The State League was given a fair hearing at Melbourne’s AFL House on Wednesday as it fronted the heavyweight steering committee tasked with deciding Tasmania’s football future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
North Launceston president Thane Brady and Tigers boss Paul Gadomski pleaded the TSL’s case for survival and presented its best-practice formula for Tasmanian football moving forward.
The entire committee was involved in discussions whereby the Tasmanian pair spoke for about 90 minutes.
“No decisions were made, nor did we expect them to be but we remain very confident that the submission is very sound and provides a good option for the future pathway,” Brady said.
“There was very good engagement and some very good questions were asked pertaining to our document, which demonstrates it was pre-read and we both walked out appreciative of the opportunity.”
Key points included in the TSL submission included:
- Investment in coaching resources for talent identification.
- A full-time TAC Cup Mariners program in two to three years.
- At a minimum, maintain TSL as it is, while investigating North-West reintroduction.
- Pursue Tasmanian VFL team or joint venture with North Melbourne within three years.
- Confirmation of Tasmania’s aspirations for its own AFL club.
Brady said he is optimistic the TSL would remain Tasmania’s football hub beyond 2018
The duo argued for three equally resourced regional talent centres that work in unison with TSL clubs to allow them to continue to develop and provide elite football for academy and Mariner squads, extended TSL licence agreements and that a North-West team was not a stipulation of the State League’s viability.
Brady said AFL draft picks cannot be a KPI of the TSL with AFL national academy and Allies selections a true indicator of its program’s success.
“The ideal model is that Tasmania would have its own AFL club and then to achieve that to need Tasmanian players able to represent the state, which means you have to have heavy investment in junior development,” he said.
“Investment in coaches and the programs from Auskick through, and the TSL could be a hub that works hand in hand with the AFL to deliver the best possible development opportunities.
“Based on the evidence of our submission, it’s clear the TSL model is integral, whether that be with an AFL side, VFL side or a combination of both.”
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said he looks forward to continuing the committee’s investigations when he visits the state’s North-West next week.
“The presentation from Thane and Paul was considered and insightful. I want to thank them for making themselves available to present to the group,” McLachlan said.
“The committee enjoyed the discussion, which was rational and helpful. It has given the committee some additional information to consider as we work towards our June deadline.
“I wish to reiterate that no final decisions have been made in regard to the TSL.”