A long-running saga appeared to come to a head last week when Mr Gutwein informed AFL House that Tasmania would not continue contract conversations with Hawthorn and North Melbourne until it received a timeline for its own team.

A response received shortly before Friday's close of business deadline indicated the AFL would "seek an independent consultant" to conduct a review of the state's bid, which would be completed late 2021 or early 2022.

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Speaking in Launceston on Saturday, Mr Gutwein accused the AFL of "recalcitrance".

"Quite frankly I would have thought that the AFL, with the resources that they have and also the ability to call on professionals from outside of the organisation, could look at the business case within a matter of weeks," he said.

"What really surprises me is if they wanted to use an independent consultant, they could have put that independent consultant on to look at the report last March.

"At the moment pushing this issue out for another 12 months just isn't fair."

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan's response said the timeframe would allow the AFL to get a clearer picture of its financial position in the wake of COVID.

"At the end of the day many organisations have had to pivot to manage COVID - our business case was provided to them last February," Mr Gutwein said.

"The fact that they haven't bothered to look at it in detail just doesn't stack up - the football season finished in October.

"I've said right through the AFL has been treating Tasmania with disrespect ... it beggars belief that the AFL want to kick the can down the road again for another 12 months."

The Tasmanian AFL taskforce's 267-page business plan was first handed to Mr McLachlan on February 7, 2020 - 43 days before COVID forced the season to be postponed.

The AFL Commission had begun to consider the report when coronavirus put the season on standstill until June 11, with cuts putting many out of jobs industry-wide.

Tasmanian AFL taskforce chairman Brett Godfrey said last week that while the AFL did not need Tasmania's "added noise" once COVID set in last year, the state could not wait much longer for a response.

A statement from the taskforce on Saturday said continued "perpetual inaction" from the AFL could mark a death sentence for footy in Tasmania.