If there has ever been any doubt for Tasmania's enthusiasm for AFL, look no further than the announcement that Launceston will host footy rivals Hawthorn and Essendon this weekend.
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This game shouldn't be a decider as to whether or not Tassie should have a team.
In Tasmanians' eyes, that ship has passed with the taskforce revealing back in 2019 that a team would be sustainable in the football-loving state.
Instead, the match should be a sign of what's to come for Launceston.
While we eagerly await the final report by the AFL, which is due to be handed down within a month, we know for sure that we deserve more than what we currently receive from AFL House.
The priority is our own team. While we're not even ready to entertain that not coming to fruition, plan B would be more competitive matches for the state regarding rostering and the number of games.
Over the years, arguments for the Apple Isle to have its own team have been echoed nationally.
Former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt rightly said that money was not the reason why we don't have our own team.
After all, the AFL has proven time and time again their willingness to prop up the sport in non-AFL states such as Gold Coast and GWS.
We also don't want to dip into the argument of what we deserve.
Instead, we should focus on the talent we produce, the fact Tassie's number one sport for decades has been football, and within six weeks, more than 50,000 signed a pledge to support a Tasmanian team.
Yes, this needs to translate into memberships, but we've often witnessed the Tassie pride, whether it be attending BBL matches or signing up for the latest national team, the JackJumpers.
We don't deserve a team; we've earned one.
As Martin Flanagan wrote back in 2017, only the hardest heart could not understand why Tasmania doesn't have a team.
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