The Tasmanian State League's highest-profile player has thrown his support behind the competition.
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Lauderdale's Allen Christensen, who played 133 games at AFL level before picking Tasmania over staying in Queensland or returning to Melbourne, described himself as "a big supporter of the TSL".
When asked whether the TSL should remain or Tasmania's VFL side should be revived if the state gets an AFL team, the 31-year-old said he'd looked at both options.
"It will be interesting to see what they do," he said.
I think to have a TSL underneath an AFL team will be pretty important.
- Allen Christensen
"Not only just for the sake of junior development but it gives guys that goal, if I play good enough TSL footy [then] maybe I'll get a rookie-list spot or there might be local spots.
"If that's through the TSL, that would be great for the competition."
When stressing the importance of the State League competition, Christensen used a former Brisbane teammate as a key example.
"No one is going to come here if we drop back to regional footy," he said.
"Like just say, a guy who's playing in the AFL at the moment like Mitch Robinson retires in a couple of years' time or whatever, is he going to come and play in a regional league or do you think he wants to play in a state league for Lauderdale where he grew up.
"I think he'd rather play for Lauderdale to be honest."
The State League is secure until 2023 under the current model, with AFL Tasmania's football futures project's preliminary findings revealing a "broad acceptance" that the seven-team model "isn't sustainable or preferred in the long term".
The project has since been put on hold, partnering with the AFL taskforce to be reliant on the state's bid.
The league began as a 10-team competition in 2009 but has since lost Hobart, South Launceston, Burnie and Devonport from its inaugural season, picking up Kingborough along the way and leaving no North-West Coast involvement since 2017.
On a personal level, Christensen, who was selected by Geelong with pick 40 in 2009 before being traded to Brisbane at the end of 2014, is enjoying life in Tasmania - re-signing with Lauderdale until the end of next year.
"The standard of footy is pretty good and day-to-day, Monday to Friday life is pretty cruisy and pretty relaxed, not hectic like Melbourne, Sydney or even Brisbane," he said.
"I think it's a great place to live and people with young families and things like that, it's a really cruisy place."
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