania, obviously Queenstown is number one.”

Sixth-generation wool grower Dougal Morrison, whose family has been on their St Peter’s Pass property, just north of Oatlands, since 1853, provided some of the merino wool for the jumper.

“Having our wool in the Tasmanian jumper is a great thing, it makes me proud to showcase a great fibre,” Morrison said.

Dougal, who put on his first pair of footy boots at the age of “four or five”, continues a long line of Morrison men who have played footy.

He now wears No. 11 for the “Mounties”.

“I’ve been playing for 26 years now and been lucky to have a bit of success,” he said.

“My whole family has played out at Mount Pleasant – my grandfather played, my uncles have played, my dad played 349 games.”

Dougal makes sure his sheep are fed or moved to new paddocks in good time to make it to the footy on Saturday.

“I support St Kilda in the AFL but soon to be the Tasmania Devils,” he said.

Tasmania Football Club and Woolmark partnered to create the traditional Tasmanian football jumpers.

TFC’s general manager of marketing, public affairs and social impact, Kath McCann said the collaboration was part of the Fibre of Football campaign.

“To be able to create such special products made from 100 per cent Australian wool for Tasmania Football Club members is a really special thing for our club,” she said.

“The wool industry is an important part of Tasmania’s heritage, as is football, to be able to bring the two things together feels right.

“The products are of the highest quality and will not only be a statement piece, but something for collectors alike.

“Our Foundation guernseys that we had on sale in 2024 were very popular, with nearly 20,000 sold. We anticipate that the woollen jumpers will provide another option for our fans to embrace the Tasmania Devils and our journey to first bounce.”