Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett shocked Hawks supporters by suggesting the club could relocate to Tasmania in the future.
Hawthorn's deal with the state is set to expire at the end of the season, with the Tasmanian Government reportedly threatening to end its long association with the Hawks and North Melbourne if they aren’t granted a standalone AFL licence.
“I’d consider anything. We are the Tassie Hawks,” Kennett told FIVE AA.
“That’s how we brand ourselves, we’ve got Tasmania proudly on our breast … we know the community well.
“We are very embedded in Tassie, I wouldn’t rule it out. It would be difficult, but I wouldn’t rule it out in the interest of the three joint parties.
“The AFL, the clubs and then of course Tasmania. Whether North are prepared to do that, I can’t answer.”
Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy discussed whether moving to Tasmania is a realistic possibility for Hawthorn.
“If Jeff Kennett throws that up, you can rest assured that he’s thought long and hard about how they can get the best of both worlds," Healy told Sportsday.
“He described them as the Tassie Hawks, they used to be the Hawthorn Hawks, then they were the Glenferrie Hawks, then they were the Waverley Hawks – not by name but by location – they could quite easily become the Tassie Hawks and just do a swap.
“You play 10 games down there, you play six, seven or eight games in Melbourne and three games elsewhere. Get the economic value from Tasmania, keep the folk here in Melbourne – there will be plenty of upset people – but ultimately, you’ve got to look long-term.
“They’re about to build a $20 million training facility in Dingley, I’m not sure how that works into it.
“You can just see that Jeff is looking at all the machinations.”
Hawthorn’s current five-year deal with the Tasmania Government is worth $20 million.
They play four games at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium per season.
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