Tasmanian State League: Launceston season preview 2023

However, the Blues have had plenty of list turnover this season, with at least half of their 2022 premiership side moving on to clubs within the SANFL, NTFA and NWFL.

Several of the Blues' top-tier crop remain and will link with some younger faces to make up their side in 2023, which will be met with an intriguing test first up, facing North Launceston at UTAS Stadium.

In the second of a series of TSL previews, coach Mitch Thorp speaks on his team's prospects for 2023.

LAST SEASON: Premiers - 17 wins, one loss

COACH: Mitch Thorp, who is in his fifth year at the helm.

Thorp is suspended for the first four games of the season due to several incidents last season, meaning Scott Stephens will be the Blues' caretaker coach.

LEADERS: Jobi Harper and Brodie Palfreyman (co-captains), Ryan Tyrrell and Joe Groenewegen (vice-captains) and Jake Hinds (playing assistant coach).

INS: The likes of Josh Gillow, Isaac Hyatt, Sam Foley, Liam Jones and Liam Canny are expected to play more senior football this year.

OUTS: Alec Wright (Norwood SANFL), Miller Hodge, Michael Musicka, Josh Woolley, Cooper Warren (Bracknell), Kye Chilcott (Deloraine), Jack Tuthill, Jacob Boyd (Hillwood), Casey Brown, Connor Riethoff, Jett Maloney (Longford), Jake Smith (Rocherlea), Jay Blackberry, Brendan Taylor (South Launceston), Fletcher Seymour (Old Scotch), Jamieson House (Wynyard), Josiah Burling (Perth).

FIRST GAME: Friday, April 7 v North Launceston at UTAS Stadium, 7pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Launceston 16.11 (107) defeated North Launceston 7.8 (50). The Bombers got off to a strong start in muddy and windy conditions at Windsor Park but Launceston showed their class to reel them in.

After three premierships, the list of outs at the Blues is extensive, with arguably the three biggest losses being Alec Wright to the SANFL, Jay Blackberry to TSL retirement/South Launceston and Fletcher Seymour to Old Scotch.

The reigning premiers haven't conventionally recruited anyone for this season, which is an exciting prospect for coach Thorp.

"We've been pretty clear in where we want to head with our list," he said.

"We've been fortunate to build a program where underneath our senior success, we've had a group of young Launceston boys that have been cutting their teeth at development league level and even with the Tassie Devils as well, that we knew were probably the next group for the club.

"So within that group there's guys like Josh Gillow, Isaac Hyatt, Sam Foley and Liam Canny, those 18-19-year-olds that have had a handful of senior games but have had to be patient and play some development league footy.

RELATED: Tasmanian State League: North Launceston season preview 2023

"The way it typically works in Tassie is that you debut when you're 16 or 17 but we've been fortunate to hold these guys back and now they're 18 or 19 and ready to go and we're in a better position for it."

Thorp praised the teenagers that will make up the core of his senior side this season.

"There's been some disappointment from that group, they've missed out on grand finals and there's certainly been some tough conversations along the way but with the tough conversations has always been 'just hang in there, just hang in there because your opportunity will come'.

"The lure of the dollar at different levels of footy is always there but these 18-19-20-year-olds that haven't tasted a senior premiership are desperate to be part of that and they've seen the work that our last three premiership teams have put in and they're really desperate to create some of their own history.

"We've known these guys for a long time and they're not new ... that's the pleasing part, they're players that come from within our footy club."

Jobi Harper remains captain of Launceston but several changes have been made around him.

Brodie Palfreyman joins him as co-captain while last year's vice-captains Miller Hodge and Wright have both departed, so Ryan Tyrrell and Joe Groenewegen have slid into those roles.

"Jobi's been captain for the last five years and now Brodie's been introduced into that role as well and that just shows the humility that Jobi's got.

"He understands that with the some of his fire-fighting commitments, and the leader that Brodie is, that it's a bit of a succession plan for the next leader of the club moving forward and also still gives Jobi the leadership role."

Outside of those four leaders, Jake Hinds has been promoted to a playing assistant coach role - making his first steps into coaching at just 23 years of age.

"He was captain when Jobi missed the first 10 weeks [in 2021] ... so he's always been a leader within the group and then, oddly enough, last year he found his way into the development league, just with our standards and now this year he's back into a coaching role.

"He's always been identified as a leader, we've just had to work through the balance of on-field and off-field and I couldn't speak more highly of his off-field development and his pre-season.

"He's lost six kilos, looks lean, fit and ready to have a strong season."

Hinds finished second in the league's goal-kicking medal - the Hudson - by a goal last year.

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