The move caused derision just as Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein initially said he was "not in a rush to have AFL played here in front of empty stadiums".

This comes after the government had floated UTAS Stadium as a hub venue only for the AFL to rule the idea out, but ask the Tasmanians could the state instead provide fly in, fly out models for clubs to visit on the same day.

That has allowed Hawks president Jeff Kennett to insist his club was willing to play around half of its 2020 home games at their second home ground since 2001.

The club earns about $3.8 million a season to play four of 11 matches in Launceston, plus a preseason clash as it did against Melbourne in March just before the coronavirus pandemic arrived.

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Kennett has since doubled down on his offer to the state government that would force taxpayers to hand over their cash with no financial return to a local economy. Previous estimates counted nearly $20 million a year from visitors.

"We've asked to play those four down there because we have a very large membership in Tasmania, close to 10,000 and we respect them," Kennett said on a Perth radio station at the weekend.

"So we've made an application to the AFL, we've also told the Tasmanian Government that we're pushing hard to meet our obligation.

"But now because there has been a few games excised from the competition this year, whether we play four or not time will tell."

The government initiated talks with the Hawks during the shutdown of AFL games to possibly rescind the deal for this season.

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