Club Focus Tasmania 2028 - The List Build

AFL Club Focus

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Think they’ll be up against it

If kids/20 somethings don’t want to go and live and play on the Gold Coast, they’re not going to want to be in Tassy

Nice place if you’re 30/40+, not so much if you’re in your 20s

Won’t matter how much money they have to throw around, they’ll never be able to build a decent list, and don’t have the talent to fill with locals
 
Serong is who I'd look at first.
Quality
Out of contract
And the right type of player to build around.
Caleb Serong would be a free agent too.

Another dockers player that's also out of contract would be Hayden Young. Lime Serong, came from the 2019 draft, out of contract in 2027 as he is doing his 8 years and will be a free agent.

Saying that... Hayden Young would be a solid player I would grab.

Plays inside and outside mid, plays on a back flank or forward flank. Can kick well with either foot.
 
The AFL has said their start up concessions won't be as generous as what GWS and Gold Coast got (they won't take half of the first round picks in their first couple of years of entering the draft for example, but rather a wider and more immediate access to state league type players)

The line of thinking is they want Tassie to be competitive somewhat from day 1 and not just smashed weekly by 100 points plus like the Giants and Suns in their first couple of years.
I would not give Tassie picks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15. They are likely not gonna trade those picks.

If that's the case, hand them picks 1, 2, 3 and 4. Then hand them the 1st 2 picks of each round from the 2nd round onwards. That is 16 draft picks likely to be 18 or 19 year olds.

Make Tassie choose 10 mature aged players between 20 to 24.

Hoping the Tassie side chooses 10 to 12 experienced players from other AFL clubs.

5 or 6 of those blokes are aged 30 or over on 2 year deals. 1st year is front loaded. Tassie will struggle to reach the minimum salary cap.

Then grab 5 or 6 players that are rejects or fringe players at other clubs aged 22 to 25 years old.

Then have access to 8 rookie listed players.

So 36 to 38 players on the main list and 8 rookies listed players

Its not about the list 1 or 2 years in. The squad should be solid by the end of the 3rd or 4th season.
 

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I would prefer Tasmania being able to sign any uncontacted player for 2028 as if they were a free agent, and the player's former club to be compensated with a draft pick from the AFL. To spread out the draft burden, perhaps non finals teams get their compensation pick immediately (2027 draft), finals teams to get their compensation for the following draft (2028).

Extra draft picks with the attached caveat that they must be traded for players, only leads to the club with the picks being bent over for C graders. See North and their 'assistance' package.

Manipulating list sizes could also help smooth the entrance of Tasmania into the competition. List sizes could be increased now by 1, only to be cut back by 1 for 2028. The squeeze of list spots should see some clubs having to give up wanted players, and lead to a few extra diamonds in the rough in the crop of delisted free agents.
 
Think they’ll be up against it

If kids/20 somethings don’t want to go and live and play on the Gold Coast, they’re not going to want to be in Tassy

Nice place if you’re 30/40+, not so much if you’re in your 20s

Won’t matter how much money they have to throw around, they’ll never be able to build a decent list, and don’t have the talent to fill with locals
Tassie is going to be another Geelong. They are also going to be bringing "home" all the Country players. The falling standard of living in mainland cities is only going to get worse.
 
West Coast and even to an extent Fremantle, were fortunate to have a large number of seasoned WAFL players to slot into their initial squads.

I wonder if Tasmania can find 6 or 7 players from their local leagues with experience.
A large majority of our best state league players left Tasmania over the last few seasons do to how low the tsl salary cap is there’s about 15-20 playing in the sanfl alone and there’s a few in the vfl
 
I think they need mature bodies, so don't need lots of draft picks like GWS. Just every 5th pick or so.
I would guarantee them picks 1,6,11 at each of first two seasons.
For first year, every club gives up a player ( can protect 25 players).
Only giving them 1 6 11 would be setting them up for massive failure no where near enough for startup even if they trade some picks they need lots more I would think a gws supporters would understand more than anyone
 
Only giving them 1 6 11 would be setting them up for massive failure no where near enough for startup even if they trade some picks they need lots more I would think a gws supporters would understand more than anyone
I think GWS didn't work, ended up wasting picks, trading them for peanuts in many cases ( like the 4,6,7 from 2014 draft, Bruhn 12, traded 18 etc).
GWS should have been given less, forced to play mature bodies via delisted players.
I have called for an expansion draft for Tas, each club gives up a player, so no need for compo apart from say an additional 6 players like Davis, Ward etc for GWS.
 
Think they’ll be up against it

If kids/20 somethings don’t want to go and live and play on the Gold Coast, they’re not going to want to be in Tassy

Nice place if you’re 30/40+, not so much if you’re in your 20s

Won’t matter how much money they have to throw around, they’ll never be able to build a decent list, and don’t have the talent to fill with locals
I think GWS didn't work, ended up wasting picks, trading them for peanuts in many cases ( like the 4,6,7 from 2014 draft, Bruhn 12, traded 18 etc).
GWS should have been given less, forced to play mature bodies via delisted players.
I have called for an expansion draft for Tas, each club gives up a player, so no need for compo apart from say an additional 6 players like Davis, Ward etc for GWS.
They tried that with Brisbane back in the day it doesn’t work what’s the point of clubs offering up players that are not best 22 and up with a heap of list cloggers , they need quality experienced players that’s why they need to have pretty generous salary cap concessions sign on bonuses , to go with quality young players
 
List sizes could be increased now by 1, only to be cut back by 1 for 2028. The squeeze of list spots should see some clubs having to give up wanted players, and lead to a few extra diamonds in the rough in the crop of delisted free agents.
They should have already announced 3 extra rookie spots per club outside the salary cap for next year, say with an max age limit of 22 or 23.
Then by the time Tassie come in there'd be more than 100 extra kids with AFL Club/system experience.
 
They should give them Picks 1,2,3 and 4 in the first round and the top 3 picks in each subsequent round for year one.
Two picks each round year two and maybe even three.
Also give them 3 extra picks in the middle of the first and second rounds which must be traded.
They should also let them draft anyone that is over 23 and not in a club's top 15 paid players as if they are unrestricted free agents in year one.
Pre-trade access to all uncontracted players as if they are unrestricted free agents for two years.

Then allow them to structure the first 4 years of their salary cap anyway they want, so rather than $15m per year they have $60m over the 4 years.
That means they could offer a player $1.5m a year for 5 years but pay him $5m up front so he can set himself up for life with the right financial advice and still receives $500K a year.
 

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