Tasmanian football star Sam Siggins has backed the state's talent to shine when entering the VFL following the announcement of more representative matches.
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The players who don the map against Queensland and a Canberra-Sydney composite team in mid-2024 will be among the leading contenders for the state's proposed VFL side in 2025.
Having played in both the Tasmanian State League and the VFL, the winner of the 2023 Lynch and Lefroy Medals described it as "a massive jump" between the two.
"Obviously from a VFL point of view, you're playing against a lot of the [AFL] listed players, so they're training full-time and they're at a high level, so it's really tough and a really high standard," Siggins said.
"I certainly feel like that we've got guys that are playing in the TSL that are capable of matching up against those guys but it's obviously a really quality competition and I think it's something that Tassie should be a part of and it's exciting for the state."
The Lauderdale superstar, who will play alongside the likes of Mitch Robinson and Andrew Phillips this season, stopped short of putting himself forward for the VFL team, with the official timeline yet to be confirmed.
"It all depends on when it when it comes around but I'll certainly look at it and it's something I'd definitely cherish - the opportunity to potentially play for your state," he said.
"I'm on the back-end of my footy career, so to be able to play for my state and potentially finish playing footy at that level would be really good but I suppose it just all depends on what happens."
Siggins starred in the seven-point win against Queensland in July, kicking the winning major as one of his three in front of a crowd of 7189 people at North Hobart Oval.
He feels the momentum created in that match will build towards 2024's two contests and is looking forward to potentially taking on the Queenslanders once again.
"There's a lot of quality players up there and it was obviously a close game this year and I certainly feel like they want to get one back up on us, so it's going to be a tough game," he said.
Tasmania will play Queensland away on June 22 and a Canberra-Sydney composite team in Launceston on July 20.
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
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