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PREMIER PUTS HEAT ON AFL OVER TASSIE TEAM KANGAROOS AND HAWKS CONTRACTS ‘ON TABLE’

TASMANIA is sick of jumping through the AFL’s hoops — now it is up to the League to show the way for the state to enter the national competition, says Premier Will Hodgman.

Mr Hodgman says everything is on the table, including not renewing contracts with Hawthorn and North Melbourne after 2021 and the possibility of a partial or full relocation of an AFL club.

“There’s an obligation for the AFL to demonstrate its vision for when Tasmania will have its own team,” he said.

“There is no question about the level of passion, commitment and ambition here in Tasmania, but it is the AFL who runs the competition.

“The ball is in the AFL’s court to state definitively when Tasmania will be considered as a prospective entrant into the competition, what’s expected of the state and how might that affect existing relationships with Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

“We are at a point where we say to the AFL, ‘ Where might we be in the coming years as we plan for Tasmania’s

entry into the competition?’,’’ Mr Hodgman said.

“At which point can the AFL be definitive about that and then we can have that conversation with Hawthorn and North Melbourne.”

The Premier said the state had demonstrated to the AFL it was ready and able to support a team through various business plans and working groups throughout the years.

He said the Government’s contribution of more than $6 million a year of taxpayers money to get games played in Tasmania showed the state’s commitment and passion.

“We put our money where our mouth is, we’ve demonstrated we are a footy loving community and this government reflects that through this public expenditure.”

Mr Hodgman said the state would honour its contracts with the Roos and the Hawks.

“But they are aware and we’ve had discussions with chairs and CEOs that ultimately Tasmania would quite legitimately and understandably be looking to have our own teams,” he said.

“I think we need to have all options open and have those discussions when they arise.

“It has happened in the past where there have been concepts that haven’t materialised and the AFL’s appetite to look at Tasmania as an option hasn’t always been as strong as it is now. There is no point in my view saying it is all or nothing, we want a stand-alone teams or nothing at all. Because the AFL could say you will have no footy content in Tasmania.

“That is not something we want. We do need to leave all options open but to state very clearly our preference is for a stand-alone men’s and women’s teams in the AFL.”

AFL football operations chief Simon Lethlean last month said “everything is a possibility”.

“Our preferred model probably is one team in Tassie, but we’ve also been pretty clear too that there are two clubs there at the moment with five-year deals to play matches and that’s not changing any time soon,’’ he said.

“It’s one for three, four, five years time to discuss and see where clubs are situated.”

Hawthorn has become a big part of Launceston in the mar- ginal Bass electorate, but Mr Hodgman said it would not be a political decision to not resign the Hawks.

He also dismissed economic and parochial issues as reasons against the state’s inclusion.

“’Rooey’s’ [St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt] article in many ways nailed the fallacies of the AFL’s arguments in the past you couldn’t financially sustain a team out of Tasmania. They are rubbish, it’s fallacious and inappropriate,” he said.