Ken and Howard have it pretty much covered...
I've been up here in Qld since 1996, and the team was created in 2001. I was stoked, and a few months later saw them win their first game on tv. The next few years seemed heady, as they improved to the point where they made the PF in 2004, and were pre season flag favourites in 2006 alongside Sandy. Big finals crowds, and it looked like the alignment with North would top off the list, especially with big key position players...
But when I went back for my school reunion in 2005, not one of my footy mad mates had a good word for the team - you could sum it up as "nah, f### 'em, they're the Hobart Devils, like we knew they would be"...walking around town in 2005 you could see Devils displays in sports shops - but when I went back home again early this year, there was nothing anywhere. I spoke to the manager of L'ton's biggest sports shop down there, and he said he'd tried to get merchandise but AFL Tasmania wouldn't return his calls!
And the coverage up north has disappeared - I would get nearly all of my info from the Examiner for a site I've constructed once, but these days they give nothing except a match report. This year, the team plays 2 games in Launceston (both as Hawks curtain raisers, so you're paying for an AFL ticket there), and a game given to us by Coburg for Burnie - otherwise, it's all Hobart. The crowds were equitable north and south in the first few years, with a slight leaning towards Hobart - but this leaning (and we're talking maybe 5000 in Hobart one week v 4000 in L'ton the next, those sorts of numbers) was enough for AFL Tasmania to start programming more games at Bellerive, and openly state in the media that unless the North started turning up in greater numbers and matching Hobart their games would be taken away - nothing pisses off a Northerner more than scolding by "arrogant" Southerners (!), so the collective middle finger was raised and now they aren't on the radar at all...
It's really disappointing, as an ex-pat who otherwise struts his green two-headed heritage with pride amongst all these maroon idiots up here every chance he gets (!)...I've been loving the cricket the last couple of years, and was there at the 2004-05 ING final (the loud banging on the fence as Bevan hit the winner was me!)...we've managed to f### up the one thing that noone with a brain bags Tasmania about - our footy...the state team half the state hates (get on the Tassie forum, and you'll see intelligent people who know footy celebrating when they lose - that has to tell you something)...
Me, I hate the fact that the team has turned into an older Mariners, only there for AFL teams to scavenge from...that's ok if a player is good enough to progress because of his quality playing for the Devils like any draftee, good for him, but when it's the motive before they step on the field, and the vision of the team is development first and winning anything second (AFL Tas has said this, and it's in their SW League planning document just released), then I'm insulted...my state should get nothing less than a spearhead playing in the highest level available to it (if not the AFL, then fine, VFL will do) for the express purpose of smashing everything it sees...THAT'S how you get people interested...
