Tassie has to stand alone

Don’t repeat mistakes, says Devils ex-skipper

THE last man to captain Tasmania in the VFL hopes the state can learn from mistakes of the past if it should re-enter the competition. Brett Geappen, the Devils record-games holder, is a massive supporter of the state being in the Victorian competition but believes it must be a solely Tasmanian team, with a centralised training base and a salary cap to reward players for the commitment required to succeed. AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan will be in Hobart on Tuesday to announce the findings of a league steering committee into Tasmanian football, and it is believed the state returning to the VFL in 2021 will be one of those recommendations.

“Most of my footy career was involved in the Devils and it was the best part of my life,” Geappen said.

“When you think about it, when was the last time footy was spoken about positively in Tasmania? That was when the Devils were around.

“If we get this side going, we really need to get behind it.

“The VFL was awesome, was a much better standard, even than the TSL.

“When I came back to the TSL you get that feeling you can compete even if you weren’t at your best. That wasn’t the case with the VFL. It was bloody hard week in and week out and to be at the top of your game you had to train very hard individually and also collectively.”

The state’s previous VFL team, the Devils, rode the rollercoaster.

From a quick birth following the death of the old statewide league in 2001, the team powered into the finals in just their third season on the back of huge support and crowds, making a preliminary final the following season in 2004.

However, an unpopular alliance with North Melbourne and the disastrous appointment of Daryn Cresswell as coach saw the side and support plummet, eventually resulting in back-toback wooden spoons and dropping out of the competition in 2008 for the birth of the TSL.

Geappen said if done properly, the VFL team could be a huge winner for the state.

“Learn from the mistakes. What we did at the start was have the three regions and that doesn’t work. It needs to be centralised.”

“There is probably the odd case where if you had a good player that didn’t want to move down and relocate you would let him do that for family reasons but eventually you’d want everyone in the one place.

“That means relocating, making sure guys are getting assistance whether that be in relation to uni or employment.

“That is something they didn’t do that great back when we did it.

“Making sure the salary cap is good so it is an attractive thing.”

He believes a high-profile coach would be a must, and it would be an attractive job for those looking to push for an AFL position in the future.

Geappen, who went on to coach Clarence to two TSL premierships and coach the TSL representative team, also believes if backed properly, a VFL team could lead to our own AFL team.

“If we are serious about getting an AFL side, which everyone talks about, these are the stepping stones,” Geappen said.

“Make a commitment, get so many members along, say to the AFL we want to do it, get on average 4000 people to the VFL games, if you start doing those things it will send a message.”